• 2004 Project Highlights
• Evaluation Standards

I-5, Nisqually River Bridge to Fort Lewis

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Pierce County
This project is located on northbound Interstate 5 from the Nisqually River Bridge to Fort Lewis (mileposts 114.97 – 120.90). We overlayed 6.5 miles of existing pavement to provide a smoother traveling surface and extended the life of the roadway.

Design: Contract Administration: Schedule: Cost: Engineers Estimate: $1,639,248 Contractor's bid amount:: $1,430,160 Total Paid to Contractor to Date: $840,000 (Work will carry over to 2005 and the final estimate has not yet been run.)

We changed a few design elements to meet new design standards adopted just before the project was advertised.  This created little impact to the contract  -- adding one working day and a nominal cost increase.

There is good communication and partnering between WSDOT and our contractor, Woodworth and Company, Inc.  Issues are addressed proactively and resolved to the mutual benefit of the team.  The team has an excellent focus on safety, workmanship and environmental stewardship.  Compaction of the asphalt has been the most difficult issue we've faced, and the contractor and WSDOT have worked together to come to a resolution. 

The schedule has been severely impacted by adverse weather conditions and the contractor’s ability to maintain acceptable compaction efforts on the newly paved surface.  There were seven working days added to the contract to remove and replace this poorly compacted asphalt.  With these delays, the project is shut down and the paving will be completed next spring in better weather conditions.  Work has taken place at night to reduce the impacts to I-5 traffic.  During the winter shutdown there is little impact to the traveling public.

With the changes to the contract including removal and replacement of marginally compacted asphalt, there is an estimated cost increase of 4 percent.  The changes are direct costs to the project and are adding value for the long-term performance of this segment of Interstate 5.  The majority of these costs are due to conditions in the field and are not related to the project design. 

WSDOT Contact: Troy Cowan, project engineer, (360) 412-3420, cowant@wdsot.wa.gov.

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