30 Crossing Design-Build

PROJECT

30 Crossing Design-Build

Our team implemented an innovative design-build approach as part of a project to upgrade one of the busiest highways in Arkansas and to enhance access into the downtowns of Little Rock and North Little Rock. We provided design management and bridge, roadway and maintenance of traffic design for the Kiewit-Massman Construction (KMC) joint venture team.

The delivery approach incorporated an optimization and refinement period that allowed for greater collaboration between the owner and the design-build team, helping overcome workforce and supply chain challenges brought on by the pandemic.

Our experience in designing bridges over major rivers enabled our team to reduce costs and expedite construction of the Arkansas River bridge along the critical path for the project.

The project provides connections to five interstates and a freeway, a major river crossing over a busy navigation channel, congestion management, and multimodal considerations — all in a congested urban area. The bridge and roadway design consisted of replacement of a 3,360-foot bridge over the Arkansas River, improvements to other bridges on I-30 and the widening of I-30 through Little Rock.

To position the design for success, we aligned the design packaging with the construction schedule. We deviated from the traditional design-build approach of packaging by phase of work (grading, drainage, walls, paving) and instead packaged the project geographically, according to the areas where KMC worked. This approach minimized disruptions to the flow of traffic and aligned with the maintenance of traffic scheme. It also enabled KMC to complete areas of work more efficiently and perform fewer traffic shifts.

Client

Arkansas Department of Transportation

Location

Little Rock, Arkansas

Region

Southeast

Services

Alternative Delivery for Transportation

Industry

Project Profile

Design-Build Approach Maintains Focus on Key Objectives

Arkansas is wrapping up an ambitious 10-year transportation improvement program with its first major design-build project. The 30 Crossing project is ...

Packaged for Efficiency

This approach to packaging effectively broke the work down into smaller, more manageable projects, each with its own design team and package manager. It also made staff at the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) more comfortable reviewing and approving packages. The content was more closely aligned to what the department had received on design-bid-build projects. This was an important consideration for our team since this was ARDOT’s first design-build project; we were able to minimize schedule risk related to design reviews. In addition, it helped the department manage its staffing plan over the course of the project.

Meeting ARDOT Expectations

Throughout the design, our team instituted project controls to see that all original project commitments were met and that the design addressed comments received through task force meetings, over-the-shoulder reviews and milestone plan reviews. These steps were essential for maintaining the project schedule. Our team’s ability to continuously stress the technical provisions and create a culture focused on the needs of the client further helped deliver success.

The Arkansas River bridge was reconstructed to include an improved opening for the navigation channel. The project created additional lanes, reconstructed an interchange, provided new ramps and frontage roads, and added bridges to link both sides of the interstate more effectively. Notably, in downtown Little Rock, the U.S. Highway 10 interchange — the primary entrance into downtown — became a split-diamond interchange, which diffuses traffic entering downtown streets and creates an expansive area for greenspace or redevelopment. North Little Rock also has additional lanes, enhanced access with ramps and frontage roads, and improvements at roadway crossings.

In both downtown areas, pedestrian accommodations implemented along roadsides and at intersections improve walkability, and local revitalization efforts continue.