Weekly Edition, Issue 10

The Weekly Edition, Issue 10, has arrived! Take a look at the newest issue of our Weekly Edition, by clicking HERE.

In this edition:

• Ring Around the City: Loop 375 Stacked with Projects (Update)
• Schuster Roundabout to Open this Fall
• Country Club Road Construction to Last 560 Days

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Americas Interchange Phase 2 Starts in March

Work will begin in March on three additional Direct Connectors (DC) at the Americas Interchange project. The three new ramps will connect Westbound I-10 to Northbound Loop 375, Westbound I-10 to Southbound Loop 375, and Eastbound I-10 to Southbound Loop 375.

The $43 million project is scheduled for completion in February of 2014 and comes on the heels of the recently completed first three DCs. Those ramps opened in January 2013.

Project Location

The contract has been awarded to J.D. Abrams of Austin, who has worked on several highways projects in El Paso, including construction of the Spur 601 freeway which opened in June 2011, and the current Loop 375 Northeast project. The initial three ramps at the Americas Interchange were constructed by Americas Gateway Builders. The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) is managing the project.

Previously:
Americas Interchange Phase 1 Nearing End; Phase 2 Coming Soon

J.D. Abrams website: http://www.jdabrams.com/
CRRMA website: http://www.crrma.org/

Americas Interchange Phase 1 Nearing End; Phase 2 Coming Soon

The long awaited Americas Interchange will open to traffic in one month, and the construction of additional direct connector ramps will soon follow. The newest edition of the Americas Interchange Newsletter highlights the work Americas Gateway Builders has accomplished in building the first three ramps of the massive project and also provides a peak at an additional three ramps that could start construction soon.

Phase One, consisting of three direct connectors between Interstate 10 and Loop 375, is slated for completion in January of 2013 but could open to the public before the end of December of this year. Major work on the project includes:

♢ Three bridges,
♢ Two exit ramps from I-10 (one in each direction),
♢ Five embankments,
♢ Fourteen retaining walls,
♢ Resurfacing of the intersection at Joe Battle and Rojas,
♢ Resurfacing of significant stretches of frontage roads,
♢ Frontage ramp below the Southbound to Westbound direct connector,
♢ Improved drainage, and
♢ Relocation of utilities.

Phase Two will also consist of building three direct connectors, Westbound I-10 to Northbound Loop 375, Westbound I-10 to Southbound Loop 375, and Eastbound I-10 to Southbound Loop 375. The contract for the project has been awarded to J.D. Abrams of Austin. No timeline has been given, but a project page at the J.D. Abrams website indicates a possible completion date of December 2013.

Previously: Americas Interchange Nearing Opening

Americas Interchange website: http://www.crrma.org/americas/default.asp
J.D. Abrams website: http://www.jdabrams.com/

Americas Interchange Nearing Opening

The long awaited Americas Interchange at Interstate 10 and Loop 375 is about two months away from opening to the public, and the latest newsletter from the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) states that the finishing touches are being put on the three direct connectors that make up this phase of the project.

According to the newsletter, the following items are on track to be completed in the next two months:

• Final deck pours for the EBNB direct connector are scheduled for November;
• Grooving the bridge deck will continue;
• Placing concrete barrier rail for bridges & ramps;
• Placing sidewalks;
• Painting of all three direct connectors;
• Entering the final stages of construction for the embankments on the Joe Battle frontage roads north of Rojas; and
• Final asphalt pavement is scheduled to take place throughout the month.

The $141 million (revised) project is scheduled for completion in January 2013. The CRRMA is working on finding funding for the five remaining direct connector ramps.

Americas Interchange website: http://www.crrma.org/americas/default.asp

Previously: Americas Interchange Will Open in Three Months

Americas Interchange Will Open in Three Months

Over two years after construction began, the Americas Interchange is getting ready to open to motorists, and the builder has submitted a notice of "substantial completion" with a target date of November 21, 2012. The latest version of the Americas Interchange Newsletter indicates that this is a non-binding notice, but shows how close Americas Gateway Builders feels that completion is near. The official opening is scheduled for January 2013.

This project involves construction of three direct connectors as well as reconstruction of one cloverleaf at the frontage road level. All physical milestones are at or near 100% complete, including 114 out of 114 drill shafts, 93 out of 93 columns, 78 out of 78 bent caps, 363 out of 363 concrete beams, 96 out of 96 steel girders, and 51 out of 76 bridge deck spans.

The focus of the October newsletter is how the painting process signals that the end of the project is getting near since aesthetic improvements are usually the last step of a road project. The newsletters states that themes used in aesthetics can help differentiate projects in El Paso from other cities, adding that "aesthetics lighten the mundane."

Read the entire newsletter by clicking here (PDF).

Previously:
Americas Interchange Landscape Options to be Considered by CRRMA

Americas Interchange Landscape Options to be Considered by CRRMA

The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) will soon consider landscape plans for the Americas Interchange/Cloverleaf currently under construction on El Paso's east side. The board, which is in charge of the majority of transportation projects in El Paso, will review an item at its August 29, 2012 meeting which introduces three different landscape designs.

Option 1

The major elements of Option 1 include large stone-filled cages surrounded by large grasses which will be lit up at night, boulders surrounding the outer edges of each cloverleaf, parallel zones made of colored stones, and smaller trees lining the outer edges.

Option 2 includes large boulders in the center of each cloverleaf surrounded by artistic wall sculptures, more boulders along the outside of each curve, and grasses and trees providing greenery. The trees would also be native plantings and line the outer edges of the overall interchange.

Option 2

And Option 3 would include a simpler design with mounds of shrubs and grasses interspersed throughout the grounds. No decorative boulders or sculptures would be included in this design, and native trees would surround the site.

Option 3

The CRRMA Board may approve a design at the meeting. The designs were developed by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

CRRMA website: http://www.crrma.org/

Americas Interchange Five Months From Completion

The three direct connectors that are part of the current Americas Interchange project are on track to be completed by January of 2013. And the completion of all columns and the placement of all steel girders are the latest marks of progress at the $141 Million project.

The latest edition of the Americas Interchange Newsletter also states that 114 out of 114 drill shafts have been constructed, 70 out of 78 bent caps have been constructed, 291 out of 363 concrete beams have been placed, and 26 out of 76 bridge deck spans have been poured.

Bridge decks are a highlight of the August newsletter, revealing that the "Americas bridges have been designed with a service life of 100 years; however, the decks are not expected to achieve such a long life span and are typically repaired every 10 to 20 years within the life of the bridge."

No major delays have been announced, though the builder did experience unforeseen days lost due to rainy weather in July, according to the July meeting of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority board meeting.

Americas Interchange website: http://www.crrma.org/americas/default.asp

Previously:
Progress Continues at Americas Interchange

$37.6M Americas Managed Lanes Project Takes Shape

Another construction project on Loop 375 is taking shape on the heels of the current Border Highway expansion in the Lower Valley. The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) is moving forward with plans to add an inside managed toll lane in each direction on Loop 375 from the Zaragoza Port of Entry to Pellicano Drive on the East Side. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Environmental and Preliminary Engineering services has been published at the CRRMA website and provides some details as to the project's scope and goals.

Americas Managed Lanes Project Limits

The Americas Managed Lanes project would add a third lane in each direction in what is currently the median of the freeway; the additional lane would be a toll lane. This would require the filling-in of median gaps in current overpass structures, such as those at Socorro Road, Alameda Avenue, and North Loop. The toll lane would continue the lanes currently under construction along the Border Highway between US-54 and Zaragoza Road and could run as far north as Pellicano Drive. Much of Loop 375 north of Interstate 10 and up to Montana Avenue has an unused inside lane and would be easy to convert to managed lanes in the future. The northern limit of the toll lanes is still under consideration, according to the RFQ.

Unused lanes on Loop 375 north of I-10

A major improvement mentioned in the scope of work is the addition of frontage road bridges for Americas Avenue between Alameda Avenue and North Loop Drive. Currently, the frontage roads end in turnarounds when approaching Union Pacific railroad tracks. Commuters traveling from North Loop to Alameda, and vice versa, are forced to enter the freeway, causing major backups at the current Alameda exit on Loop 375 south. In the new plan, the frontage roads would continue on new bridge structures built over the railroad tracks.

Americas Avenue stops abruptly at railroad tracks between Alameda and North Loop.

Part of the RFQ provides details on adjacent projects under construction, and indicates that three ramps are currently being designed for the Americas Interchange in addition to the three under construction today, "including (iv) westbound I-10 to northbound Loop 375; (v) westbound I-10 to southbound Loop 375; and (vi) eastbound I-10 to southbound Loop 375."


No official time frame has been provided for the new managed lanes or interchange ramps projects.

CRRMA webiste: http://www.crrma.org/

Previously:
Progress Continues at Americas Interchange

Progress Continues at Americas Interchange

The Americas Interchange continues to make shape just six months from its expected completion date. Crews are moving at a furious pace to meet their deadline, and monumental changes are seen on a nearly daily basis.

According to the Project Schedule, utility work is complete with most work focusing on the direct connector ramps. The majority of columns have been placed, while concrete and steel beams are at about 60-70%. Concrete work is being used on the shorter bridge expanses while steel beams are used for longer stretches, such as on the eastbound to northbound ramp.

To date, 110 out of 114 drill shafts have been constructed, 84 out of 93 columns have been completed, 54 out of 78 bent caps have been constructed, 213 out of 363 concrete beams have been placed, 68 out of 96 steel girders have been placed, and 13 out of 76 bridge deck spans have been poured.

Three direct connectors should be completed by January 2013, which is the scope of the current project. However, a fourth direct connector could begin construction at the tail end of this project. This would create a ramp from Interstate 10 westbound to Loop 375 northbound. No word yet on the expected completion date for the fourth connector.

Americas Interchange website: http://www.crrma.org/americas/default.asp