ACPA Quarter 1 2016

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Quarter 1, 2016 7
“ 9 6 f i x ”
» » Maintenance of local traffic priority
in schedule
Work on the bridges in the project was sched-
uled carefully to ensure local traffic could be
effectivelymaintained. Some of the 37 bridges
that cross over the highway that required
rehabilitation were fully closed while others
maintained traffic part-width. A “bridge ma-
trix” that defined which bridges must remain
open while others were closed or under part-
width construction was developed to keep
traffic moving by preventing the closure of
bridges while others in the area were under
construction, which ensured adequate alter-
nate routes to drivers.
continues »
Poe attributes the success of the project to sev-
eral factors:
» » Stakeholder engagement
Municipalities, businesses, schools, emergen-
cy responders and commuters were given an
opportunity to review plans and offer input as
early as two years before construction began.
“MDOT prepared 15 alternative plans and
presented nine of themto the public for input,”
she says. “The use of dynamic traffic assign-
ment modelling helped the public visualize
the alternatives, which increased confidence
in the plans and helped them make a more
informed decision.”
Known as the “96 Fix,” the project was a com-
bined road and bridge project consisting of re-
constructing sevenmiles—56 lane miles—of de-
pressed urban freeway, reconstructing 22 ramps,
and rehabilitating 37 bridges. The project also
involved installing new underground drainage
sewers; constructing 15- to 25-foot retaining
walls; and installing a new light-emitting diode
(LED) freeway lighting system.
The freeway was fully reopened to traffic in only
167 days, which was approximately three weeks
early, according to Christine (Chris) Poe, vice
president of Ajax Paving Industries. “During
this time, the 37 bridges requiring work were
either temporarily closed or were rehabilitated
part-width.”