The project involves the rehabilitation of a 10-mile length of pavement along the I- 675 corridor. Jurgensen Companies was granted the construction contract for this project in October 2019, and brought in multiple subcontractors, including Complete General Construction Co. of Columbus, Ohio, to complete the bridge work.
THE WORK OVERVIEW
The project comprises the rehabilitation of 40 bridges as well as the repaving of ten miles of highway, eight miles with a 1.5-inch surface layer and two miles with a 3.75-inch intermediate and surface layer replacement. In addition, asphalt was used to replace 4,000 cubic yards of deteriorating longitudinal joints. For those repairs, milling down 4-to 6-inches was required to reach the falling-apart joint and remedy the condition. Our crews would then grind and mill the material.
Some bridges supported interstate traffic, while others carried local roads across the highway. Some of the structures needed substantial renovations, while others merely needed modest repairs. The work included concrete deck sealing and joint repairs, concrete deck overlays, repairing bridge parapets on both sides of various bridges, and replacing approach slabs and vandal fencing. On a few of the bridges, crews painted the steel beams and bearings.
Because the approach slabs on some bridges have sunken, crews raised the level by injecting high-density polyurethane beneath the slabs. There were no bridges that required complete replacement.
“There was a wide range of rehab work,” says Josh Nichols, Project Manager of John R. Jurgensen Company
FACING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The work began since spring 2020, when the COVID-19 started making strong impact.
“There were a lot of question marks, such as how to get people to the project and people riding in the same truck and maintaining 6 feet distances, masks and all of the COVID-19 guidelines to adhere to and try to make that work with everyday construction, ” Nichols says. “That was a major challenge, but we did end up working through those.”
To digitally notify crews and inspectors about paving, we shifted to an e-ticketing system. Nichols adds that not all of the COVID-19 impacts were negative. The pandemic, for example, reduced traffic volumes and allowed crews to work longer hours during the day.
“It set us up well for the success of the project,” Nichols states.
In this location, I-675 handles about 80,000 vehicles regularly. To monitor potential incidents and traffic shifts, John R. Jurgensen Co. kept a work zone traffic supervisor on the jobsite. Approximately 35 traffic configurations were set up during construction.
“One of the most challenge aspects was the amount of different traffic configurations,” Nichols says. “We were constantly switching traffic to get to the work.”
During construction, the team used a variety of strategies to manage traffic, including blocking the ramps at US 35 and I-675 for four months. The traffic was rerouted to the next interstate exit.
Other ramps were closed at night for a variety of reasons, including paving. JRJ set up long-term one-way alternating traffic on side roads in several regions. When personnel were present, crews also used digital, variable speed limit signs to slow down vehicles and encourage drivers to take alternate routes.
To provide a larger work area on the highway, We used weekend closures to install overlays and contra-flow lanes, moving traffic through the median to the lanes in the other direction.
On all of our projects, we recycle asphalt on a regular basis. The milled asphalt is transported to one of the company’s asphalt factories, where it is transformed into new asphalt paving material. The company milled and recycled 80,000 tons of asphalt from the road on this project.
We used a variety of equipment for the resurfacing aspects of the project, including Wirtgen W250 and W210 Milling Machines; a Roadtec transfer machine, which moves the asphalt to the paver; a Caterpillar AP1055 Paver; and BOMAG BW190 and Caterpillar CB54 Rollers. Other equipment included excavators and dozers.
This summer, the final project will be completed.
“I’m proud of the amount of work we got done in the first year,” Nichols says. “To work through the COVID-19 regulations and get the amount of work we got done was impressive.”
Work Cited:
Wood, Debra. “Ohio DOT Rehab Project Brings a Much Smoother Ride to I-675 | ACP.” Ohio DOT Rehab Project Brings a Much Smoother Ride to I-675 | ACP, www.acppubs.com, 4 May 2022, https://www.acppubs.com/articles/ohio-dot-rehab-project-brings-a-much-smoother-ride-to-i-675.