The Johnson County Gateway project is the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) first major design-build transportation project, impacting 230,000 vehicles per day on I-435, I-35 and the K-10 Interchange, the three busiest highways in the region.
With a 2040 traffic projection of 380,000 vpd, KDOT saw an immediate and long-term need for total rehabilitation of these major roadways.
KDOT performed a study of the area in need of improvement and identified $600 million worth of improvements.
“We didn’t have $600 million to work with, we only had about $285 million. So we took that $285 million and wrote a request of proposals,” Project Director Burt Morey told Roads & Bridges.
Working within the original RFP budget of $285 million, contractors decided to focus on rehabilitating 27 bridges and building new two-lane flyover bridge ramps connecting the major interstate movements of I-435, I-35 and K-10.
“We’re building about half of what we ultimately need to build,” Morey said.
Contractors also were given an opportunity to secure an additional $3.16 million by completing the project ahead of schedule.
“We offered a schedule incentive if the contractors could complete it early. It was $15,000 a day to a maximum of seven months, which was $3.156 million and now the counter-completion date is Dec. 31, 2016,” explained Morey. By working at night and weekends, crews are on track to meet the adjusted completion date.
The College Boulevard widening was completed to provide a continuous four-lane road. Additionally, the existing K-10 and Ridgeview Road diamond interchange has been upgraded to a diverging diamond interchange (DDI), improving overall safety and efficiency for travelers.
The eastbound K-10 to northbound I-435 interchange area also is complete. The scope of this phase included a new two-lane flyover bridge being constructed to connect eastbound K-10 to northbound I-435. Shifting the flyover bridge to the west allows for further improvements to be made on I-435 and I-35.
Based on stakeholder and public feedback prior to construction, minimizing impacts to the traveling public is a critical goal for KDOT, which is managing driver expectations by making timely project information accessible to the public. From the concept study stage, the project team also has worked closely with city and community leaders to communicate the needs and benefits of the project as well as the inconveniences caused by construction.
The economic impact of the Johnson County Gateway is expected to exceed $1.3 billion by providing safer and less congested access to the city of Lenexa, Kan. R&B
Location: Lenexa, Kan.
Owner:
Kansas Department of Transportation
Designers:
Gateway Interchange Constructors
and Kiewit Infrastructure Inc.
Contractor: Clarkson Construction Co.
Cost: $288 million
Length: 10 miles
Completion Date: Dec. 31, 2016
