| |
The Winslow underpass was opened in June 2009. Here's the full story.
Before
After
To some, it seemed like the Winslow underpass project would never end, but in reality, it's being completed three months before the target deadline. Most importantly, it will be open right before our peak summer traffic season begins.
The
project has run remarkably smoothly and for its scope and size there
have been very few change orders which have actually come in for less
money than the contractor's contingency budget provided for. That's a
tribute to the metro district board, the Jacobs engineering staff,
Concrete Works (prime contractor), Eagle County and CDOT.
The
metro district bonded for $3.5 million dollars and the total project
will be completed for $3.8 million. Two things contributed to the
higher cost. The first was the higher cost of redundant quality
control monitoring that the state required. Because this was work on
and adjacent to a federal highway, the bar for quality control was set
unusually high which led to increased engineering costs. For example,
high-tech inclinometers were installed at all four corners of the
overpass that sent continual movement signals to an engineering firm in
Denver.
The metro district also added another separate
component to the project which was the extension and connection of the
Singletree bike bath to the project, which will help keep pedestrians
and leisure cyclists off Winslow Road. At the same time the district
saved $75,000 in financing costs by negotiating a single placement of
the bonds with JP Morgan Chase and earned $80,000 in interest prior to
construction.
The actual construction cost has remained within
budget even though there was one surprise early on. After the
engineering and design specifications were completed, soil tests around
the site showed that much more deep anchor bolts would need to be
drilled to secure the retaining walls. A total of 91 bolts were
drilled. The unplanned surprise of $250,000 for drilling and placing
the 91 anchor bolts required some creative thinking on behalf of the
team to keep the project within budget.
Originally, a rock
veneer had been planned for as a $300,000 line item. As a cost-saving
alternative, a different technique was decided on using "form liners"
to create the shapes of stones in the concrete. A painting specialist
was brought in from St. Paul, Minnesota to airbrush the panels. The
painting contractor does the faux rock work for all of the Cabela's
stores. Prior to painting, representatives from both the metro board
and SPOA beautification committee, along with two different landscape
architects, evaluated the color options. The color palette used in the
walls creates a good transition from the look of the Miller Ranch
bridge and buildings to the more subtle natural colors found in
Singletree.
The
real cost of the underpass improvement isn't as much in the new walls,
walkway and railing as it is in the significant excavation, drilling,
pier setting, drainage system and utility realignment. Any work on or
near a federal highway immediately adds higher levels of complexity and
planning. This was the most complicated project ever undertaken by the
metro district. The design document is over 100 pages thick and
numerous project meetings had upwards of 20 participants.
The
contractor, Concrete Works, is one of the most highly respected
companies of its kind in Colorado. It is locally owned and has worked
on projects as varied as fixing the crack in the Hanging Lake tunnel
last year, to rebuilding the 100 year old historic fountain in Denver's
City Park lake.
Special recognition also goes to several people
starting with Eagle County and staff engineer Ben Gerdes. The county's
responsiveness and support have been exceptional and contributed
greatly to the success of the project. Pete Lombardi was the local
CDOT contact and did great work in navigating the complex approvals
required on a state and federal level. Sara Flick and Eric King as the
engineering project manager and field manager for Jacobs Carter
Burgess. Mike Budd represented the metro district as the point person
for the duration of the project and board president, Don Cohen, worked
on the funding side and all the behind-the-scenes politics.
From
a farm access road to Singletree's signature entrance, the Winslow Road
underpass will be a great community asset that Singletree residents and
visitors will enjoy for many years to come.
|
|
| |
|
| |
