On February 7, 2000, Twin Mountain Construction II Company, a Kiewit Corporation subsidiary, was awarded New Mexico's largest capital works project. The $221 million contract involved reconstruction and expansion of nearly two mi. of the existing I-25 and I-40 interchange through central Albuquerque. Features of the reconfiguration included increased auxiliary merge distances; smoother, straighter roadways leading to improved performance; addition of interior and exterior shoulders; and fewer motorist weaves or lane changes due to elimination of left-hand on/off ramps.
Fifty-five bridges were built as part of the project: 33 concrete girder bridges, four structural steel girder bridges, 10 rehabilitated bridges and eight new precast segmental fly-over bridges, which have become the trademark of the project because of their magnificent arcs. At 80-ft. tall and more than 2,800-ft. long, the I-25 southbound to the I-40 eastbound bridge includes 206 individual segments and is the longest bridge in the state of New Mexico.
Major items of work included 4 mi. of soundwall, 111 lane-mi. of paving, 16 mi. of bridge beams, 154 mi. of conduit, 29 mi. of concrete barrier wall, 4 mi. of drilled shafts, 7.5 million lb. of rebar, 5 million lb. of structural steel and 70 mi. of utility work.