Design-Build Team Tackles U.S. 1/64 in N. Carolina

Mon April 10, 2006
Brenda Ruggiero

The design-build team of The Lane Construction Corporation, SEPI Engineering Group and The LPA Group of North Carolina is well on its way to earning a bonus for the early completion of improvements to U.S. 1/64 in Wake County, NC.

Crews are nearing the halfway mark of the $58-million project, according to Spokesman Kipp Bodnar of MMI Associates Inc., and should be complete by the end of the year — six months ahead of the deadline.

Funding is provided by both state and federal funds.

The project began in January 2005 under the direction of Lane’s Project Manager, Jim Seybert.

According to Bodnar, the contract called for the total reconstruction of 1/64 from I-40 to the Tryon Road interchange. The road will be widened from an existing four-lane divided highway to a six-lane divided highway with auxiliary lanes. Two lanes will remain open in each direction from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. No lane closures will be necessary during holidays, holiday weekends or special events.

In addition, the project includes improvements to the Cary Parkway and Walnut Street interchanges, the construction of a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 1/64, and a new Town of Cary gateway. The town will contribute to the construction of both the bridge and the gateway.

Another portion of the contract called for noise walls to be constructed near the U.S. 64 ramp to Tryon Road, from Tryon Road to the Kildaire Farm overpass, and from the Cary Parkway ramp to the Walnut Street ramp along the southbound lanes of the project.

An additional noise wall will be constructed along the northbound lanes of the project in the vicinity of Wellington Ridge Condominiums between Cary Parkway and Walnut Street. The contract includes a total of 12 noise wall segments.

Bodnar noted that the project is currently running approximately 10 percent behind schedule.

“This is a fast-paced project with a highly aggressive construction schedule,” he explained. “The NCDOT is using the design-build process for the widening of U.S. 1/64. Design-Build is a construction method that allows the NCDOT to award the design and construction of a project as part of one contract, which reduced the amount of time it takes to complete the project.”

Traffic has been a challenge for the crews.

“This project takes place in an urban environment with an extremely high traffic level,” Bodnar said. “Because of the high level of traffic, two lanes of traffic must be opened each way during the daytime hours.”

He noted that the project involves 302,000 cu. yds. (231,000 cu yds) of excavation and 297,000 sq. yds. (248,000 sq m) of 28 cm concrete.

“We currently have approximately 70 people on the payroll, both day and night shifts combined, with approximately 20 of those being supervision,” noted Seybert. “That number will ramp up to approximately 110 at the peak of this season.”

For Seybert, the challenges are “too many to list.” Highlights include extremely stringent erosion control parameters held to a high standard, the fact that the project is very tight in regards to space, the traveling of 800,000 vehicles per day through the narrow existing corridor and the accelerated project schedule.

According to Seybert, major subcontractors include Rea Contracting for asphalt paving and structures; Driggers Electric for signs, signals and lighting; Blount Sanford for permanent barrier wall; Pozzolanic for subgrade stabilization; Eaton Construction for saw and seal concrete pavement; Mulliniks Recycling for concrete demolition, removing and crushing; and Diamond Surface Inc. for diamond grinding of concrete pavement.

Grading equipment for the job has included a Cat D6N dozer, a John Deere 650J dozer, a John Deere 750C dozer, a Cat 312C excavator, a John Deere 210C rubber-tired excavator, a Cat M318C rubber-tired excavator, a Cat 430D rubber-tired loader/excavator, a Sakai SV510T roller, a Cat 623 paddle pan, a Cat 980F loader, a Cat 14G grader, a John Deere 672 grader, a John Deere 772 grader, a Cat D5HXL dozer, a John Deere 310E rubber-tired loader/excavator and a Hitachi Zaxis 330LC excavator.

Concrete paving equipment includes a Gomaco 9500 spreader/placer, a CMI SF 350 Series I slipform paver, a CMI SF2204 HVW slipform paver and a Guntert-Zimmerman S850 slipform paver with compact dowel bar inserter. CEG

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.