Highways for Life - Presentation

Long Lasting
Innovative
Fast Construction
Efficient and safe

1. Highways for LIFE is highly responsive to the demands of the public.

   Three national surveys conducted in 2000 found that "improvements in traffic flow, pavement conditions, and work zones may result in the greatest rise in traveler satisfaction. Work zones are especially critical as travelers view road repairs as a major reason for traffic delays."

   
   
2. Proven technology and practices exist.

   Technology and practices needed to achieve improved safety, reduced congestion due to construction, and improved quality have been proven, but have seen only sporadic use.

   
   
3. The highway industry needs to leap, not creep.

   Absent dramatic changes in our approach to promoting technology and innovation, realizing the full potential of these advancements will take decades.

   
   
4. Leadership is critical!

   Our stakeholders are demanding national leadership.

   
   
5. Highways for LIFE is a solution!

   We have conceived a plan that will bring about a tremendous leap forward in highway construction practices, instead of the creep that is currently ongoing.

   
   
6. The highway community and the public will accrue ongoing benefits.

   Highways for LIFE is not simply a program of building a few projects, it is a way increasing the return on all of our future highway construction investments.

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I-95/James River Bridges, VA.

• Opened in 1958, ¾miles long, six lanes wide
• Minimized traffic disruption by facilitating replacement of the bridge superstructure without ever closing the highway to rush hour traffic.
• Used preconstructed composite units consisting of precast 8-3/4-inch deck over steel plate girders.
• The bridge carries approximately 110,000 vehicles per day through the city of Richmond.

VDOT opted for night-only construction, most of which occurred between 7 PM and 6 AM Sunday through Thursday nights. During nighttime construction, one lane of traffic was kept open in each direction. Under typical construction approaches, construction would have been completed in about three years. With the use of prefabricated and assembled composite units, as well as high-performance concrete, the project was completed in seven months, and at cost 12 percent lower than traditional methods.

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New Mexico 44:

• 118 miles of highway widening and reconstruction (2 lanes to 4 lanes) beginning at Bernalillo just north of Albuquerque and continuing over the Continental Divide to the Four Corners. Four new precast I-beam and cast-in-place concrete bridges and three existing bridge widenings The project was completed in 3 years, instead of 27.
  
  
• New Mexico State Road 44 (now US 550) is the primary trade and tourist route for northwest New Mexico, leading to the Four Corners area, where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico come together. The route is considered to be key for improving economic development in northwest New Mexico. NMSHTD needed a way to reconstruct and expand the two-lane highway into four lanes in a reasonable time period within the budget established by the New Mexico State Legislature.
  
  
• Safety was also a factor in NMSHTD´s desire to fast track NM 44. The existing two lane road had a high rate of crashes, injuries and fatalities. Getting the project done in 3 years versus 27 years saved money, injuries and lives!

FYI: NM 44 involved innovative financing and a 20 warranty. Both of these techniques are in the Tool Box, but, are not Highways for LIFE requirements

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Mitchell Gulch Bridge, Denver, CO

Crew Completes New Crossing in Two Days, not Two Months

• Mitchell Gulch Bridge, 50-year-old box culvert, carries some 12,000 vehicles on SH 86 southeast of Denver.
  
  
• Using precast substructure abutment units and precast deck-girder units, a Colorado construction company built a new 40-ft bridge in just under 46 hours
  
  
• CDOT originally planned a two-month detour when opening bids for replacement.
  
  
• Contractor submitted a value-engineered proposal, which was a "couple of thousand dollars less" than a standard box culvert.

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Utilize proven success
I have just given you a few of many examples

Involve new stakeholders
Beyond FHWA, States/AASHTO and Industry
Include the suppliers, consultants and users

Do the never been done
Not inconsistent with "utilize proven success" Refers to the "boxes" and "limitations" that we traditionally take as givens, but can be easily changed simply by changing our attitude, i.e., changing "I can´t" to "I can".

Be bold and Audacious
Leap rather than creep

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Highways for Life Vision:

In 4 years, widely demonstrate dramatic improvement in the American driving experience

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Highway for Life Goals

Improve safety

• Reduce exposure as a result of shorter construction
• Inclusion of improved safety features
• Delivering the project much quicker has paybacks in reducing crashes injuries and fatalities.

Reduce congestion due to construction

• Again shorter construction combined with the latest technologies on work zone management

Improved quality

• Representative of the best that we can produce

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Highways for Life: Key Elements

• Leadership
• Stakeholders
• Communication
• Investment

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As leaders, DOT/FHWA must:

Establish the Highways for LIFE vision
Fully engage all key stakeholders in development and implementation
Lastly, communicate to the full highway community and public

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We are looking to the stakeholders to help us determine how best to accomplish the Highways for LIFE vision and goals

Specifically we intend to involve the stakeholders in the development of the Highways for LIFE Roadmap, Performance Standards and Tool Box.

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The Highways for LIFE Performance Standards are targeted on:

• Improving safety
• Reducing work zone congestion
• Improving quality

Why we believe that performance standards are needed

• Drive change
• Define outcomes without prescribing how
• Elevate performance
• Elevate expectations

Very preliminary examples are:

Safety

• Friction
• Texture
• Reduce Congestion
• Construction time
• Level of service
  
  

Quality

• Noise
• Surface profile

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The Highways for LIFE Tool Box will contain the best in:

• Technologies, practices, procedures and methodologies
• Contracting practices
• Innovative finance

These tools are to assist the owners and industry in achieving the Highways for LIFE Performance Standards

Use of the Highways for LIFE tools is not mandatory for Highways for LIFE projects

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George P. Coleman Bridge Yorktown, VA

In 1995, the largest double-swing bridge in the United States was dismantled and replaced in record time. A major goal was limiting bridge closure to avoid disrupting traffic of more than 27,000 vehicles a day. Lighter-weight modern materials allowed Virginia DOT designers to widen the new bridge but use the existing foundation. While approach spans were widened, truss spans were prefabricated nearby and then barged to the construction site.

Six old spans were removed and six new ones placed in only nine days.

The old bridge was opened in 1952, it was two lanes with no shoulders.

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Tappan Zee Bridge, I-287,: NY

Reconstruction of the toll plaza pavement. Approximately 20,000 sq yds of pavement were replaced in a little over four weeks with no disruption of rush hour traffic.

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Communication and outreach to the full highway community and the public are essential to achieving the Highways for LIFE goals and in sustaining the momentum once the pilot program is completed.

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Highway Projected Investment: $1 Billion

Showcase Projects
Provide additional partial funding for approximately 100 projects

Innovations for Technology Partnerships
Partial funding to taken proven technologies (from other industries and internationally) and further develop them for application.

Paradigm Shift
Includes technology transfer, training for the public and private sector, education efforts from trade schools to graduate school, demonstrations, workshops, knowledge system, technical assistance, communication and outreach.