From two losing bidders of the I-495 and the American Legion bridge PPP procurement process; Cintra has submitted the protest to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) on the selection of Accelerate Maryland Partners. The bidding team led by Cintra claimed that winning team Transurban has quoted unrealistic construction quotes in their proposal.

Cintra also argued that Transurban lacks a construction contractor on its team, without which the team has no ability to forsee any construction risk until its late. According to the rules, Cintra can file an appeal in court.

Terry Owens, an MDOT spokesman on the project, said the state will resolve the protest via procedures outlined in the bid documents.