Market Outlook: Highways

TIMED breaths life into declining highway construction revenues

By Sam Barnes

Highway contractors are thanking the heavens for Louisiana's Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development.

Declines in federal transportation dollars have been replaced with a surge in money from the TIMED program, and just in the nick of time.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development let to contract 318 construction projects totaling approximately $534 million last year, representing a $12 million increase over the previous year's lettings..

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"Our targeted spending on the TIMED program this year was $162 million," DOTD Secretary Kam Movassaghi said. "We actually let 20 TIMED construction projects valued at $172 million. Additionally, we completed seven TIMED project segments, two clearing and grubbing contracts and 29 miles of new highway."

"The accelerated schedule of the TIMED Program has DOTD opening bids for construction every month over the next few years to ensure all construction is underway by 2008," said Buddy Porta, DOTD TIMED Program spokesperson.

The TIMED program is the single largest transportation program in Louisiana history. The $3.5 billion improvement program includes widening 500 miles of state highways to four lanes on 11 project corridors, widening and/or new construction on three major bridges and improvements to both the Port of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong International Airport.

The program is designed to enhance economic development in Louisiana through an investment in transportation projects.

Some recently bid TIMED projects include:

• The $14.7 million four-laning of U.S. 167 in Bernice. Construction of the segment is also scheduled to begin in the next several months.
  
• The $12.6 million four-laning of US 167 project in Dubach. Construction is scheduled to begin in the next several months. The 2.6-mile segment will be widened to five lanes through the town.
  
• A $12.2 million segment of West Napoleon Avenue in Jefferson Parish.
  
• A $6.28 million embankment project between North Hodge and Quitman on U.S. 167.

Federal budget figures for the current fiscal year are less optimistic. Last year, DOTD received approximately $460 million in federal money, with about $50 million dedicated to certain projects, in addition to a state match of 20 percent for most of that amount.

To measure DOTD's success in the minds of its public, the department recently conducted a statewide customer satisfaction poll.

Overall, the 1,600 respondents gave a grade of C+ to the job being done by DOTD on the state's highway system.

"We did this because we wanted to know what our customers saw as our strengths and weaknesses and which areas we needed to improve," Movassaghi said. "While our overall grade of C+ is not where we want to be, it is certainly a good starting point."

In addition to receiving an overall "fair" grade, DOTD was graded on various components of the state's transportation system, such as traffic flow (C+), pavement conditions (C), bridge conditions (B-), road maintenance (C+), work zones (C) and safety of roads (C+). Respondents were also asked whether the state highway system was better, worse or the same as it was five years ago. Forty-five percent of the respondents said better, 41 percent said the same, 12 percent said worse and 2 percent didn't know.

As part of its 2002-2006 Strategic Plan, DOTD seeks to achieve a 60 percent customer satisfaction rate.

Projects

I-10, New Orleans. James Construction Group of Baton Rouge currently has two contracts to widen two sections of both the east and westbound lanes of Interstate 10 in New Orleans. A $60 million contract stretches from the Southern Railroad Underpass to the Carrollton Avenue Overpass, while another $30 million contract goes from Clearview Boulevard to Causeway Boulevard.

Switching to nighttime work hours for the Clearview to Causeway section has been easier said than done. Since work and material deliveries proceed more slowly at night and some job costs have increased, the deadline for the project was pushed back from October to December.

The Southern Railroad to Carrollton project began in October 2001 and will widen 5,360 ft. of driving lanes both east- and westbound by 28 ft., all the while not closing a single lane of traffic.

All of the widening for the section takes place on the outside lanes.

"For the on-grade portions, we're building up the embankment and placing 2 ft. of sand, 9 in. of limestone and 9 in. of asphalt driving surface," project manager Rodney James said. Existing shoulders had to be demolished to make way for the new road sections, requiring more than 20,000 sq. yds. of asphalt and road base removal.

About 2,700 ft. of elevated interstate bridges entail more difficult construction, including new pile-supported columns and caps. About 4,000 cu. yds. of structural concrete is being placed for the bridge sections.

"On I-10 westbound, we're building one additional column with a cap, but half of the eastbound bridges are being done with one column and cap and the other half is getting two columns and caps to accommodate a ramp," James said. All six existing ramps are being realigned to accommodate the widened interstate.

Once the new widened sections are complete, the contractor will mill the existing driving surface and come back with new asphalt across all six lanes. About 32,000 tons of asphalt will be placed for the entire project.

A new pump station comprising about one-third of the job, a new pump station will alleviate a drainage problem at the railroad underpass. To build the pump station, the James Construction crew drove sheet piles to create a cofferdam surrounding the 150-ft. by 90-ft. site, then drove approximately 340 steel pipe piles with an ICE diesel hammer, and excavated enough soil to brace the cofferdam. The 14-in.-dia. piles measured 50 ft. long.

A double barrel, 10-ft. by 8-ft. box culvert will run between the service road and I-10, as well as beneath the interstate in one location. The culvert will transport drainage water 1,200 ft. from the underpass to the pump station. Similar to the pump station's construction, a cofferdam was built around the box culvert site, measuring about 48 ft. long and about 25 ft. deep.

Upon completion, the box culvert (with 1 ft. walls) will be backfilled with onsite excavated fill.

"We're installing some steel discharge pipe on the discharge side, furnished by Northwest Pipe, that will transport the water out of the pump station," he said. Three of the four pipes measure 72 in. diameter, with the fourth reaching 48 in. dia.

About 300, 14-in.-sq., 60-ft.-long precast concrete piles were driven by Gulf South Piling & Construction Inc. of Jefferson to support the discharge pipe.

Other work on the Southern Railroad underpass to Carrollton section requires the installation of about 2,400 lin. ft. of 84-in.-diameter reinforced concrete pipe running parallel to the eastbound lanes of the interstate. The pipe will connect to the box culvert that leads to the pump station.

James said the road paving portion of the project will be completed by March, with the pump station to be completed the following summer.

The second contract, stretching 9,300 lin. ft. from Clearview to Causeway boulevards, is being performed almost entirely at night.

Construction, which began in September 2002, should also be finished in December.

US 190 from LA 983 to LA 1, West Baton Rouge Parish. A project under construction in West Baton Rouge Parish will continue widening the median of US Highway 190 for another 7 mi. through West Baton Rouge and Pointe Coupee parishes.

The project will connect to a completed project to the east.

Mika McKee, project manager with general contractor F. G. Sullivan Contractors, Baton Rouge, said that after a lengthy utility relocation phase crews began construction of the new westbound lanes.

"We're placing 12 in. of lime, 10 in. of base, then 10 in. of asphalt," McKee said. Each of the east- and westbound roadways will measure approximately 40 ft. wide.

The widened median will reach an average of 50 ft. wide everywhere except a section of the roadway that extends through the town of Erwinville, where a five-lane roadway will be constructed.

McKee said the new westbound lanes should be completed by this fall, when traffic will be rerouted to the new lanes.

The project is one of the first projects in the state to be let as an "A+B+C" contract, which considers the life-cycle costs and speed of construction during the bid process, and allows asphalt and concrete to compete for the same project.

On US 190 to the west, a piece of history is being rebuilt in St. Landry Parish as three pairs of aging two-lane bridges are replaced to accommodate current traffic load.

The 50-year-old bridges cross a major floodway and two bayous in St. Landry Parish east of Krotz Springs.

Kyle Flettrich, field project manager with Boh Bros. Construction Co. Inc. of Baton Rouge, said the bridges that cross Slow Bayou and Darbonne Floodway are in close proximity to one another, while the third - Cortableau Bayou Bridge - is separated from the others by a mile of roadway.

The project was delayed shortly after groundbreaking in November 2002 while Boh Bros. waited for completion of an adjoining section of roadway, but once construction resumed in February, traffic management became the next major concern. Traffic was to be put onto the two eastbound lanes, allowing demolition of the bridges' westbound lanes to begin.

"Rather than close down traffic the entire length of the jobsite we opened it up between Darbonne and the other bridges," Flettrich said.

"This eased the traffic flow a bit, but it also saved money because we didn't have to put concrete barriers up the entire way."

Flexifloat barges are used when working from the water during both the demolition and reconstruction phases.

During the demolition, the bridges are being taken down in their entirety, including decking, piles and pile caps. The piles are then cut off below ground.

Coastal Bridge Co. Inc. of Baton Rouge began driving piles for the first of the new bridges in April. Several of the piles reach 125 ft. long in locations where a layer of sand strata was deeper and harder to reach.

Boykin Bros./Louisiana Concrete Products of Baton Rouge is supplying all the piles, totaling more than 700. The remainder of the piles range from 60 to 80 ft. in length, and average 24 in. sq. Piles were driven plumb and at a "batter" to support the numerous bents for each bridge.

"Total completion is scheduled for late 2005," Flettrich said, "but we are ahead of schedule and I think we'll finish earlier than that."

LA 28, Vernon Parish. A 7.2-mile stretch of LA 28 in Vernon Parish is being widened to four lanes as part of a $22.3 million project.

Justin Reeves, project manager with general contractor Gilchrist Construction Co., Alexandria, said the project requires the construction of new westbound lanes and the total reconstruction of the existing lanes (which will later serve as eastbound lanes).

"We're also reconstructing three bridges and building three new bridges in each lanes," Reeves added. All of the bridges reach three spans, with one "in a curve and on a skew, but they're all fairly small."

Most challenging at the project's outset was "flattening out" the hilly terrain with more than 950,000 cu. yds. of excavation and hauling about 480,000 cu. yds. of material for embankment.

"We had to filled in low places and cut down some hills, and even on some existing road we're going to flatten out the vertical places," he said.

Gilchrist plans to open a 4- to 5-mile section of the new lanes this summer, and work will begin on the existing lanes.

"Once we get the dirt to the right grade, we'll cut 12 in. of lime, then 12 in. of limestone for stone base and lay hot mix. It'll be about a 5-in. layer of mix," he said. Nearly 100,000 tons of asphalt will be placed throughout the duration of the project.

The entire project should be completed this spring.

LA 15 from Greenville to Sicily Island. Diamond B. Construction Co. Inc. of Alexandria is widening a new section of roadway to four lanes from Sicily Island to Greenville.

Project manager John Harrington said the $18.8 million project requires the widening of the road to four lanes, clearing and grubbing, removal of existing pavement, removal of surfacing and stabilized base, grading, drainage structure construction, base course and lime treatment.

Engineering was performed by DOTD.