Photograph courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
The bid quantity at the venture was once $224,480,422, however the quantity is these days $254,178,832.89 with exchange orders.
A West Virginia Division of Transportation (WVDOT) venture involving the widening of Interstate 64 and main upgrades to the Nitro-St. Albans bridge is nearing of entirety. That is positioned between Nitro and Scott Depot, W. Va.
The high contractor is Brayman–Trumbull, a Joint Project. Investment is most commonly from WV Roads to Prosperity Bonds, with some FHWA Construct Grant investment, as neatly.
Photograph courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
Design for the design-build venture began in December 2019. Box paintings started in December 2020 and paintings is these days on agenda with of entirety anticipated within the fall 2024.
The bid quantity was once $224,480,422, however the quantity is these days $254,178,832.89 with exchange orders.
In line with Jason Hamilton, regional building engineer, the venture upgrades I-64 from 4 to 6 lanes between Go out 40 (Scott Depot, U.S. 35) to Go out 45 (Nitro, WV25).
This contains rubblization of the unique concrete pavement. To widen the prevailing roadway, more than one constructions had to be upgraded, as neatly.
Hamilton reported that, going from west to east, this contains the next paintings:
- The I-64 overpass bridge pair at Rocky Step (CR29) is being changed with a brand new overpass bridge pair;
- I-64 overpass bridge pair at McCloud Highway (CR33/5) is being changed with an underpass construction;
- The Expenses Creek (CR44) two span bridge over I-64 has been changed with a brand new single-span bridge over I-64;
- The St. Albans interchange (go out 44) two-span bridge has been changed with two new bridges assuaging I-64 WB front and go out visitors interplay, the I-64 WB front bridge passes over most sensible of the I-64 WB go out bridge;
- A brand new slab-on-girder bridge is being built over the Kanawha River to the north (downstream) of the prevailing Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge, a truss bridge constructed with the unique I-64 gadget. The brand new bridge will lift 4 lanes of I-64 WB visitors. Parts of the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge’s piers can be reused for a brand new four-lane bridge sporting I-64 EB visitors. The 4 lanes will consist of 3 steady interstate lanes and a fourth auxiliary lane that connects Go out 44 to Go out 45.
- I-64 overpass bridge pair close to the Nitro interchange (Go out 45, WV25) can be changed with a brand new overpass bridge pair.
In line with Hamilton, one of the most major demanding situations with the venture is coordination with different businesses, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, West Virginia Division of Environmental Coverage, two railroads and more than one utilities.
“The venture will lead to I-64 being six lanes from Teays Valley [Exit 39] to Charleston, assuaging heavy visitors congestion,” he stated.
Photograph courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
Hamilton additionally reported that the phasing of the paintings is a novel side of the venture, because it was once achieved whilst making an attempt to attenuate affects to interstate customers.
“The contract required two 11-foot lanes to stay open,” he stated. “That implies visitors should be shifted round inside the present 4-foot shoulder, two 12-foot lanes, and 10-foot shoulder to supply room to construct.”
In line with WVDOT, the unique Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge opened to visitors in 1962. It was once named for Cpl. Donald Milton Legg, a steelworker who misplaced his existence when he fell from the bridge all through building.
In October 2022, Gov. Jim Justice introduced the outlet of the westbound Global Warfare I Memorial Bridge simply north of the previous Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge. Eastbound and westbound visitors was once shifted onto the brand new bridge to permit demolition of the previous span.
The primary span of the previous Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge was once gently reduced onto a barge in December 2022 as contractors started disassembling the previous construction. The bridge had served the general public for 60 years.
On Sept. 6, 2023, Brayman-Trumbull lifted the 314-ft. major span of the brand new Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge into place, finishing the bridge superstructure from one facet of the Kanawha River to the opposite.
Primary subcontractors for the venture come with HDR Inc. for design; West Virginia Paving for provide and laydown of HMA; Beeghly Tree LLC for E&S pieces; Freeway Protection Inc. for visitors regulate units and pavement markings; Martin Reinforcing for rebar paintings; North Suburban Tree for clearing and grubbing; P&G Building Corporate for stay-in-place deck paperwork, shear studs, means slabs and E&S Pieces; Pritchard Sign & Gentle for roadway lighting fixtures, prime mast towers and sign paintings; Allen Stone Corporate for piling and drilled shafts; Shepaul Enterprises for guardrail pieces; MP Dory Co. for extruded panel indicators and overhead constructions; Virginia Drilling Co. for drill and shoot; Boca Building for milling and grooving; Concrete Reducing and Breaking for sawcut pavement and deck, cord minimize piers; Uniqueness Teams Inc. for virtual message signal paintings; LMS Building for TL-5 barrier wall and Triton Building for slipforming parapets and median wall.
Primary apparatus used at the task features a Manitowoc MLC-300 Max crawler crane with 197-ft. increase, a Grove GMK7750 with 115.9-ft. increase, a Manitowoc 888 barge-mounted ringer crane with 225-ft. increase and a Manitowoc 2250 sequence 3 crawler crane with 130-ft. increase and carbody counterweight.
Photograph courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
Hamilton reported that specialised apparatus contains strand jacking to erect the middle spans of the Kanawha River WB and EB bridges. It additionally was once used to decrease the middle span of present truss bridge.
Interstate 64 (I-64) serves the communities of Kanawha and Putnam counties. At first in-built 1966, the phase crossing the Kanawha River these days carries roughly 70,000 cars consistent with day. An building up in visitors quantity has been famous to lead to congestion, unexpected stops and collisions alongside I-64.
“It’s a fantastic venture this is wanted so badly,” Justice stated when the contract award was once introduced. “It is wanted from the point of view of congestion, however additionally it is wanted so badly from the point of view of protection.”
The venture is part of Gov. Justice’s Roads to Prosperity program and is without doubt one of the greatest building initiatives undertaken. The venture will very much scale back congestion at a big bottleneck on one of the closely traveled sections of freeway in West Virginia. The unique two-lane Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge carried a mean of 60,000 cars an afternoon. CEG
Brenda Ruggiero
Brenda Ruggiero has written for CEG for over twenty years. She lives close to town of Twist of fate in a long way western Maryland. Her favourite assignments to this point concerned interviews with Survivor’s Boston Rob and scorching canine consuming champion Joey Chestnut. Each had been excited about building at one time.
Brenda holds a BA in Mass Communique with a writing focal point from Frostburg State College and minors in Public Family members and Political Science. She works complete time as a team of workers creator for a weekly newspaper, the Garrett County Republican. She enjoys function writing probably the most, which provides her the chance to speak to folks and proportion their tales.
Brenda and her center college sweetheart, Reuben, were married for over 34 years and feature 3 grown kids and 4 cats.
