Month-long work started Monday on all lanes of I-20/59 North in Bessemer, Ala., diverting nearly 50,000 vehicles that travel those lanes daily, reports The Birmingham News.
The Alabama Department of Transportation is working to replace a stretch of northbound Interstate 20/59. To do that, about 2 miles of the highway are closed to traffic for about 30 days. Once the northbound side is done, the southbound side will be shut down. Travellers are urged to use I-459, or the posted detours through Bessemer.
The cause for construction is the 8-inch concrete slabs reinforced with steel beams that were used to pave the interstate years ago. Over time, the beams expanded due to the heat, which cracked the concrete.
“This stretch gave us more problems than just about any other we had,” Brian Davis, Alabama Department of Transportation division engineer, told the paper “We had crews out here constantly. As soon as they finished one, we’d have to send them back to work on another.”
Dunn Construction will fix the lanes using a method called rubblization, which crushes the original concrete roadway as a base for the new asphalt lanes. The new roadway will be 18 inches higher, requiring exit and entrance ramps and shoulders to also be raised.
Dunn will be penalized $30,000 for each day of work in addition to the 30-day construction period but paid $30,000 for each day if the contractor finishes before 30 days is up.
Printer Friendly Version
Email This Story
RSS
Highways: Related News
4/11/2012 – Expect Delays on I-20/59 near Birmingham, Ala.
Month-long work started Monday on all lanes of I-20/59 North in Bessemer, Ala., diverting nearly 50,000 vehicles that travel those lanes daily, reports The Birmingham News….
More
4/4/2012 – $62 Million Allocated for Repairs to Damaged U.S. Roads and Bridges
The U.S. Department of Transportation will pay nearly $62 million for seven states to help cover the costs of repairing roads and bridges damaged by natural disasters and catastrophic events….
More
4/2/2012 – Louisville Construction Projects Causes Truck Detours
A barrier replacement project on I-65 in Louisville, Ky. will close the left lanes of the roadway. Trucks will be required to detour the area to minimize congestion….
More
4/2/2012 – FET Repeal Bill Introduced in U.S. House
Legislation to repeal the 12% federal excise tax on truck and trailer purchases and replace it with an increase in the diesel fuel tax has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives….
More
4/2/2012 – Connecticut DOT Studies I-95 Tools, Looking at Congestion Pricing
The Connecticut Department of Transportation will look into the possibility of adding a “value priced” toll to I-95 between Greenwich and New Haven in a effort to relieve congestion on the highway….
More
3/28/2012 – Lane Reduction on I-57 Northbound in Illinois Starts March 29
Interstate 57 northbound from from Mile Marker 93 to Mile Marker 96 in Illinois’ Jefferson County will be reduced to one lane starting Thurs. March 29 through Nov. 1….
More
3/19/2012 – DOT Says U.S. Needs $101 billion a Year to Maintain Infrastructure
A new report from the Department of Transportation projects that the U.S. needs $101 billion annually plus increases for inflation during the next 20 years from all levels of government to maintain the nation’s highway and transit systems….
More
3/12/2012 – I-75 South Closed in NE Tennessee for About Two Weeks
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has closed both lanes of Interstate 75 South in Campbell County in northeast Tennessee on the Kentucky border, due the collapse of a section of embankment….
More
3/9/2012 – Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Completes All-Electric Toll Study
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is considering converting to a cashless, all-electronic toll collection system due to advantages such as enhanced safety, a cleaner environment, reduced travel time and reduced operating costs….
More
3/7/2012 – Work Starts on I-69 Upgrades to Former Western Kentucky Parkway
A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet started installing new Interstate 69 signage along the former Western Kentucky Parkway between Eddyville, Ky., and the Pennyrile Parkway interchange near Madisonville, Ky….
More