I-10, Evangeline Thruway gets makeover

Lafayette concrete projects endure rain, traffic

By Sam Barnes

When work began to build the embankment for a new Lafayette interchange last summer, the contractor looked forward to south Louisiana's traditionally dry Fall days. Little did they know that two hurricanes and a tropical storm would converge on the state to create the wettest season on record.

This, coupled with having to work along one of the busiest stretches of I-10 in the state, necessitated a highly adaptable schedule and a malleable traffic management plan.

At the outset, James Construction Group's $19 million Louisiana Avenue Interchange project required the placement of more than 250,000 cu. yds. of material to build up the interchange, as well as to construct a new embankment for a 1-mile stretch of realigned Louisiana Avenue that will run beneath it.

The rain, said Project Manager Nick Cross, proved to be both a help and a hindrance.

"It was quite challenging, with the weather and everything," Cross said, "since we were working in a bottom with no drainage." The James crew "cut lime" into the soil to dry it out as they came up with the embankment.

Attempting to develop an innovative way to make up for lost time, the James Construction crew greatly reduced compaction time by doubling the amount of surcharge placed on top of the interchange embankment from 3 ft. to 6 ft.

"By doing that, we cut the compaction time in half and moved the entire schedule up by several months," Cross emphasized.

Ironically, the rain also helped speed compaction times.

Traffic maintenance has "been difficult," he continued, pointing to the high traffic count on I-10 as part of the reason. Crews have to maintain two lanes of traffic at all times.

"We built the ramps first, and once we got the ramps built and a detour built, we dropped traffic on top of that. We then removed existing eastbound I-10 and started work on the eastbound overpass," Cross said.

Despite weather and traffic related problems, the crew has remained on schedule, with only about 80 of the 440 contract days remaining (in March) and a required June 15 deadline easily within reach.

According to Bill Fontenot, DOTD district engineer administrator in Lafayette, upon completion the crew will have built twin overpasses, measuring about 1,400 ft. each, that will span over the realigned Louisiana Avenue. The interchange will also have four off- and on-ramps, each measuring about 300 meters in length.

"About half a mile of Louisiana Avenue is also being relocated and turned into a four-lane road," explained Fontenot.

"There'll be two lanes north and southbound, as well as a median in the middle."

At present, the existing two-lane avenue runs beneath the Old Vermilion Bridge to the east of the new interchange.

During the overpass construction, the James Construction crew followed the embankment by driving precast concrete piles measuring 50 ft. long and 14 in. sq. as support for the structure.

After the piles were capped with concrete, columns averaging 48 in. dia. were formed and poured as support for the overpass decking.
"About eight piles were driven for each overpass bent, and there were a total of 28 bents for both overpasses," Cross said.

Gulf Coast Pre-Stress Inc., Pass Christian, Miss., supplied the piles and bridge girders.

"Most of the girders were Type 4 (a standard DOTD specification) and reached about 86 ft. long," he continued.

Concrete placement atop the new overpasses proved challenging, since the decking required an 8-in.-thick layer of ready-mix to be pumped from the water-drenched ground below.

As a result, pours were often delayed due to inclement weather.

"The weather and lack of drainage (the drainage system wouldn't be installed until later) created challenges, but we overcame them," Cross said. All of the paving was reinforcing with a double matting of reinforcing steel.

Drainage installation includes a variety of new catch basins and concrete drainage pipe to accommodate both the interchange and the new section of Louisiana Avenue.

Leading to the overpasses are approach slabs ranging from 850 ft. long in the eastbound lanes to 1,500 ft. in the westbound lanes. Barrier rail construction will be the final stage of the interchange project, performed by Ray-Bar Contractors Inc., Baton Rouge, in April.

Other work at the site includes the widening of the Vermilion Bridge to the east by about 12 ft. to accommodate acceleration and deceleration lanes that are necessary for the new overpass.

"For the new Louisiana Avenue section, we presently have the new embankment complete and expect to begin putting down the base in late March," said Cross. The new roadway will consist of 8.5 in. of limestone, a 2-in. asphalt base and 9 in. of concrete paving. Paving is expected to move relatively fast, since traffic considerations are not a concern, with completion expected this summer.

Before work began at the site, the area had been occupied by a forested area and a crawfish pond that had to be "mucked out."

Evangeline Thruway. Where traffic has been a concern at the Louisiana Avenue overpass, it was a "nightmare" on a surface street project to the west, where James Construction Group is adding lanes and patching existing pavement on Evangeline Thruway.

One of the most heavily traveled stretches of road within the city limits of Lafayette, the thruway was overcrowded and thus required the addition of one to two lanes in each direction.

The site stretches 1.8 miles south of where the thruway meets I-10.
"To accomplish the task, it required a lot of pre-planning," Cross said. "We have a full time traffic crew that moves everything around for everybody.

"And when unexpected things come up, we work it out together. I've done a lot of work in traffic management, and so have the other supervisors. That experience helps us."

One of the most advantageous decisions was to perform all of the concrete paving at night, which allowed the crew to shut down the roadway to one lane in each direction while not significantly affecting traffic.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and lasting until 5 a.m., the crew poured virtually all of the 10,000 cu. yds. of concrete required for the job, supplied by Angelle Concrete Inc.

Major intersections proved difficult, since traffic had to be routed to the shoulder during the paving operations.

"When we were working in certain lanes, we would have to split the traffic and move them to the shoulder to get them around," Cross said.

James Construction crews added one to two lanes in both the north and southbound lanes.

Upon conclusion of the project this spring, "there will be at least three lanes the entire length of the site in both the north and southbound driving lanes, and in some places it will be five lanes (for turning lanes and intersections)."

Before constructing the new lanes, however, the crew performed "a lot of patching" of the existing concrete roadway, as well as cleaning and re-sealing of all existing pavement joints.

"There were also a lot of catch basins and manholes to remove to make way for the new lanes, followed by new catch basins and piping," Cross continued.

According to Cross, about 11 in. of jointed concrete was placed for all the new lanes, on top of an 8-in. base of Florolite.

The jointed paving was reinforced with dowel baskets, and tied to the existing pavement.

"We had to do an excessive amount of drilling to tie the slabs together," Cross said.