Workshops Explore Innovative Approaches to Accelerated Construction
Increases in traffic volume nationwide coupled with growing numbers
of road rehabilitation and reconstruction projects are often a recipe
for congestion and delays for the traveling public. Two pilot accelerated
construction workshops held this past spring in Indianapolis, Indiana,
and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, looked at innovative ways to accelerate
the reconstruction of primary corridors in need of major rehabilitation,
all while maintaining quality and safety for the motorist and the highway
worker.
Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials' Technology Implementation Group (TIG), Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), and the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Task Force on
Accelerating Innovation (A5T60), the workshops brought together staff
from the host Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and experts from
other State highway agencies, industry, academia, and FHWA. These experts'
skill areas included innovative financing, long-life pavements, right-of-way,
utilities, and innovative contracting, as well as improved work zone
traffic control and worker safety.
The Indiana workshop, held March 17-19, 2002, focused on a needed improvement
to Interstate 465 on the west side of Indianapolis. The corridor improvement
calls for adding a travel lane in each direction and modifying eight
interchanges on a 19-km (12-mi) stretch of the Interstate. More than
150,000 vehicles a day travel on the roadway, which serves the Indianapolis
International Airport and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among other major
traffic generators. Few alternative routes currently exist to reach
many of the destinations along the corridor.
Following standard practice for reconstruction of the corridor would
mean 5-8 years of construction, two to three engineering contracts,
and no less than five separate construction contracts, with the Indiana
Department of Transportation (INDOT) serving as the lead coordinator
for all activities. The challenge under the new accelerated construction
concept discussed at the workshop was to see if corridor construction
could be completed in 3 years while still maintaining the traffic flow.
Recommendations made at the workshop for speeding up the process included
letting one corridor design engineering contract, considering one design/build
construction contract, and looking at several other phasing and construction
options. The contractor would serve as the lead coordinator for the
project, if the design/build option was employed. Another important
set of recommendations concerned the financing of the project. The team
suggested that Indiana consider using Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle
bonds as the principal financing vehicle for the project, maximize Federal
matching tools, and contain costs through such methods as value engineering,
among other steps.
Other suggestions included employing prefabricated bridge systems,
designing a long-life (60-year) pavement, using subsurface utility engineering
to obtain better information on utility locations and potential interference,
and forming a Right-of-Way, Utility, and Design Team to coordinate issues
as early as possible. Accelerated construction efforts would be accompanied
by extensive media and public information campaigns to keep motorists
informed. INDOT is considering the workshop recommendations as it draws
up plans for the project. "The workshop allowed the open discussion
of numerous innovative right-of-way, utility relocation, structural
design, pavement design, and construction options which may be employed
on this project or other INDOT projects in the future," said INDOT
Chief Engineer Richard K. Smutzer. "The workshop was definitely
a success and very informative for all of the participants."
Alabama Replaces Bridge in Record Time
The Alabama DOT found success this year using precast and prestressed
concrete girders to accelerate the replacement of a three-span
bridge on I-65, which is the main north-south route through Alabama.
The bridge had been badly damaged by the crash of a fully-loaded
fuel tanker truck in January 2002. Work on the replacement bridge
began on February 25 and was completed 37 days later, which was
the fastest that any bridge project had ever been completed in
Alabama. "Using the precast concrete paid off in a really
big way," says Fred Conway, Bridge Engineer for Alabama DOT.
The contractor earned $1.3 million in incentives by finishing
the project 52 days ahead of schedule. For more information on
the Alabama I-65 project, contact Fred Conway at Alabama DOT,
334-242-6007 (email: conwayf@dot.state.al.us).
|
The photo above shows the damaged I-65 bridge. |
Above is the project site on day seven of the reconstruction. |
A similar workshop in Pennsylvania, held April 10-12, 2002, looked
at options for accelerating the rehabilitation of a 2.8-km (1.8-mi)
segment of Pennsylvania Route 28 in Pittsburgh. More than 60,000 vehicles
a day use this very compact corridor. Proposed improvements include
elevating and dividing Route 28 to accommodate widening the road to
four lanes with shoulders and median barriers and providing grade-separated
interchanges at two bridges. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PENNDOT) estimates that these improvements could save $11 million per
year in user delay costs. Construction challenges faced by PENNDOT include
having to work on a tightly confined corridor that is supported by a
retaining wall adjacent to railroad tracks along the northbound lanes.
Adjacent to the southbound lanes are numerous businesses and residences,
as well as several historical landmarks.
Another critical aspect of the project will involve relocating existing
utility lines, including an 18-m (60-ft) waterline with numerous supply
lines, extensive sanitary sewer lines, natural gas supply lines, and
electric and telecommunication lines.
The goals of the project include completing construction in 2 years
(1 year earlier than originally planned), maintaining a traffic flow
of 56 km/h (35 mi/h) during construction, and providing a long-life
pavement that can last 50 years without requiring major maintenance.
Recommendations made at the workshop for achieving these goals again
included letting only one design/build contract, moving utility lines
off of the corridor, and using multiple, high-speed wall construction
teams to build the hillside walls and two of the lanes.
A common theme for both workshops was the multi-discipline teamwork
approach used in analyzing the corridors. "Major construction efforts
are really a team effort, with skills needed from nearly every element
of a highway department, everything from bridges, utilities, and right-of-way
to geotechnology, constructibility, extended pavement design, worker
and public safety, mobility, public relations, and financing, as well
as contractor innovations," said Mike Ryan, Deputy Secretary for
Highway Administration with PENNDOT and a member of the TRB A5T60 Task
Force. "These workshops clearly showed the benefits of having experts
work together as a team to come up with solutions that no one individually
would come close to considering."
TRB, FHWA, and the AASHTO TIG met in July to review reports on the
two pilot workshops and to discuss further implementation of the accelerated
construction concept, such as holding future workshops or establishing
an accelerated construction team. As implementation plans are developed,
Focus will provide updates.
For more information on accelerated construction, contact Jim Sorenson
at FHWA, 202-366-1333 (email: james.sorenson@fhwa.dot.gov).
For more information on Pennsylvania's Route 28 project, contact Ray
Hack at PENNDOT, 412-429-5001 (email: hack@dot.state.pa.us).
For more information on the Indiana 465 project, contact Christine Baynes
at INDOT, 317-232-5132 (email: cbaynes@indot.state.in.us)
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Articles in this issue:
Accelerated Bridge Repairs: Meeting the Challenge in Oklahoma
The Time for Accelerated Construction is Now
Workshops Explore Innovative Approaches to Accelerated Construction
Making Work Zones Work for You
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