Award: Interstate improvements
Value: $410 million total
Location: Between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona
Client: Arizona DOT
State leaders tapped a group of construction firms to improve a vital corridor in the desert, a key project for the region’s manufacturing and logistics hubs.
The Arizona DOT recently contracted design-build team Coffman-Fisher to deliver the northern segment of the I-10 Wild Horse Pass Corridor improvements project.
The team, consisting of San Diego-based Coffman Specialties and Dickinson, North Dakota-based Fisher Sand & Gravel, as well as Stantec Consulting Services, will cover about 12 miles of I-10 in Arizona, according to a Feb. 11 Stantec news release.
The $410 million project forms part of the overall corridor program valued at roughly $1 billion, according to the release. Once complete, the updated interstate will reduce congestion for up to 126,000 vehicles daily, as well as enhance safety for drivers in each direction.
“The I-10 corridor serves as a vital connector between Tucson and Phoenix, and we welcome the opportunity to help improve the connectivity of these communities,” said Robert Lemke, senior project manager at Edmonton, Alberta-based Stantec, in the release. “Working alongside ADOT and Coffman-Fisher as our design-build partner, we deliver a safer and more connected commuter experience across Arizona.”
Improvements will include the addition of one general-purpose lane and one high-occupancy vehicle lane in each direction from Loop 202 to south of Riggs Road. Teams will also build one general purpose lane in each direction from south of Riggs Road to the Gila River Bridges.
To do this, the design-build team created an alternative approach to the originally proposed corridor improvement plans of repaving with new asphalt.
Teams will instead replace the entire stretch with concrete. Doing so should provide a 30-year lifespan at nearly the same cost as new asphalt, resulting in “significant long-term maintenance savings,” according to the release.
Other interchange modifications will occur at Wild Horse Pass, Queen Creek, Riggs Road and Koli Road. Additional enhancements include intelligent transportation systems, lighting, signals, signing, pavement markings and drainage improvements throughout the corridor, according to the release.
