In the second of four planned joint provincial-city projects to improve traffic flow in the London, Ont. area, the Highway 401/Veterans Memorial Parkway interchange is being reconstructed.
Underway since September 2016, the $23.5-million project includes construction of a new interchange bridge and ramps, and an already completed 800-metre-long extension of the parkway south to form a new intersection at Wilton Grove Road.
Other associated works include the realignment of a municipal drain, other drainage improvements and traffic signal installation.
Dufferin Construction is the design-build contractor and its consultant is Stantec.
A need to replace the existing bridge over Highway 401, which was nearing the end of its service life, and the city’s desire to extend the parkway to prepare for future development were the main factors driving the project.
Removing that bridge is the largest challenge of the contract, says Ministry of Transportation contract services administrator Steve Paslawski.
After months of planning and co-ordination by the contractor, the ministry, City of London and County of Middlesex, officials and the OPP as well as City of London Police were able to remove the bridge during an intense 16-hour operation in April.
In late March the eastbound Highway 401 ramps were closed and then the bridge was shut down on a Monday in preparation for demolition which started at 6 p.m. on the Saturday of the following weekend and finished the next morning at 10 a.m., Paslawski says.
During that time Highway 401 was closed in both directions and traffic diverted to other interchanges so that the contractor "could completely demolish the bridge and clean up the debris," he says.
Then, in late May, the westbound Highway 401 ramps were closed.
According to Ministry of Transportation estimates, approximately 13,000 drivers were using that interchange daily before it was closed.
However, notification of the lane and ramp closures was provided on both the project and the Ontario 511 websites and signs were placed on Highway 401 well in advance of the closures. Also, the city is served by five Highway 401 interchanges, he says.
That large number offered a "unique opportunity" for the ministry to consider a range of construction options and it was determined during the preliminary design phase the best one was closing the interchange entirely.
"The advantages of this construction method included a significant reduction in the overall disruption to traffic, more efficient and economical construction techniques and enhanced quality of construction," the ministry states.
Rapid progress is being made by Dufferin on the construction of a new two-span, 37.5-metre-long, 27.9-metre-wide integral abutment bridge with a continuous slab-on-concrete girder superstructure. It has been designed to accommodate future expansion. Construction of new abutments and piers started in May and by mid-July the deck was being installed, he says.
The interchange is scheduled to be opened this October, but will be shut down again for 14 days in the spring of 2018 for final paving. Waiting until then will ensure the earth on the ramps has settled and that there is good weather for laying the asphalt, says Paslawski.
The catalyst for the project was a 2011 MTO/City of London agreement to reconstruct the interchange and to build new one at Highway 401 and Wonderland Road. The Highbury Avenue and Highway 4 (Colonel Talbot Road) interchanges were later added to this partnership.
Completed in 2015, the Wonderland interchange was one of the first to be delivered under the design- build model.
Asked why this project is also design-build, Paslawski explains that when the ministry began planning the Highway 401 London interchange projects it was looking for opportunities to pilot this new delivery model.
"Design and construction of interchanges can be complex and the design-build model allows us leverage the contractor’s knowledge and encourage innovation," he says.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed