Transportation

Location

Orange County, CA

Owner

Transportation Corridor Agencies

Contractor

Kiewit-led Joint Venture

Value

$802 million

A joint venture led by Kiewit Pacific Co., a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, completed the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor – a limited-access, 17-mi., six-lane controlled access toll road. The $802 million project runs approximately parallel with the Pacific Coast Highway and the San Diego Freeway (I-405/I-5). At its southern end, the corridor connects to I-5 near Avery Parkway.

The design-build project included 10 interchanges encompassing 68 bridges, 725,000 sq. ft. of retaining walls, and 32 million cu. yd. of excavation. The project required mapping and appraisal of more than 100 individual parcels and incorporated more than 300 environmental mitigation measures into the design.

Kiewit's phased approach divided the project into four major sections. Each section had its own quality control unit, which was responsible for inspection, testing and documentation of all work. This helped to ensure not only the quality of the work, but also its acceptability to the client.

Despite an 18-mo. environmental delay, plus two severe rainstorms and resulting floods, the roadway was opened to traffic three-and-one-half months early. The job received Project of the Year awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Design-Build Institute of America, and the Orange County Consulting Engineers Council.