7/19/2018
ITD districts collaborate on bridge projects to save taxpayers nearly $5 million
RIGBY - A unique Idaho Transportation Department collaboration within Districts 4, 5 and 6 -- the south-central, southeastern and eastern idaho regions of the state -- allowed those groups to come together and identify 17 bridges in dire need of replacement.
The team created one
project that combined all 17, saving more than $3 million in
construction, plus an estimated $100,000 per bridge ($1.7 million) during the design
phase -- a grand total of $4.7 million.
This allowed
ITD to save money while increasing mobility and economic opportunity.
"The incredible savings are associated
with grouping projects across district lines and working together,"
said ITD District 6's Josh Sprague.
They also were successful in finishing the data collection and concept designs necessary for these 17 bridges at a fraction of the cost of doing each individually.
"Combining the 17 projects into one saves a significant amount of money for taxpayers, but the biggest benefit is time," said D6 District Engineer Jason Minzghor. "This accelerates the whole process, so we can make needed repairs more quickly for the users of the highway system."
Each of the bridges had reached their 50-year life span, so they
all were in need of replacement. Each bridge will be brought up to
current design standards; being wider to accommodate wider shoulders or
future widenings, and in most cases longer, to better accommodate
ever-changing waterways. As a result of the future shoulder widenings,
ITD also will be minimizing the amount of guardrail needed.
By constructing 17 bridges under one contract, long-term impacts to the traveling public are minimized by:
- Grouping together similar bridges in similar areas
- Using concrete barrier for the safety of drivers and construction personnel
- Traffic drives on a paved surface at all times
- One lane is required to be open at all times