Walton Boulevard Reconstruction

Road Commission for Oakland County Walton Boulevard ReconstructionAPWA Project of the Year Award

Michigan Department of Transportation

31001 Lahser • Beverly Hills, MI 48025

Project DetailsProject:Walton Boulevard Reconstruction

Client: Road Commission for Oakland County

Completion Date: November 2008

Project Cost:$12,500,000

Contractor: Dan’s Excavating, Inc.

Consulting Engineers:OHM (Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.)

City of Auburn Hills

Walton Boulevard over I-75

The Big ChallengeTake 1.5 miles of road, an old bridge over a major freeway, a tight schedule, three government owners and throw in high priority federal funding and state funding deadlines to create a successful project in 5 months.

Walton Boulevard in the City of Auburn Hills between Opdyke and Squirrel roads needed serious work. This segment of Walton Road had not been updated since the road was constructed and the traffic growth made it critical to expand capacity for east-west mobility through Auburn Hills and neighboring Pontiac.

A Slow StartIn the early 1990s, the Michigan Department of Transportation initiated a project to improve a stretch of I-75 from M-59 to the north. Engineers studied the roadway issues and began design. The I-75 improvements involved replacing several bridges, including Walton Boulevard over I-75. The need to replace the bridge prompted the interest in improving the roadway, too. Then the 1990s hit. Construction costs rose while funding fell. The project stalled.

Funding Creates a Fast FinishFast forward to 2007, when Walton Boulevard made the federal list of High Priority Projects (HPP) targeted for transportation funding. While the HPP allocation totaled millions, it was still not enough to fund the entire improvement. The State of Michigan’s Local Jobs Today funding program designed to spur local road improvement projects was tapped for an additional $2 million. These funds came with a caveat: the project had to be in a MDOT letting program by September 28, 2007.

Recognizing that it would take an extraordinary effort to complete a large, multi-jurisdictional project, MDOT, the Road Commission for Oakland County and the City of Auburn Hills joined forces with OHM, the consulting engineer on the project.

OHM and the three agencies recognized that the participants would have to act as team, jointly focused on the urgency of meeting the funding schedule. The team members planned together and assigned elements of the project amongst themselves:

• OHM designed the road, bridge, pedestrian pathway and public utilities.

• RCOC obtained ROW. MDOT, RCOC and OHM coordinated private utility relocations. MDOT and RCOC administered the project, and

• All entities streamlined review processes.

The team scoured the project tasks and plans, identifying any potential delays and creating strategies to eliminate them.

Ready, Aim, FireOHM marked the official start of the project in March 2007, working with MDOT, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other state and environmental agencies to complete an Environmental Assessment. FHWA approved the Environmental Impact Statement with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The alignments and profiles were accepted and design began.

About the Bridge

A two span bridge design provided full clear zones and room for the future expansion of I-75. The north face of the bridge carries five lanes of Walton Blvd and a pedestrian pathway. MSE walls supporting the embankments sped construction, eliminated the need for additional right of way and kept costs low.

The bridge superstructure used integral approach slabs to eliminate expansion joints from the bridge deck. All superstructure thermal movements are accommodated within the approaches to ease future repairs when the expansion joints inevitably begin to leak.

The design team applied context sensitive finishes to this structure to improve aesthetic appeal. The railings and MSE wall panels feature concrete textures and pigmented concrete surface sealer. These details help the bridge serve as a gateway between the urban feel to the south of the structure and the more rural feel to the north of the structure. A 10’ wide pathway across the structure supports pedestrians’ non-motorized transportation needs. Special expansion joint device covers are used in the approaches to mitigate hazards. A protective barrier separates vehicles and pedestrians.

The presence of several major utilities required close attention during design. A 42” diameter Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) water transmission main and overhead high voltage lines had the most impact on the project’s design. Early communication with the utility companies as well as design details prevented these hazards from affecting the project schedule. To accommodate the water main, the designers specified pre-boring the foundation piling before driving, and monitoring the vibrations to assure that peak particle velocities remained under the specified threshold. The overhead wires were relocated before the project’s start.

About the Roadway

When the project launched, Walton Boulevard was two to three lanes, with open drainage. To complete the major east-west corridor, the roadway was expanded to a five lane section with enclosed drainage. OHM engineers redesigned a 16” water main upgrade from the existing 12” water main. A non-motorized path connected paths at both ends of the project.

The 42” DWSD water main also played a major role in the road design. To avoid any schedule delays caused by utility conflicts, designers considered potential impacts at the outset. Involving DWSD staff early in the design process was crucial in avoiding schedule delays. The approach created opportunities for cooperation between the partners. To allow clearance for drainage structures and minimize the impact to the water main during construction, alignment of the road was shifted away from the water main.

Community RelationsBusinesses are impacted during the construction phase of any infrastructure project. Maintaining access is important and the design and construction teams took special care in planning and staging. An automotive supplier within the corridor shared its driveway with its only loading dock. Because of the shifting of the alignment, widening of the road, and proximity to the bridge, the driveway had to be substantially reconstructed. However, closing the driveway during construction would have halted the manufacturing facility’s operations. Again, early coordination with the company allowed for continuous six days per week operation of the plant and minimal delays to the construction schedule.

During construction, the Road Commission mailed fliers to the all residents and property owners in the project area, posted updates on the agency’s website and issued news releases at key project dates.

Advance Planning and Cooperation Reduce Schedule Impacts in a Big WayIn any design and construction project, there are factors that commonly slow the schedule’s progress, such as right of way and permits. The Walton Boulevard project was no different: widening Walton Boulevard required right-of-way. The non-motorized paths needed grading permits. A large entertainment complex, the Palace of Auburn Hills was affected by the project’s design and construction. The design team mitigated these potential delays by identifying the right-of-way locations quickly. This gave RCOC adequate lead time for acquisition. Right-of-way was obtained for the project in an almost unheard-of four months, a feat made possible by direct communication between designers and RCOC’s legal department.

OHM | 34000 Plymouth Road | Livonia, Michigan 48150 | www.ohm-advisors.com

31001 Lahser Road | Beverly Hills, Michigan 48025

Helping Build Better Communities for Tomorrow

Contact: Thomas Blust, PE

Contact: Patrick Wingate

31001 Lahser • Beverly Hills, MI 48025

Michigan Department of Transportation