Las Vegas Paving
Tackles Nevada's Biggest Road Job Ever

by Tony Illia

Las Vegas Paving Corp., one of the Nevada's biggest highway contractors, is currently tackling Nevada's biggest road job: A $94.8 million, 2-mi. widening of U.S. Highway 95 in northwest Las Vegas. The stretch of highway ranks as Nevada's most congested with more than 250,000 vehicles daily, a number that is expected to swell to over 350,000 over the next 10 years.

 

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The 19-month Project 4B/5 will expand and realign U.S. 95 from east of Valley View Boulevard to the Rainbow Boulevard interchange, taking it from six to 10 travel lanes.

There will be four general-purpose and one High Occupancy Vehicle lane in each direction as well as roadside shoulders.

The 28-phase project, designed by Parsons Transportation Group and PBS&J, entails 785,000 cu. yds. of roadway excavation, 750,000 tons of aggregate base and 250,000 tons of asphalt paving.

Las Vegas Paving broke ground on June 3, 2005.

Despite its size and complexity, the project will keep two lanes of traffic open at all times. Amalgamated Safety Control, Las Vegas, has a $3.2 million subcontract to coordinate traffic.

"The widening project is necessary because currently about 200,000 to 300,000 cars a day use the highway," said Bob McKenzie, a Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman. "We are creating a smoother transition through the area."

Replacement of the U.S. 95 bridges over Jones Boulevard will be the project's largest piece of new construction. The 220-ft.-long cast-in-place post-tensioned bridges will be built in two phases. The north structure will be built first while maintaining the existing structure.

Once the north bridge is complete, three lanes in each direction will be shifted to the north half of the new bridge. The existing structure will then be demolished and the 135-ft-wide south half of the new structure will be constructed. The new 17-ft.-tall bridges will rest atop 12, 4-ft.-diameter supporting columns.

The Decatur Boulevard on-and-off ramps, meanwhile, will be configured and widened to accommodate the expanded highway. The project additionally realigns the Summerlin Parkway flyover on-and-off ramps in each direction, making it twice as wide as before. The new southbound lanes, however, are generally outside the current traffic lanes. Once the new southbound lanes are complete, northbound and southbound traffic will be shifted to the new lanes and the rest of the northbound lanes can be constructed.

Other project work entails 3,000-sq. meters worth of sound walls and 7,000 meters of reinforced concrete pipe storm drainage. The 25-ft-tall, cast-in-place sound walls will be painted and feature an architectural relief design. >> There will also be 25 miles of concrete barrier railing, new traffic signals, and 62 90-ft-tall freeway center median lights. Las Vegas-based LAM Contracting has the electrical subcontract worth roughly $6 million. The project, once complete, will have used a total of 2,300 tons of reinforcing steel and 40,000 cu. yards of concrete. Steel Engineers Inc., Las Vegas, is the steel supplier, and Nevada Ready Mix, Casino Ready Mix, and Rinker Materials of Las Vegas are the concrete suppliers.

Las Vegas Paving is self-performing the grading, excavation, paving, demolition, concrete, and underground work. The firm is expected to reach a peak workforce of around 100 people and 15 subcontractors, said Randy Rosenberg, the company's senior project manager.

Project 4B/5 is a critical component of NDOT's $540 million, seven-year widening of U.S. 95. The multi-phase, 9-mi.-long project will eventually increase the freeway to 10-lanes from Martin Luther King to Rainbow Boulevards, and to six lanes from Rainbow to Craig Road. One lane in each direction will be dedicated for high-occupancy travel.

Project 4B/5 is currently on budget and expected to finish by September 17, 2007.

 
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