GENESEE CO. -- The following is a message from MDOT:
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced today the completion of the I-475 project in Flint a full three months early, thanks to the use of the design/build process. Single-lane closures remain in effect on northbound and southbound lanes to allow crews to finish clean-up work.
Work on this $18 million project, which began in mid-April, included pavement repairs on I-475 from Bristol Road to I-69; I-475 reconstruction work from the I-75/I-475 split north to the Bristol and Hill Road interchange ramps; and reconstruction of the Hill Road and Bristol Road bridges and I-475 bridges over Maple Road. The bridge work also included deck repairs, railing replacements, and widening I-475 over Maple Road.
This project was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
"We completed this construction under a special design/build funding category," said Michael Hemmingsen, MDOT Davison Transportation Service Center manager. "This process required a quick turnaround from funding to advancing the project."
Under the design/build process, contractors bid the project with limited design documents, hires an engineering consultant to finish the plans, then builds as the project progresses. This allows the project to go from concept to bid letting much more quickly, ultimately resulting in the project being completed faster.
"Under the traditional process, it would take well over a year before the project could be put out to bid," Hemmingsen said. "Although the schedule for reviewing plans and submission from contractors and consultants was very tight, we completed the entire project ahead of schedule, in just over three months."
The purpose of the reconstruction work is to increase traffic safety and improve the overall condition of this highway.
For up-to-date information on MDOT projects, go to the list of statewide lane closures at: www.michigan.gov/drive. Follow MDOT at www.twitter.com/MichiganDOT or www.facebook.com/MichiganDOT.
