Construction Equipment Guide
470 Maryland Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034
800-523-2200
Sat January 13, 2001 - West Edition
The intersection of I-25 and U.S. 70 in Las Cruces NM, is a busy place. A reconstruction project is in the thick of Phase II and on-schedule for completion in May 2001. A $13-million chunk of an $85- million budget, Phase II involves dirt being ramped to bridges built in Phase I and one bridge to construct. A 10.6 mi. (17 km) remodeling of four-lane U.S. 70 into a six-lane controlled access freeway will be the icing on the cake.
Some of Phase II’s material and work quantities include 123,500 cu. yds. (95,000 cu m) of excavation; 130,000 tons (117,000 t) of dirt work; 40,000 tons (36,000 t) of hot mix asphalt, and 260,000 cu. yds. (200,000 cu m) of Class “A” 4,000-psi concrete.
I-25 is a major north/south Interstate in New Mexico that mirrors El Camino Real, the Spanish Colonial period’s route from Mexico City to Santa Fe, and connects Albuquerque, El Paso, TX, and Juarez, Mexico. The population of this area is estimated between 2.5 and 3 million people.
U.S. 70 is an east/west highway which locals know as “North Main Street,” used to commute to White Sands Missile Range and Johnson Space Center like clockwork. In addition, there are several high schools in the area with new communities and commerce centers that are growing fast.
Amidst reconstruction, about 35,000 Mesilla Valley drivers pass through these interchanges, and those numbers are predicted to double in 10 years. Some expect it will happen sooner.
Ideas and efforts began formulating in the early 1980s, with several empirical studies to follow. New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department’s (NMSHTD) competitive bidding and procurement process awarded Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) consulting design, and construction management responsibilities for the project NMSHTD and PBs’ collaborative efforts have fostered several innovations, such as a new way to build a bridge.
David Henkle, senior bridge engineer of PB, championed a new concept, making the costs of steel-girder bridges comparable to concrete bridges. Steel-girders are constructed from support to support and the span is made continuous with a concrete diaphragm at the interior supports. Steel lasts longer and requires less maintenance and only one crane is needed to erect the girder. Along with the cost savings, performance also is significantly improved.
Osvaldo “Ozzie” Reyes-Alicea, project engineer of PB said newly designed and constructed frontage roads will be safer and better for residents who have to transition from a driveway into thru traffic. In a 10-mi. (16 km) stretch, there are 188 homeowners’ driveways touching U.S. 70.
Reyes-Alicea further explained how internally reinforced earth retaining walls, known as MSC wall, save space and allow construction of the ramps connecting the bridges to go almost straight up. An MSC wall is a layered dirt and wire-mesh sandwich with the wall’s vertical surface bound by pins and an interlocking lathe system. According to Reyes-Alicea, a finish for this exposed surface PB innovated and wrote new specs to incorporate the rock fascia for an improved aesthetical look.
Patti Jones, public information officer of PB, plays an imported role, collecting and disseminating information for neighborhoods, schools, businesses, local media and government agencies. “This is the biggest road project for Las Cruces in 30 years,” said Jones. “It is the second biggest in New Mexico going on now and SEMA Construction is doing a really great job,” added Jones.
Allowing for normal bumps and scrapes, there has not been one on-the-job-site accident or car accident during construction. “The community has been aware and supportive throughout the entire process,” Jones said. Sam Houston, supervisor of SEMA, agreed, saying, “Effective communication helps us. There is no way around this construction. In a way, it is simplistic.
Crews worked hard fashioning piles of dirt into practical ramps, building MCS walls and moving and reshaping this important artery in close quarters with traffic. Once completed, all of these reconstructed roads and interchanges will function as a system and make for a smooth transition between the four compass points of U.S. 70 and I-25 in Las Cruces, NM.