ADOT Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway
Client: Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
Location: Phoenix, AZ, U.S.
Executive Summary
A Fluor-managed limited liability company (LLC) was awarded a design-build and maintain project by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to complete work on the largest highway project in the state's history. The LLC is providing design, construction and 30 years of maintenance services for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. This project is the first freeway project procured under Arizona's public-private-partnership (P3) statute and ADOT's first design-build-maintain project ever. The project is located in the Phoenix metropolitan area and is funded by a combination of Regional Area Road Fund revenues, Highway User Revenue Fund revenues and federal funds dedicated to the Maricopa County region and ADOT.
The project includes 46 new bridges, 15 interchanges, 12 miles of sound wall and 22 miles of the new 202 freeway, as well as 4.5 miles of tie-in freeway work in the I-10 Papago Segment.
Client's Challenge
ADOT's plans called for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway Project to deliver 22 miles of improved mobility via four lanes in each direction, three general-use lanes and one High-Occupancy Vehicle lane, and to include modern features of rubberized asphalt and aesthetics that reflect nearby communities.
ADOT's goal was for the project to be completed safely, ahead of schedule, on-budget and designed with long-term maintenance in mind while maintaining excellent stakeholder relations.
Fluor's Solution
The Fluor-led LLC, Connect 202 Partners, is a design-build and maintenance partnership comprising Fluor Enterprises Inc., Granite Construction Co., Ames Construction Inc., Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. as the lead designer, and Fluor and DBi Services, LLC, providing the long-term maintenance. ADOT funded the project's capital costs with a combination of available public funds from sales tax revenues and tax-exempt bonds. Fluor booked the project in the first quarter of 2016.
Freeway construction began September 2016 with crews widening the shoulders and extending the existing Loop 202 high-occupancy vehicle lanes from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 interchange. This initial phase was completed prior to mainline freeway construction, which began in early 2017.
Over 1,400 construction workers were on site at peak, approximately 500 of which were self-perform LLC employees. The team conducted extensive safety training for all project employees, and the project achieved more than 5.5 million work hours without a lost-time incident. Fluor offices in Aliso Viejo, California; Dallas, Texas; and Greenville, South Carolina supported the project.
The LLC self-performed earthwork, drainage, bridge construction, and asphalt paving, and managed the other aspects of the project including noise walls, overhead signage and intelligent transportation system infrastructure for this project.
Fluor managed over 120 subcontractors, including small, local and disadvantaged business enterprises supporting the project through design and engineering support, traffic control, security, hauling services, demolition, clearing operations, landscaping and other scopes of work as outlined by the contract with ADOT. A series of public outreach meetings were held along the corridor to obtain feedback and garner public support for the project. The project also allowed for extensive first responder and military training in abandoned commercial and residential buildings purchased by ADOT that will be demolished by the Fluor-led joint venture.
In November 2018, Connect 202 Partners was named as part of the esteemed Arizona Million Dollar Circle of Excellence (MDCE). The Arizona MDCE recognizes businesses that lead the way in supplier diversity in the state of Arizona by spending more than $1 million annually with women and minority business enterprises.
Fluor-DBi's maintenance personnel were actively involved with the design and construction teams to optimize the design while reducing the long-term maintenance costs on the project. Fluor and DBi Services, LLC, will maintain the lanes for 30 years with oversight from ADOT.
Conclusion
A Fluor-led LLC was chosen by ADOT to provide design, construction and maintenance services for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. This is the largest highway project in Arizona's history.
Construction began in 2016, and the project officially opened to traffic in December 2019.
