I-90, Highline Canal to Elk Heights
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Kittitas County
WSDOT and our contractor constructed a new truck climbing/passing lane on eastbound Interstate 90 from Highline Canal to Elk Heights, five miles east of Cle Elum. The eastbound lanes of I-90 climb for over two miles to the summit of Elk Heights, east of the Indian John Hill Rest Area. Trucks can now move into this lane, letting faster-moving vehicles pass them safely while traveling up hill. We also took steps on this project to protect the environment by constructing detention ponds to filter water runoff from the pavement.
Construction Summary
Our design of this project began in the early 1990s, and it has undergone several substantial revisions, including being converted from English measurement to metric. Plan discrepancies and imbedded errors due to the various revisions were discovered during construction.
The contract bridge plans contained errors relating to dimensions and the make up of the existing structure. Fortunately, we discovered these during the winter shutdown, and corrected them before the wrong size of girders was ordered. Closer review of the as-built bridge plans could have avoided these errors. The timely discovery of the problem and proactive response limited the impacts of the errors to $30,000 of additional costs and one week in delay.
We also discovered that the soil under the existing shoulder, where the new lane would be built, was saturated and had to be replaced with acceptable material. This condition could have been identified by subsurface investigation at the design stage. Impacts to the project were $300,000 in additional costs.
All the contractors on the project worked well together and with the State. Scarsella Bros. Inc., the prime contractor, maintained a strong field leadership role to coordinate and plan work on the project. Issues in the field were resolved in a joint collaborative effort.
Crews completed the project ahead of schedule, with 11 working days remaining on the contract, even with soft subgrade and other issues that developed.
Scarsella Brothers, was key to moving the project ahead of schedule. They coordinated well with their subcontractors, so very little time was wasted waiting on other work. Change orders were handled quickly and had minimal impact to the overall contract. Scarsella office personnel were approachable and helpful. Issues were handled at the lowest level possible.
Contractor:
Scarsella Brothers, Inc. of Seattle WA
WSDOT Contact:
Paul Gonseth, Project Engineer
Phone: 509.577.1810
E-mail: GonsetP@wsdot.wa.gov
More information on the I-90 Highline Canal to Elk Heights project.
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