Caltrans I-5 Pavement Rehabilitation – Santa Clarita

Owner: Caltrans

Contractor: Guy F. Atkinson

Facilitator: Cinda Bond

Awards:
Caltrans 2021 Best in Class Partnering Award (projects over $50M)

Budget: $127M

Project Description

The Interstate 5 (I-5) pavement replacement project in Santa Clarita, spanning nearly 16 miles along a highly traveled commute corridor, showcased innovative strategies, collaboration, and swift problem-solving. Initially planned as a 2-year project with night and weekend shifts using rapid-strength concrete, Atkinson Construction and Caltrans, the project's lead agency, worked collaboratively to introduce significant improvements. By developing alternative construction staging plans, the team placed more than 80 percent of traditional jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP), creating safer work zones and minimizing public impact. These collaborative decisions resulted in both enhanced pavement quality and an expedited project schedule.

The team held weekly coordination meetings and conducted quarterly partnering meetings where they collectively developed solutions and implemented successful mitigation strategies for numerous challenges. One example was developing an understanding and alignment on challenges with pavement smoothness - - a contentious issue in recent years with numerous Caltrans projects ending in major pavement smoothness claims. The adjacent existing pavement smoothness became a major inhibiting factor to achieving the pavement smoothness of the newly constructed pavement. Early identification of this issue allowed the team to work together to gain a well-developed understanding of the technical challenges and find an equitable solution that achieved the pavement smoothness specification without a claim. This outcome is a notable Partnering achievement in successfully overcoming a most technically challenging and historically contentious issue.

In response to winter weather closures at the Grapevine, labeled "Operation Snowfake," Atkinson and Caltrans, in collaboration with external stakeholders, implemented a novel emergency turnaround. The "Snowfake Turnaround" provided a guided median-based route for motorists, avoiding a 26-mile detour. Timely construction completion by fall 2019 ensured its availability during the winter season, emphasizing the project team's adaptability and responsiveness to community needs.

Despite its share of challenges, the project's success was evident in its completion within budget, a reduced incident rate, and a faster timeline than originally anticipated. The I-5 pavement replacement project improved infrastructure while demonstrating the effectiveness of collaboration, innovation, and adaptability in complex transportation projects.

This project received the Caltrans 2021 Best in Class partnering award for projects greater than $50 million.