I-95 Rehabilitation

In April 1999, Gilbert Southern Corp., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, was selected to construct this $22 million, 14-mi. I-95 Rehabilitation project for the Florida Department of Transportation. The scope of work included installing 24,000 sq. yd. of 9-in. concrete paving, widening seven bridges, diamond-grinding 800,000 sq. yd. of existing pavement, and removing and resealing 1.1 million ft. of pavement joint. With over 200,000 vehicles traveling I-95 everyday, the 10-lane interstate had numerous structural cracks in its 30-year-old pavement.

This fast-track schedule was split into two phases. Phase I involved widening the exterior portions of the existing bridges, reconstructing 3,800 ft. of median, and removing and replacing the concrete pavement. Phase II involved switching traffic onto the newly completed exterior bridge widening, before performing demolition and substructure work between the bridges to widen the interior shoulders.

Crews worked 12-hour shifts and used time-saving strategies such as pre-producing concrete bridge foundation pilings to ensure the project was completed on time. Estimating the pile-strength and length parameters ahead of time also helped the project finish days ahead of the 382-day maximum bonus schedule, and over 300 days ahead of the owner's schedule.