Bridging Multiple Communities: New Hampshire's I-93 Improvement Project. ACTT Workshop: New Hampshire. Held in Concord, New Hampshire on February 21-23, 2006

摘要

Like many of its counterparts, the State of New Hampshire is grappling with the fact that its Interstate is a vital infrastructure in urgent need of reconstruction. One particular area of concern for New Hampshire is the stretch of I-93 beginning at the New Hampshire/Massachusetts State line and continuing north 19.8 miles to the I-93/I-293 interchange. The I-93 Improvements project, as the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) calls it, traverses five communities Salem, Windham, Derry, Londonderry and Manchester and serves as the primary commuter, tourism and commerce link for the State. With its heavy traffic volumes, regular backups and frequent accidents, this section of I-93 is in need of reconstruction but is constrained by a number of factors that require innovative thinking in order for the project to move forward in a timely manner. And thats where the Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer (ACTT) process comes into play. NHDOT hosted the I-93 Improvements ACTT workshop in February 2006, structuring it to (1) evaluate innovative means of contracting and financing; (2) identify and expedite critical path tasks such as right-of-way (ROW) and utility relocations; (3) evaluate traffic control; (4) maintain safety; and (5) adhere to environmental commitments. NHDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) utilized the following skill sets to accomplish these goals: Geotechnical/Materials/Long-life Pavement/Maintenance; Construction/Environment; Innovative Financing/Contracting; Structures/Roadway/Geometric Design; Traffic Management/Safety/ITS/Incident Management/Public Relations; Right-of-Way/Utilities. The various skill set teams focused on how the ACTT process applied to their area of expertise, while the group as a whole searched for methods and measures to help NHDOT achieve its goals of (1) maximizing mobility and safety, and (2) reducing the construction timeframe for the $480 million project from 12 to six years. In the days following the workshop, key NHDOT personnel reviewed the suggestions from the skill sets and developed the list of final recommendations found in chapter four. NHDOT plans on evaluating each proposal to determine which will be beneficial to the I-93 Improvements project. From there, the agency will develop an implementation plan for the final design and construction phases.