Interstate 40 San Bernardino County

San Bernardino County, CA

The I-40 San Bernardino Caltrans District 8 project entailed building up the center median with fill material to provide new safety slopes for 25 miles along I-40 in rural San Bernardino County. Further work encompassed all drainage, headwall, and landscape to support the new fill areas. Conducted to improve roadway safety by reducing the number and severity of collisions in the median, the project provides flatter slopes and upgrades existing highway roadside design features within the project limits.

Due to the project’s remote site, a significant challenge involved locating and trucking approximately 200,000 CY of imported borrow material to build the median’s safety slopes. The Ames Construction Co. and Caltrans team mitigated this challenge by devising a Value Engineering Change Proposal (VECP) that allowed onsite material to be mined from the median instead of importing it from offsite.

This collaborative solution saved more than $112,500 for both parties, reduced the number of delivery trucks on the highway, shortened the schedule and ultimately improved public safety. Both contract changes were communicated through the team at every level and were also discussed during partnering meetings to maintain the project’s increased momentum.

Construction labor and environmental concerns provided further challenges. Velo Group facilitated the formation of focus groups to address and amenably resolve each issue. A dispute resolution ladder was also created and used as needed by project team members.

As part of the project’s partnering process, common team goals were developed at the partnering kick-off meeting, then discussed at follow-up partnering meetings to measure progress. Additionally, Ames and Caltrans held a brief discussion at weekly team meetings to review individual goals and ensure the project was on track. Velo Group also conducted monthly evaluations to track the progress of each goal.

Through a concerted partnering effort resulting in innovative solutions, the team successfully completed the project safely, ahead of schedule and under budget.