I-86/I-15 interchange planning earns Excellence award

The soon-to-be-rebuilt interchange at the Interstate 86/Interstate 15 junction has won an Engineering Excellence award for its Value Planning process/study. ACEC (American Council of Engineering Companies) of Idaho gave the first-place award to project consultant Stanley Consultants in the “Studies, Research and Consulting” category.

Stanley Consultants of Eagle, Idaho, nominated the project for the award. ITD was notified of the award on Dec. 21, 2018. The project will be profiled and the award presented at the ACEC of Idaho luncheon on April 8, 2019 in Boise.

The study included I-15, from the Pocatello Creek Interchange to the proposed Northgate Parkway Interchange; and I-86, from the Chubbuck Interchange to the existing I-15/I-86 Interchange. The study, which brought together 27 experts, focused on developing a recommended design alternative to effectively handle regional traffic needs, along with meeting the local traffic movements.

“The study brought all the project players, including public agencies, into the same room to kick off the project, and in just five days, the group reached a unanimous agreement on how to move forward,” D5 Engineering Manager Eric Staats said.  “With projects of this scale and complexity, it’s easy to spend a lot of time tossing around ideas and options and spinning our wheels. The value-planning process gave us clear direction in a short amount of time and allowed us to hit the ground running.”

In the end, the $230,000 study saved more than $20 million compared to the original concept, and saved more than a year’s design time. The interchange is expected to be rebuilt in 2022-23.

“I was very impressed by their hard work and focus on the project,” Staats said. “It has been a pleasure to work with them as a project team, and I look forward to many future successes.”

Published 02-01-19