Between Scottsburg and Seymour, Indiana, a 21-mile stretch of I-65 underwent major repairs to improve roadway surface, bridge and drainage conditions. Working as a subconsultant to John R. Jurgensen Co. (JRJ), Burgess & Niple (B&N) prepared construction plans and specifications for this $55 million design-build project that resulted in significant savings for INDOT.
This section of I-65 was originally constructed in the late 1950s. The 10-inch concrete pavement was overlaid with asphalt in the late 1970s, and had been resurfaced a number of times. In 2011, INDOT testing indicated that sections of the existing concrete pavement were nearing the end of their functional life. As a result, full-depth patching was required to maintain the roadbed. Drainage improvements also were recommended.
B&N’s scope of work also included:
- Plans for patching, undersealing, milling, and functional overlay of both the north- and south-bound lanes, including 54 full-depth pavement replacements
- Functional overlay plans for entrance and exit ramps at five interchanges
- Bridge rehabilitation plans for 20 existing structures
- Plans for over 84 miles of underdrain pipes to address drainage issues
- Drainage ditch design
- Roadside barrier design evaluation
Alterations to the original bridge work schedule suggested by B&N reduced length of the I-65 crossover by over one mile. This saved the client more than $2 million in pavement costs.
In addition, I-65 had to be lowered by over one foot at the US 31W underpass to allow for truck clearance. B&N redesigned the I-65 profile changes that were originally proposed which cut the required construction length in half.