PROJECT PROFILES
I-15; Farmington to Gordon Ave
The project was given the name “Davis County Lane Gain” as it is a freeway widening project for the I-15 corridor between State Street in Farmington and Main Street in Layton- a total of 8.55 miles. The project added a new high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction on I-15 from the State St. overpass (located just west of the Lagoon amusement park) to the south Layton interchange (Exit 330) in south Layton.
This has historically been one of the most congested areas in the State due to limited alternative routes for traffic. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) hoped that the completion of this project, along with the completion of an adjoining highway project called The Legacy Parkway, would decrease congestion for commuters through this area.
Construction of the project involved excavating and filling in the existing median to provide for the new lanes. The bridge at 200 North in Kaysville was also widened to accommodate the new lanes. Four different types of cast-in-place constant slope barrier was constructed to separate NB and SB traffic throughout the length of the project. An MSE wall was constructed in the southbound direction between the South Layton on-ramp and 200 North off-ramp. Construction of the wall was necessary due to limited space where a commuter rail line runs parallel to the interstate and allowed for widening this section of roadway. By thus providing a longer transition lane for traffic entering the freeway at the South Layton on-ramp, traffic safety in this area was greatly improved.
All new drainage features and traffic safety features were installed throughout the project. Over 15,000 lineal feet of precast noise wall was also installed to help minimize traffic noise for residents living adjacent to the freeway. The existing concrete roadway was rubbleized and overlaid with 7” of hot mix asphalt and 1” of open graded surface course. The new asphalt surface also significantly reduced the traffic noise for nearby businesses and residents as well as provided a much smoother and quieter ride for motorists travelling the roadway.
One of the major concerns for UDOT was that this Lane Gain project and the adjoining Legacy Parkway project could not be coordinated to open together. The Legacy Parkway was a high profile project for the Department. It was controversial in its building and was challenged in court several times before a compromise was met between the state and several environmental groups such as the Sierra Club. As such, public interest in its Fall 2008 opening was extremely high. If the Lane Gain project was still under construction at the time of the Legacy opening, public satisfaction would be tempered as they exited the new Parkway into an active construction zone on I-15. For this reason, UDOT divided the Lane Gain project into 2 segments. One of which it hoped could be completed to coinicide with the Legacy opening and the other to be completed by Summer of 2009. However, due to overlapping work areas for the two projects, full access couldn’t be granted to Staker Parson to complete the work necessary to coordinate the openings.
Staker Parson Companies recognized the challenge with which UDOT was faced and began working on a plan to accelerate the project schedule in order to help solve the department’s dilemma. By coordinating activities with the Legacy contractors and partnering with both UDOT and Parsons Brinckerhoff whom UDOT had hired to manage the construction of the project, a plan was put in place to achieve the project goals.
In the end, the critical portion that connected to Legacy was completed to match the opening of Legacy. This included both the open graded surface course (OGSC) and final pavement marking as well as a change order for some additional widening to make the I-15 connection with Legacy more safe and efficient. Both sections of the project were substantially completed by November 30, 2008, an entire six months before the originally scheduled completion date. Only a small portion of OGSC and landscaping is left to be completed in Spring 2009. Virtually all of the time-related incentive was realized by Staker Parson Companies. Significant portions of the smoothness and asphalt quality incentives were also achieved.
This project is a great example of the success that results from a well-managed team of subcontractors and suppliers that approached the project with a true partnering attitude. In fact, the Utah Department of Transportation recognized this project as its Best Partnered Consultant Managed Project of 2008 . When making the award, UDOT stated:
“This project completed early and was completed lower than the Engineer’s estimate and budget. This project of over $50 million completed early via partnering negotiation process with successful negotiations at the Project Manager and Resident Engineer level. Team relationships remain excellent after a season of difficult shift work in high traffic conditions. Partnering was instrumental in achieving success in this project, because the Resident Engineer resolved issues quickly with the contractor, typically difficult to do on a consultant managed project. The escalation ladder was used successfully in that no claims or unresolved disputes remain. Partnering meetings where held on a weekly basis in a format established during the Formal Partnering Session. The Partnering Survey forms were issued at each meeting and the issues were discussed openly and honestly.”