High Five Interchange - History

History

The High Five Interchange project was planned as a replacement for the existing, antiquated interchange that accommodated 500,000 vehicles daily and was located in one of most intensely developed commercial zones in Dallas. It was a collaborative project between the TxDOT, affected motorists and property owners, and the primary contractor, Zachry Construction. An essential consideration was to complete the project with as little disruption to the traffic flow as possible.

Reasons for upgrading the interchange, in addition to the need to increase traffic flow and reduce congestion, were to improve air quality, safety, and local access.

Zachry Construction Corporation submitted the lowest bid and was awarded the $261 million contract by TxDOT, the largest ever by that agency. The construction contract for the High Five Interchange was unique in that it contained elements not found in other construction project contracts. For example, it specified the concrete maturity method to be used to ensure the concrete's strength (the first time TxDOT had ever done so), and contained an early completion bonus, a sliding scale of up to $11 million if the company completed the contract within four years. Also built into the construction contract was a provision that Zachry was charged for "lane rentals" by TxDOT for time they closed down traffic lanes—fees based on hourly assessments and the time of day the lane was closed. The fees ranged from $50 to a high of $110,000 for rush hours. In order not to interfere with traffic flow during construction, the contractor built flyover ramps over the existing junction which were then removed upon completion. Little of the original interchange remained when the project was finished.

To save time and money, innovative construction methods were employed: The original plans called for the segments of the long ramps and spans (used to direct-connect roads) to be made of steel, but because building with steel would interfere with heavy traffic flow during construction, cast-in-place segmental concrete was substituted in the plans. However, Zachry decided to use precast concrete segmental bridges, rather than casting the bridge elements in place, and used a unique machine, designed and constructed by Deal S.R.L. of Italy and costing about $1 million, to move the pieces into place.

During the construction, 2.2 million cubic yards of earthwork was used, 350,000 cubic yards of concrete was mixed on site, and 300,000 square feet of retaining walls were built. Additionally, 40,000 of drilled shafts and 75,000 linear feet of drainage pipe were completed. In addition to the construction of 37 permanent bridges, six temporary bridges were built, resulting in 2.3 million square feet of bridge deck.

The project was designed by the HNTB Corporation who provided professional engineering consultation throughout the construction, which had begun in 2002 and was completed in December 2005, more than 13 months sooner than planned.