At times, transportation construction projects in the Boston, Mass., area seem like they go on forever. The Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project, known as “The Big Dig,” turned out to be the nation’s most complex and expensive (almost $15 billion) highway project. It took 16 years to complete.
The job currently in the “when-will-it-ever-end?” spotlight is taking place on the south side of Boston. The Route 128/I-95 Add-a-Lane Roadway project consists of nearly 14 mi. (22.5 km) of widening, repairing and rehabbing from Wellesley to Route 93 in Randolph. It crosses 22 different roads, three railroad lines and two rivers.
Decade-Long Project
The $354 million project began in 2003 and is expected to be completed in late 2015 or early 2016. Among the work being done is the installation of an additional 12-ft. (3.6 m) travel lane and a 10-ft. (3 m) shoulder in each direction, along with new collector/distribution roads. Several bridges had to be repaired and widened before the adjacent highway could be addressed.
The goal is to make that stretch of the heavily traveled highway into four lanes in each direction, thereby increasing travel capacity by as much as 25 percent and eliminating driving in the breakdown lanes during rush hour.
Public Works Expert
One of the firms working on this massive job is McCourt Construction Company, a New England construction company based in Boston, Mass., that has a long history of successfully completing public works projects — even in the most difficult conditions because of weather and traffic concerns.
McCourt Construction has been recognized as one of the best places to work in Massachusetts and one of the area’s largest private companies, according to the Boston Business Journal. It also has been awarded the top Mass Port Authority Contractor of the Year on multiple occasions.
Paul Trubiano, McCourt yard equipment supervisor, is not quite sure how many of the company’s 1,600 pieces of equipment are working on the Route 128 project at any one time, but he knows they have twice as many machines as they need. Trubiano has worked for McCourt Construction for more than 30 years.
“The logistics of the jobs require us to have additional equipment on site,” he said. “We are working in multiple locations, so rather than moving 10 machines every week, we have 20. We leave them in all the strategic areas so they are available wherever we are working.”
Doosan Excavator Duo
Among the McCourt Construction equipment committed to this project are two Doosan wheel excavators — both purchased from Bobcat of Boston.
“Doosan rubber-tired machines are good urban excavators,” Trubiano said. “We do a lot of utility work and you can move them around without damaging the streets. They are very handy for that type of work because of their travel speed and mobility.”
During the Route 128 project, the excavators are taking on a variety of tasks, including installing utilities, grading slopes, general excavation and cleanup.
Trubiano regularly requests feedback from foremen and operators on how the Doosan excavators are performing on the job.
“They like the Doosan excavators,” he said. “They work very well. As far as I am concerned, Doosan excavators are as good as any of them.”
According to the company Web site, “McCourt Construction understands the importance of having the right equipment for each job. We are continually updating our fleet to ensure the best possible production results on all of our projects. Our central garage is staffed with the best mechanics around and the most modern machinery in the industry.”
Added Trubiano: “Production is the most important factor for us. We rely on our equipment to be operating at peak performance every day. Our experience with Doosan excavators is that they are very reliable.”
This article was reprinted with permission from DoMore Magazine, Spring 2012 issue.
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