Nevada Awards its First Design/Build Highway Contract
According to Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons’ office, the two firms will simultaneously perform the design and construction work for the project.
“We’re speeding up the process,” Nevada Department of Transportation Director Susan Martinovich said. “Traditional highway projects require the design to be finished first, then the bidding, before construction can begin. The design/build system allows actual construction to start while the designing is still taking place.”
Gibbons promised that “southern Nevadans will get traffic relief up to two years faster, thanks to the design/build concept.”
According to Gibbons’ office, the I-15 widening project should begin within nine months. The objectives of the project include:
- Widening I-15 from six lanes to 10 lanes from the Spaghetti Bowl to Lake Mead Boulevard.
- Widening I-15 from four and five lanes to eight lanes from Lake Mead Boulevard to Craig Road.
- Reconfiguration of the Lake Mead Boulevard interchange.
- Auxiliary lanes between interchanges to facilitate merging.
- Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) improvements such as dynamic message signs, ramp metering and closed-circuit television cameras.
According to Las Vegas Paving Corp.’s Web site, the I-15 design/build project will cost approximately $242 million.