CLIENT:

Virginia Department of Transportation (VODT)

DESIGNER:

Dewberry Engineers Inc.

LOCATION:

York County, Virginia

DELIVERY METHOD:

Design-Build

COMPLETION DATE:

December 2021

I-64 CAPACITY IMPROVEMENTS SEGMENT III

In December 2017, Shirley Contracting Company, LLC was awarded the I-64 Capacity Improvements Segment III project to widen and reconstruct 8.2 miles of Interstate I-64 from 1.15 miles west of Route 199 to 1.05 miles west of Route 199 in York County, Virginia. The scope of the Project included roadway and structural design, engineering, and environmental permitting; public outreach; full-depth reconstruction of the existing travel lanes and outside shoulder and the addition of one 12-foot-wide travel lane and one 12-foot-wide paved shoulder in each direction; use of recycled concrete and asphalt pavement from the Project was processed and utilized for the new pavement structure; widening and rehabilitation of the twin I-64 brick arch bridges spanning over the Historic Colonial Parkway; complete demolition and replacement of parallel 900 linear-foot bridges over Queens Creek and the associated tidal floodplain; widening and rehabilitation of the twin I-64 bridges spanning over Lakeshead Drive; 13 stormwater management facilities; interchange auxiliary lane improvements at the Route 199 and Route 143 Interchange; drainage improvements and adequate outfall channel enhancements; design and installation of 200,000 square feet of architectural noise barrier; and reconstruction and signalization of I-64 EB off ramp to Route 143.

The Project’s location within a heavily traveled section of I-64 demanded the maintenance of two lanes of traffic, eastbound and westbound, for the duration of the construction phase, with only limited allowable lane closure hours at night. The demolition and replacement of the twin bridges over Queens Creek created the greatest schedule challenge for the Project due to the linear nature of the construction phasing. The Team developed an alternate sequence of construction which eliminated one entire stage of construction from the RFP concept by providing temporary cross-overs within the existing median of I-64. Meanwhile, the inside widening of the interstate followed by the outside enhancements such as noise barriers and stormwater management ponds throughout the balance of the corridor proceeded concurrently with the critical Queens Creek bridge work.

The Design-Build contract also required the resolution of numerous other design and construction challenges including coordination with the adjacent I-64 Segment II project; execution of an aggressive schedule in a physically constrained corridor; environmental permitting delays caused by the 2018 federal government shutdown; stringent environmental compliance within an environmentally sensitive corridor; right-of-way acquisition of 20 parcels; and coordination with numerous stakeholders including the National Park Service, USACE, DEQ, USFWS, US military installations, local government agencies, and local homeowners’ associations.