EXP recently celebrated a major milestone at the 44th Avenue East project. The team completed the erection of the 190’ steel bridge girders over Interstate 75. The six-phase project has been a significant undertaking by Manatee County with the Florida Department of Transportation. Initially a part of the 1968 Concept Development Plan, the project was later incorporated into the Mantatee County 1989 Comprehensive Plan and adopted Capital Improvements Plan.
The 44th Avenue East Extension Project will increase road capacity for 36,000 more vehicles daily, reduce traffic demands and provide alternate routes for local traffic.
Upon completion, the project will deliver a new overpass over Interstate 75 and a bridge that will span the reclaimed lake on the existing County Southeast Water Reclamation Facility and connect Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch.
EXP has provided Manatee County with full Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) services for the 44th. Ave East over I-75 Flyover Bridge portion of the project, including materials sampling and testing, inspection services, and assuring compliance with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) connection permit requirements for all work performed inside the FDOT right of way. This project involves a Construction Manager at Risk delivery method with SEMA as the contractor and HDR as the Engineer of Record. It includes scheduling and coordinating logistics for detours on Interstate 75 and adhering to an aggressive 365-day completion schedule.
“The overarching goal of this project is to improve traffic capacity and alleviate congestion on I-75. As part of this project, we coordinated with local and state agencies to ensure the community and native environment were minimally impacted by the construction. From the inception of this multiphase project, we understood the need to prioritize safety and ease of transportation for residents. Extensive planning and innovation were critical to upholding these and ensuring residents maintained mobility through the construction process. There is a lot of work remaining, such as setting the stay-in-place formwork, reinforcing steel placement, concreting of the bridge deck and completion of the mechanically stabilized earth walls,” said EXP’s Project Administrator, James Austin.
View the milestone below.
Learn more about Highways and Roads at EXP.