Background:
In August 2013, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT – District 3), the City of Albuquerque, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Bernalillo County announced that the design-build team of Kiewit New Mexico Company/Bohannan Huston Inc.(BHI)/Terracon, all New Mexico firms, had been selected to build the Paseo Del Norte/I-25 Interchange Reconstruction Project.
The Kiewit/BHI/Terracon team was one of three design-build teams short-listed to bid on the project earlier in the year. After finalizing contract negotiations for construction of the interchange, the construction began shortly after the finish of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta with an estimated two-year completion date. The contractor closed the project early opening the new interchange in December of 2014. The "Paseo I-25 Project" was built and funded under a partnership between the City of Albuquerque, the NMDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
The project focused predominately on improving traffic flow for the I-25 corridor on the north side of the Albuquerque Metropolitan area. The project featured: a new “fly-over interchange at Paseo Del Norte Boulevard & I-25, a new frontage road system, and a new overpass/ underpass structure at the Jefferson Street and Paseo Del Norte Boulevard intersection, mainline improvements on I-25 between Jefferson and Alameda, enhanced bicycle connectivity in the area, and additional Americans with Disabilities (ADA) upgrades.
Process:
Contech Engineered Solutions worked closely with the design-build team on the design of the storm drainage system beneath the new interchange. Not only did Contech play a critical role in the development of the upgraded system, but they designed and manufactured the specific pipe materials needed. This included polymeric HEL-COR® corrugated metal pipe (CMP) and one of the most hydraulically efficient storm sewer systems available – ALT2 ULTRA FLO® CMP. Diameters ranged from 24-in to 108-in and gages ranged from 16 to 10 gage.
The critical path of the sub-surface drainage phase of the project required the drainage modifications in the “Domingo Baca Arroyo” beneath the main interchange structure. This involved the transition from a four-barrel concrete box culvert (CBC) to a four-barrel 96-in, 102-in & 108-in diameter corrugated steel pipe (CSP) structure utilizing ALT2 ULTRA FLO for a total of 3,000 LF of ALT2 ULTRA-FLO installed in the Domingo Baca Arroyo. The large diameter ULTRA-FLO was manufactured in 30-foot long joints with re-rolled ends and was connected by 3 piece 9-C ALT2 Bands & 24-in wide neoprene gaskets.
Outside of this four-barrel structure, Contech was also able to design and manufacture over 9,600 LF of 18-in to 60-in ULTRA FLO drainage pipe and 400-ft of 12-in 2²/3 polymeric HEL-COR CMP for utility risers. To increase the overall safety along the corridor for vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic and to provide a more efficient way in which to convey the surface runoff along the interchange, Contech manufactured 168 LF of galvanized, variable-height Slotted Drain™.
Kiewitt New Mexico Company’s project manager, Justin Wilson, commented, “The ULTRA-FLO was a great, economic solution and a viable alternative to the CIP Concrete Box and the Precast RCP. The schedule went fast and the installation was smooth. With us using the ULTRA-FLO, we had flexibility to adjust difficult field conditions with the soils and backfill.”
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