Making Roads

While waiting for a major California infrastructure bond program, highway contractors and engineers make due with some challenging projects.

By Greg Aragon

California highways are notorious for traffic. Since the 1960s, the total number of registered vehicles in the state has increased from nine million to about 30 million and vehicle miles traveled in the state have increased from 33.3 billion to approximately 183 billion annually. And the Department of Transportation expects a 35 percent increase in congestion over the next 10 years.

"For too many people, gridlock has become a way of life. We need to start work on our infrastructure," said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who unveiled a multi-billion Strategic Growth Plan at his State of the State address in January. "It's part of everything that's happening in California. Our economy is growing, our population is growing and the demand for infrastructure is growing. It's time to stop talking about it, and do something about it. So I say build it."

The governor's plan, which would allot $107 billion in transportation infrastructure improvement over the next decade, is designed to address traffic problems by reducing congestion 18 percent over the next decade and building more than 1,200 miles of new highway and HOV lanes in congested areas and adding 600 miles of mass transit.

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But until the state legislature acts upon the plan, commuters must relay on previously funded major projects such as the $490 million Garden Grove (SR-22) Freeway project in Orange County, one the biggest project's currently under construction in the state.

"This project is scheduled to be completed by Thanksgiving 2006, 800 days from ground breaking, an aggressive, but achievable schedule," said Jim Laing, deputy project director, with Granite-Myers-Rados (GMR), the project's joint venture design-build team.

The 12.5-mile-long 22 Freeway is an east-west route linking the 55, 57, 5, I-405 and SR-605 freeways in Orange County. Along the way, the thoroughfare cuts through the cities of Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and the City of Orange. The project, which broke ground Sept. 22, 2004, consumes 12 miles of this length.

Construction consists of adding high occupancy vehicle (HOV) carpool lanes and new auxiliary lanes in each direction of the freeway, as well as the reconfiguration of the connector ramp from southbound Orange Freeway (SR57) to westbound 22. Other highlights include the widening or replacing of 55 separate bridge structures; upgraded on/off ramps; and the creation of 12 miles each of retaining walls, drainage pipes, and sound walls (averaging 14 - 16 ft. tall).

Currently, the project's retaining walls are 80 percent complete; 30 of 33 new bridges are underway or complete; concrete paving is well underway; and mainline traffic switches will open several new bridges to traffic by this summer.

"The dryer weather this winter has allowed us to progress the work faster than we expected the last three months," said David B. Smith, Area Manager for Granite's HCD Western Regional office. "The majority of the structures work is up and out of the ground now, and most of the embankment work is complete, so we are less weather sensitive than we were last year."

The GMR team is made up of Watsonville-based Granite Construction Co.; Rancho Cordova-based C. C. Myers; and Steve P. Rados, Inc., of Santa Ana. Design was provided by the GMR team through lead designer, San Francisco-based URS Corporation, with support from key local consultants, RBF Consulting of Irvine and Santa Ana-based Wei Koo & Associates.

"We all have our separate expertise," said Rick Grebner, program manager with OCTA. "Myers is an experienced bridge builder, Rados is a highway builder and [Granite] does both."

Other major highway construction projects include: