If you have ventured to drive down Highway 10 (Cantrell Road) over the past couple of years then you may have perhaps noticed that there has been some major construction occurring just west of Pleasant Valley Drive. The $81 million project once complete will mark the end of one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT).
Presented with many challenges this section of highway is one of the most congested high traffic areas not found on the interstate. Once completed this project which has been under construction now for about two years will widen a 1.7-mile section of the road, and will create a single point interchange at Rodney Parham Road, add a flyover to avoid the crossing of left turning traffic, reconfigure the intersection with Interstate 430 northbound and southbound and it will also relocate River Mountain Road. The work also includes construction of four new structural steel bridges and the rehabilitation of two existing bridges.
Image courtesy of Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)
ARDOT is working with construction managers/general contractors Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. in Little Rock who also assisted in the two-year pre-construction process. ARDOT served as lead designer for the project overall. But as Kiewit worked with department engineers early in the design phase, the company made multiple suggestions to speed up the project, presented cost analyses, and helped to streamline construction. Kiewit phased the construction and held risk analysis workshops during each design phase and held field tours to show some of the high potential risks and conflicts. Kiewit also used 3D modeling and augmented reality (AR) to show proposed solutions to officials with ARDOT.
Image courtesy of Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)
One successful innovation was convincing the telecoms to agree to go into a shared duct bank. Rather than multiple owners heading to the job site to relocate their lines one at a time, Kiewit suggested creating one duct bank.
Image courtesy of Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)
For the first time in ARDOT history, the department also allowed the contractor to close I-430, which carries an estimated 84,000 vehicles per day. ARDOT also set up detours onto Interstate 30 to avoid flooding local streets with vehicles and advised motorists to find alternative routes. Arkansas Money and Politics will continue to get updates regarding the progress on this major highway construction as the end of the project draws near. The entire project is scheduled for completion in summer of 2023.
Images Courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Transportation
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The post The Construction Project that Never Ends: An Update on Highway 10 appeared first on AMP.