CATEGORY: I - Special Projects

CLIENT/OWNER: Illinois Department of Transportation

SUBMITTING FIRM: d'Escoto, Inc.

KEY PARTICIPANTS: d'Escoto, Inc., Gulaid Consulting Engineers, P.C., Ciorba Group, Inc., Sanchez and Associates, P.C., Chicago Testing Laboratory, Inc., D Construction

DESCRIPTION: This project is worthy of Category I recognition due to the significant impact it has to the community and region. This project had a 0.035 complexity factor and replaced two bridges over waterway while simultaneously raising the profile of the intersection. The water table was high within the project limits which made excavations and soil remediation challenging. The 11-foot-deep undercut required to remediate the soil and prepare an appropriate embankment and road-bed required a significant amount of work and careful inspection. Although the cost to complete construction was over budget due to utility conflicts and relocation delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole team overcame staffing changes due to COVID-19 and we successfully completed the project safely with no OSHA recordable incidents. The ADT for the intersection is approximately 8,200, and with it projected to jump to 15,000 by 2040, this project increases capacity ensuring the region can continue growing.