Acceleration of bridge construction

• Accelerate bridge construction to alleviate bottlenecks during construction.
• Standardize bridge construction; retain existing foundations, abutments and piers, if possible; allow complete bridge closure for up to one month and implement incentive for using less closure time; remove entire span (deck, girders, diaphragms) using SPMTs and demolish bridge on ground; build new structure in median or nearby staging area; slide new structure into place with SPMTs.

• Traffic may slow or be distracted by construction in median.
• SPMT availability may be limited.

Separate contracts for roadwork and structure work

• Package four or more structures into one contract to accelerate construction; require staged construction of structures.

I-84 structures

• Make all I-84 structures overpasses and depress local streets to at-grade.
• To construct the overpasses, utilize the outside shoulders to shift I-84 traffic away from the median, and use the median area to construct the overpass.
• Build the overpass up to the adjacent transverse local street underpass; shut down the transverse street on a weekend; demolish the existing underpass; and build the last span of the I-84 overpass.

• Overpasses could be expanded in the future much more easily than underpasses.
• This would alleviate clearance issues for over-height vehicles.
• This could create drainage issues on certain areas of the Interstate.

Pre-cast deck panels on cast-in-place bridges

• Consider using pre-cast deck panels for cast-in-place bridges.
• Place a four-inch overlay on precast deck panels.
• Use fiber board in between pre-cast panel and girder to accommodate the grade/slope of the bridge.

Southern Interstate loop

• Build southern Interstate loop to handle local traffic volumes.

• Local road network has very little capacity; area around the Interstate loop could eventually develop and create more traffic on the loop.

Different paving methods

• Try an un-bonded concrete overlay with an asphalt leveling course to improve the existing concrete pavement in lieu of crack and seat.
• Mill out four to five inches of existing asphalt pavement and replace with six to eight inches of Superpave.

• Texas and Oklahoma have had good luck with un-bonded concrete overlay.

Clearance changes

• Raise (or jack) the existing underpasses to increase bridge clearance.
• May be easier to raise the smaller bridges than excavate the area below the bridges to get clearance.

• This would not improve Interstate lane capacity.

New drainage configurations

• Try to send water to outside the shoulder; consider using a mainline storm water system in the median.

• High ground water in the area; time restrictions on construction due to the irrigation season.
• Local farmers use flood irrigation, and local irrigation districts do not want water run-off from the highway.

Staging areas

• Allow staging area adjacent to Interstate.
• Allow contractor to "break the fence" (put a break in the access control) so that the contractor could have direct access to the Interstate.
• The staging area could be fenced to keep wildlife off the Interstate.

• Break-in access requires prior approval from the ITD Board and FHWA.

Incentives/disincentives

• Use incentives/disincentives, A-plus-B bidding, lane rentals, etc.
• Include language in the contract to alleviate issues regarding lane impacts during construction.

Milestones

• Create aggressive milestones that the contractor would be required to follow.
• Incorporate the milestones into the contract language.

• May scare off contractors.

Contract package

• Try to get out-of-State and local contractors to bid on the project as one large package.

• Nearby States also have large projects underway – large contractors could be tied up with these projects.

Utility issues

• Address utility issues early in the process. Relocate utilities prior to construction.
• Include utility relocation as part of the contract work, to be cost shared between ITD and the utility company.

• Using utility relocates as part of the contract will increase the number of owners the contractor will be involved with.

Alternative construction materials for concrete block sound walls

• Consider post- and pre-cast panel sound walls, which are quicker to construct than block walls.

Constructability reviews

• Conduct constructability reviews prior to bidding a project.
• At 60 percent design, meet with contractors to review the plans; use open invitation to State-approved contractors.

• Meet with contractors individually rather than with multiple contractors at once; contractors tend to open up more when approached one-on-one.

Environmental process

• Complete environmental mitigation and acquire permits for the west end of project (Orchard to Gowen) as soon as possible.

State-owned material sources

• Use State-owned material sources.
• This may open the door for out-of-State contractors.

• Lack of State-owned sources in the area; sources could be depleted.

ROW acquisition

• Acquire ROW as early as possible.
• Buy out the railroad ROW.