ForConstructionPros.com

The West Dodge Street overhead expressway is destined to reshape the heart of Omaha, NE. As part of an overall $102 million contract, the expressway's three eastbound and three westbound lanes from 126th Street to Interstate 680 are designed to handle the gridlocked area's traffic demands - projected to be 144,000 vehicles per day in 2020 - well into the future.

Construction of the two-mile-long overpass began in July 2004 with a scheduled November 2008 completion date. However, Hawkins Construction Co., the project's primary contractor, had a different timeframe in mind.

"It is possible to knock off a lot of time if you are able to create repetitive work on a project like this," says Karl Burns, public relations coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR). He was impressed with how Hawkins' experienced project coordinators shifted some project components to create repetitive work, which ultimately paid off for both the contractor and the NDOR.

A strong incentive
There were five major project construction areas that included incentive-disincentive clauses: the north and south frontage roads, the eastbound and westbound overpass structures and the bridges over 108th Avenue.

Hawkins was able to cut the specified time for reconstructing the north frontage road between 114th and 118th Streets in half. In addition, it completed the south frontage road between 114th and 117th Streets - scheduled to be reconstructed over two seasons - within the 2005 construction season.