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As Senior Estimator, Reid says, he participated in much of the early planning, helped build the team, and assembled the bid. “We took everything into account, including all subcontractor costs and others to make sure we have all our costs covered to bring the whole team effort to a successful conclusion,” he says. “This is a heavy-highway construction dream team.”

While the job is not unique in its type, both Reid and Jaramillo agree its scope and urgency give it a special prominence. And both are upbeat about its prospects and success.

Overcoming obstacles

No project is without its challenges. For example, this particular job has to be fast tracked. Jaramillo says the companies will have to complete in three years what was envisioned initially as an eight-year project. “We’ve really got to hustle,” he says. “We are ready for it. We are going full steam for permits. We are getting design packages together. The whole job is based on simultaneous activities: seeking permits, roadway and bridge design, and construction.”

The project also calls for polymer-modified asphalt, which delivers better performance and longer life in hot and cold conditions than standard rubberized asphalt. This enhanced material is being specified by FDOT on more projects. “Other than the fact the project is huge, the time is short, and that we have taken on the additional elements of design and financing, the job is fairly straightforward,” Reid says confidently.

Jaramillo agrees that the project is a simple construction job, and the company has completed similar ones before. “There’s just a lot of it,” he says. “We are not reinventing the wheel; we are just simply making a bigger wheel.”