TAUNTON — After the abrupt halting of work last fall on the multi-million dollar and multi-year construction project for the Route 24/Route 140 interchange after the contractor walked off the job — work picked back up this past winter with a new contractor.

The original contractor that walked off the job, Cardi Corporation, has since gone out of business

The new contractor, Manafort Brothers Incorporated, with offices in Worcester and Cumberland, Rhode Island, took over the project on Jan. 5, according to Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokesperson John Goggin.

Who is Manafort, the new contractor?

Manafort provides specialty construction and demolition services as well as general contracting services primarily in the northeastern United States.

Manafort’s portfolio of work in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to its website, has included rehabilitation and demolition of at-grade railroad crossings associated with South Coast Rail, structural concrete work for New Bedford’s Marine Commerce Terminal, foundation and concrete work for a residence hall at UMass Boston, all the concrete and steel work for Worcester’s Polar Park, massive renovation work for St. Mary’s Hall at Boston College, and civil engineering, utility and excavation work associated with new office, housing and retail buildings in Somerville’s Union Square.

Manafort is also the main contractor for the 1,295-foot Providence Viaduct Bridge Project on I-95 in Providence.

Manafort Human Resources Manager Kenneth Sedlak said the company won’t answer any questions by the Gazette regarding the Route 24/Route 140 project, and all inquiries should be addressed to MassDOT.

Manafort is a prequalified MassDOT contractor, said Goggin, meaning there’s no vetting needed as they’ve done work for MassDOT before.

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How was Manafort chosen?

Manafort was selected by Cardi Corporation’s surety bond company.

A construction surety bond is a contractual agreement among three parties: the owner of the site, in this case the state; the original construction company, in this case, Cardi; and the surety bond company, which guarantees the work will be completed.

When Cardi walked off the construction site last year, it was the bonding company’s obligation to provide MassDOT with a replacement contractor.

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Will this cost more?

Goggin previously told the Gazette back in November that whoever was the replacement contractor would be doing it under the original terms and agreed upon costs of the project. Cardi had initially won the bid for the project in late 2020 at $116.5 million. The $139.2 total project price tag includes a contingency fund, construction engineering and traffic police details.

“Any additional costs to the project beyond the original $116.5 million contract bid price is the responsibility of the bonding company,” Goggin said back in November.

What happened to the previous contractor?

Warwick, RI-based Cardi Corporation started construction in May 2021, but officially suspended operations in October 2023.

Cardi had been dealing with financial troubles and went out of business at the end of 2023, according to the Providence Journal. Its assets were taken over by Johnston, RI-based contractor JR Vinagro Corporation.

What work is being done?

The work being done under the construction project includes the following:

• Construction of a new Route 24 southbound ramp to Route 140 northbound

• Widening Route 24 to three travel lanes on both sides, plus acceleration and deceleration lanes at interchange ramps

• Replacing of several bridges, including the Route 24 bridge going over Route 140, and as well as two bridges on Route 24 above sets of railroad tracks, which will be used as train lines for South Coast Rail.

• Reconstruction of interchange ramps between Routes 24 and 140, including two lane entrance ramps from Route 140

• Constructing a bypass lane on Route 140 southbound, between the Route 24 north and south ramps

• Widening Route 140 for additional turning lanes and a bypass lane

• Drainage work, including extension of the culvert on the Cotley River

When asked, Goggin didn’t specify how much of this work was already completed by the former contractor, Cardi.

The project is currently listed as 20% complete, according to Mass DOT’s Project Info Site for Highway Division Projects.

Completion Date

The project was previously estimated to be completed by summer 2027. With the delays last year, Goggin said the new completion date is fall 2027.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton routes 24/140 construction job restarts. New timeline and more