Thursday, June 10, 2021-Southeast Edition #12 Cindy Riley-CEG Correspondent

To improve traffic, construction workers in North Carolina are building the I-40 highway from Raleigh to Clayton at the I-40/NC 42 intersection. This $360 million project aims to help alleviate congestion and delays, make travel in the entire region safer, and better accommodate motorists due to future growth.

“The 11-mile section of I-40 was designated as a strategic highway corridor by the North Carolina Department of Transportation [NCDOT] and was identified as a project of regional significance in the Metropolitan Planning Organization of the Capital Region [CAMPO] 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan,” NCDOT Five Division Engineer Joey Hopkins said. "Current traffic conditions on I-40 in the entire research corridor are usually very congested, and there are frequent delays due to regional commuting patterns, especially during morning and evening rush hours.

"With Raleigh and Research Triangle Park serving as the employment center in the area, many people commute to the Raleigh area and live in remote towns and surrounding counties. This part of I-40 serves the suburban communities of Wake County and Johnston County , And connected to the I-95 corridor. In addition, the I-40 road eventually became the main route to North Carolina beaches. During the summer months, weekend traffic tends to be heavy."

In 2015, an estimated 35.6 million vehicles were driving on this road, causing congestion and frequent delays, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. By 2040, due to a significant increase in residential and commercial growth, traffic is expected to increase by 65%, with the situation near the I-40/NC 42 interchange especially deteriorating.

"In the past 10 years, North Carolina has been considered one of the fastest growing states," Hopkins said. "If we want to continue to be a place where people want to work and live, it is important that our infrastructure keeps up with this growth."

ST Wooten served as the general contractor for the project.

"ST Wooten is an award-winning North Carolina contractor with nearly 70 years of experience in heavy road construction," Hopkins said. "Their experience in similar projects helps make them ideal prime contractors for this complex interstate widening project.

"The staff built a temporary ramp on a bridge on East Ghana Road to facilitate transportation in the middle zone of I-40. This ramp allows more than 21,000 trucks of materials to be transported directly to the middle zone without entering the I-40 -40. By doing this, the contractor can continue to tow when the traffic volume is high, but it will not affect the driving public."

According to Robert Bullock, the NCDOT resident engineer responsible for the project, lane closures are limited to a significant reduction in night traffic to minimize delays.

"The contractor needs and maintains the same number of lanes throughout the construction process. The project caused some traffic diversion along I-40. Motorists responded well to the construction because there was no reduction in lanes. Continue to encourage motorists to drive through Pay special attention to the road in the work area, because the barrier wall of the entire project protects the public and workers, but limits the usable shoulder area of ​​the vehicle. Distracted driving through the work area leaves little room for the driver to compensate and perform corrective actions. "

Lane closures, road closures, and transportation operations must be completed during the low-traffic time of the day, the best time is at night or on weekends. The standard day shift is daytime work hours from Monday to Friday, and work on Saturday. The night shift is usually from 7pm to 5am from Sunday to Friday.

"Transportation is the biggest challenge of the project," Brock said. “Because of the high volume of traffic passing through the work area every day, the project must be prepared to complete night work in time to remove the traffic control equipment every morning to ensure the safety of the work area. The traffic flow also limits the dispatching. The contractor’s choice and access is restricted. The material transportation of the project has increased the time for safe completion of operations. The traffic changes of the entire project require important planning to ensure their success. "

Brock pointed out that due to the weather, most operations are still ongoing, although some operations have more limited capacity than others.

"Utilities are being relocated, water and sewer installations are in progress, external shoulder leveling, ABC and asphalt paving, sound insulation wall construction, drainage installation and erosion control are some of the current operations.

"Four bridge locations have been completed. Six bridge locations are under construction. East Ghana Road has been completed. Several traffic transfers have been completed along I-40. A large number of pipeline drilling has been completed, including an 84-inch hole. The 70 commercial ramps on I-40 West in the United States have entered the final mode."

A total of 12 bridges were demolished and replaced. These structures will be demolished by a combination of sawing and hammering the existing superstructure. Once the superstructure is removed, the girders/beams are usually removed one by one. Each bridge can take four to eight weeks to be demolished when the lanes are closed at night. The concrete fragments are being crushed and recycled for use in the project. Steel bars and metal beams are recycled as scrap outside the site.

A variety of heavy machinery is required to complete this work, including Komatsu 360LC crawler excavators with hammer attachments; JLG manned lifts; Komatsu WA320 rubber tire loaders; skid; Cat D5K2 LGP bulldozers; Cat 318 rubber tires Excavator; Hummer smooth steel drum; Cat rubber tire loader; John Deere 135G mini track excavator; Hamm roller; Volvo smooth drum; one BOMAG 5500 trench packer; one Cat 330 excavator ; A Komatsu WA 250 front-end loader; Kubota KX040-4 small excavator; a Cat 326 crawler excavator; and Case 210EX crawler excavator.

Other equipment includes a Freightliner flatbed truck; a Takeuchi TB290 excavator; a Komatsu PC210 LC excavator; a Komatsu PC228US LC excavator; a Sany SY215C LC excavator; a TimberPro TTL745C tree cutter with Quadco tool attachments; one Cat 320D L excavator; Vermeer HG6000TX grinder; Komatsu PC 360 LC crawler excavator; one Kobelco SK 350 equipped with a hoe; one American Auger 48/54-900NG boring machine; one Wacker Neuson G25 Air compressor; Miller Trailblazer 275 portable welding machine; Freightliner tractor with flatbed trailer; and John Deere 135G excavator.

The main materials required are concrete, ABC stone, asphalt, soil and steel. The estimated amount of soil/material to be moved in the project is 1,450,000 cubic meters. code.

Brock said the drainage system was one of the most time-consuming parts of the project.

"Before many other operations begin, drainage work must be completed, including the construction of embankments, paving, MSE walls, and signals. Drainage operations occur in the middle, outer shoulders, y-line, environmentally sensitive areas, and are greatly affected. Rain events .

"Severe wet weather has slowed progress," Bullock said. "As long as safety is not affected, structural personnel will continue to work."

Construction milestones include the completion of the East Ghana Road Bridge, the I-40 flyover, and the transfer of I-40 internal traffic from MM 302 to 306. Future milestones include the transfer of I-40 external traffic from MM 306 to 308, the opening of NC 42 Diversion Diamond Interchange [DDI] and Cleveland Road Interchange.

"The DDI on Jones Sausage Road will need to rebuild the up and down ramps of I-40 East and West," Bullock said. "The existing bridge has been analyzed and will remain in place. Sidewalks and intermediate barrier walls will be added to the bridge to facilitate the transfer of traffic across the bridge. In addition, several new traffic signals will be installed to create a DDI traffic pattern.

"There are two new flyovers. The project includes the construction of a temporary ramp on the old flyover to get from the eastern slope of I-440 to the new flyover. The shorter flyover, site 1, on the east of I-440, is daytime Constructed and closed at night to install girders. The larger overpass, Bridge Site 2, consists of works on I-440 West, I-40 West and I-40 East. The bridge is a mixture of concrete and steel girder. Closed at night Also used for girder erection. A temporary support tower was built near I-40 East to support the steel beams of the span until the superstructure is completed."

Regarding the improvement of the I-40/NC 42 Interchange (Exit 312) and the surrounding road network (including Cleveland Road in Johnston County), the ROW acquisition and the relocation of utilities along NC 42 and Cleveland Road are in progress.

"Once the utility is relocated, construction work will begin," Brock said. "The main improvement to the NC 42 Interchange and Cleveland Road is the installation of the diversion diamond and the new intersection of Cleveland Road at NC 42. Both of these improvements should greatly reduce I-40 congestion along NC 42, while improving traffic flow for businesses and helping The daily commute of residents in the area."

About 50% of the construction has been completed, and all work is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Brock said: "The project is very beneficial to every member of the team because the team works together to provide innovative design and construction methods that will be visible to the entire community and the state when completed in the next few decades. CEG

It’s raining on MDOT’s SR19 expansion project

Reloading industry is under pressure

Lynx launches the Lynx machine IQ mobile application to improve connectivity and convenience

Hoar Construction in Birmingham spent US$76 million to build the UAB science and engineering complex

Doosan and C&C Rentals collaborate to expand Canadian business

Ahearn Equipment held a grand opening for its facility in New Hudson, New Hampshire

TRICO appoints Christopher Kiel as its newest president

Seattle Department of Transportation corrects I-5 corridor problem

Building Equipment Guide 470 Maryland Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034 800-523-2200

The Construction Equipment Guide covers the country through its four regional newspapers, providing construction and industry news and information, as well as new and used construction equipment sold by dealers in your area. Now we extend these services and information to the Internet. Find the news and equipment you need and want as easily as possible. Privacy Policy

all rights reserved. Copyright 2021. Without written permission, it is strictly forbidden to copy the materials appearing on this website.