Transportation

CR 250 North in LaGrange County and CR 16 in Elkhart County connect the Towns of Middlebury and Shipshewana. These towns are thriving communities with large Amish populations. CR 250 North is approximately 20’ wide and has several blind spots due to insufficient vertical curve length. The width and sight distance have been a factor in a number of accidents involving buggies and bicyclists being struck by motorized traffic. As a combined project, the Counties agreed to reconstruct and widen the roadway to increase the safety for its users. The project included Environmental Assessment, widening and reconstruction of 2.9 miles of two-lane roadway, use of alternative surface treatment for horse and buggy considerations, design of 3900’ of new storm sewer and design of 140’ gabion retaining wall to salvage existing drainage control structure. The construction cost of the project is $4,200,000.

Passing through historic Fort Benjamin Harrison, East 56th Street needed improvements in order to serve the growing City of Lawrence. Formerly a two lane road that stopped at Conrail Railroad before reaching Pendleton Pike, East 56th Street was widened to a four lane divided roadway with a new bridge spanning the railroad, thereby providing direct and efficient access to northeastern Marion County and a connection to the East. Level 5 designed a 2000 foot long section of this federal aid project including a five span, 540 foot, continuous composite steel plate girder bridge carrying four lanes of traffic and sidewalk over the railroad. The construction cost of the project was $6,500,000.

This project involves construction of a 3.7 mile rural arteial roadway on new alignment on the north side of Shelbyville to serve as the first phase of a planned extension of Fairland Road from SR 44 to Fairland Road (CR 400N) near the I-74 and Fairland Road (CR 400N) interchange. The purpose of the Fairland Road Extension project is to provide a safe and efficient north-south transportation corridor from the I-74 and Fairland Road (CR 400N) interchange to SR 44 as well as enhance the economic growth to the Shelbyville community. This north-south corridor will serve as a portion of the “parkway arterial” that the city of Shelbyville’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan described as “an [transportation] alternative to strengthening Shelbyville’s transportation network” and would “spur economic growth.” The first phase to be constructed with local funds is currently under design. The limits for phase 1 are from W. Mausoleum Road (CR 100N) to Fairland Road (CR 400N) a distance of approximately 3.7 miles in length, which is approximately 60 percent of the 6.0-mile Fairland Road Extension corridor. The southern terminus for phase 1 was selected because it presently serves several large industries along Mausoleum Road (CR 100N). The second phase from SR 44 to W. Mausoleum Road (CR 100N) is approximately 2.4 miles in length beginning at SR 44 (W. McKay Road) crossing W. Washington Avenue, the Big Blue River, W. Boggstown Road and terminating at W. Mausoleum Road (CR 100N). The project involves construction of three bridge structures consisting of two 3-span structures carrying the Fairland Road Extension over existing drainage ditches and a single span bridge to carry Fairland Road over the CSXT railroad. The bridges support a two-lane arterial roadway with shoulders. The project included survey, bridge and road design, right-of-way engineering and land acquisition services. The estimated construction cost for the first phase of the project is $16,000,000.

The west leg of I-465 was the first portion of the beltway that was constructed. As the traffic increased on the roadway, the number of lanes became insufficient and interchange configurations became obsolete. Due to the urban nature of the adjacent land, right-of-way impacts had to be minimized. Due to the scale of the project, INDOT chose to subconsult the program management of the project and preliminary engineering to a team of firms. Several groups of engineering firms were selected to perform the final design on the interchanges along the corridor. Level 5 partnered with another firm and the team was selected to perform final engineering services for the two referenced interchanges. Level 5 was responsible for the roadway design of the US 36 (Rockville Road) interchange and design of bridge overpasses at both interchanges. The project required ongoing coordination between Level 5, its partners, the program coordinator and INDOT. During the project development, the project schedule was significantly accelerated and allowed for only 11 months to advance the plans from Grade Review Plans (25%) to final submittal. The interchange geometry was modified by the removal of one loop ramp to eliminate weaving difficulties along I-465. Approach work to the interchanges was limited to approximately a total length of 0.5 miles along US 36 (Rockville Road). The bridge structures were originally designed as prestressed concrete U-beams. However, after bids were received on another interchange, the structural members were changed to precast concrete bulb-tees. Level 5’s portion of the project was combined with the next interchange to the south and all mainline pavement between the three interchanges.

INDOT needed five project sites on I-69 in northern Indiana redesigned. Of the five sites, Level 5 was selected for the bridges over Green Lake and Lake Charles on I-69. These were especially challenging to design and estimate because they span large, shallow bodies of water. The lakes are not deep enough in some areas to use a barge to support construction cranes, and lakes are too wide to base the cranes on dry land. Adding to the project’s complexity, the bridges have many more spans than is usual for their size. The project included preliminary plans for four mainline bridges, final design of complex bridges over Green Lake and Lake Charles, cost estimates for the project, permitting applications to IDEM, DNR, and the Army Corp of Engineers, traffic maintenance for the project, and lead project contact for traffic maintenance and permitting. The construction cost of the project was $23,000,000.

The area between the east side of Indianapolis and Greenfield, Indiana was experiencing significant increases in population. This area has access to I-70 via the existing diamond interchange at Mt. Comfort Road. As the traffic volumes increased, the interchange and its two lane bridge over I-70 had become overwhelmed. INDOT selected Level 5 Engineering to complete the design of the second phase of the interchange project. This phase involved the reconfiguration of the interchange to a partial cloverleaf configuration. Two quadrants of the interchange were designed with loop ramps to eliminate the left turn movements from Mt. Comfort Road onto I-70. The project involved an addition of nearly four miles of ramps and added travel lanes between Hancock County Roads CR 200N and CR 300N. Three bridges were widened to accommodate the additional ramp lanes and widened travel lanes on Mt. Comfort Road. The interstate bridges were widened with precast concrete I‑beams and the Mt. Comfort Road bridges were widened with reinforced concrete box beams. Level 5 performed roadway and bridge engineering for the project which included drainage, signals, signage and right-of-way design.

Billed as a “Gateway” to the city of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Airport Authority wanted to construct a new airport terminal between the existing runways at the Indianapolis Airport. The Enplanement Drive is the elevated roadway structure directly in front of the new terminal building providing departing passengers terminal access, as well as providing a quick return loop road to the parking garage. The design of the 1800 foot long structure was closely coordinated with the Terminal Building and parking garage in both form and function to be aesthetically pleasing, yet still provide the required level of service and the flexibility to allow for future expansion. The roadway itself is over 92’ wide, and over 30’ above grade, while still allowing for 4-lanes of traffic beneath the structure. To accomplish the design, Level 5, along with its subconsultant, developed a cast-in-place, post-tensioned, concrete structure consisting to 2 main longitudinal girders. A mixture of precast ribs and deck panels with a 5” concrete topping provided was utilized between the girders. The approach structured were designed as MSE wall retaining structures. As part of the project scope, Level 5 provided Design, Construction Administration services, as well as inspection of the Post Tensioning placement, and stressing operations.

Lee Boulevard connects the park on the west side of Little Blue River with an existing commercial park on the east side, and the lift station and sewer additions will provide the infrastructure to support additional new development on the northeast side of Shelbyville. Design of nearly 1.5 miles of roadway construction, including both new construction and reconstruction and conforming to AASHTO design standards including path bridge design, roadway bridge design above a 100 year flood plain to ensure emergency access, and design of 6700 linear feet force main, which includes boring under Little Blue River to connect to an existing manhole.

Level 5 was hired to design a new 113 foot, 3-span reinforced concrete bridge on a new alignment approximately 300 feet south of the historic bridge. The project involved the design of 1250 feet of new access roadway, environmental studies, coordination with State Historic Preservation Agency, survey and right of way. Parke County is world famous for its covered bridges. While some still carry vehicular traffic, the effects of time and increased traffic needs mean that a bridge must be replaced. Neet Bridge, a 128 foot, timber, burr arch, through truss, covered bridge constructed in 1904 needed to be replaced and the roadway alignment improved to meet current standards. The construction cost of the project was $525,000.

This project involves a 0.61 mile reconstruction of North Dearborn Road in northern Dearborn County. The project proposes to improve safety of the roadway by eliminating the winding character of the roadway by reducing the number of horizontal curves and by improving vertical sight distances. The project also replaces a bridge structure that is a combination of bridges types, which creates maintenance issues. Plan support has been provided by the local school bus corporation that no longer uses this segment of roadway due to unsafe areas to be addressed by the project. An interactive highway safety data model was prepared prior to the original submittal and showed a 50% reduction in expected accident rate. The road is being reconstructed and straightened to increase the safety for its users. The project includes the completed reconstruction of the two-lane roadway with a new 14 ft by 11ft 3-sided structure over Slab Camp Creek. The project included survey, environmental, road design services. The estimated construction cost of the project is $2,900,000.

Level 5 collaborated with the City of Garrett in preparing a feasibility study for a grade separation and then in securing funding for the project. The City of Garret, DeKalb County, CSX Transportation and INDOT’s federally matched funds contributed to the project’s design and construction. An underpass structure allowed connection approximately at grade to the intersection of Railroad Street to the north and Quincy Street to the south, while also providing unrestricted movement for rail and vehicular traffic. The two lanes of Randolph Street pass beneath CSX’s four tracks in a continuous vertical curve, while the sidewalks are constructed on a different, elevated vertical alignment to meet ADA requirements. The permanent railroad bridge is a three span, steel deck structure. Tieback timber lagging and soldier pile walls were used to retain the cut sections on each side of the roadway. As they could be constructed from the top down, the tie back walks allowed all construction to be completed within the existing right-of-way. Since rail traffic could not be interrupted during construction, a four span temporary steel trestle was constructed to accommodate train traffic during construction of the permanent substructure. Underpass drainage was provided through a three phase lift station and approximately one and a half miles of force main to the nearest outlet. The construction cost of the project was $7,600,000.

Level 5 performed the design for work on SR 38/39 and US 421 in Frankfort. The original project scope was for reconstruction of the facility through the City and extending approximately one half mile north into Clinton County. Following the design hearing, it was determined that the construction cost exceeded the budgeted cost for the project. As a result, Level 5 worked with the Crawfordsville District to revise the scope of the project to fit within the budgeted amount. The revised project scope provided a functional overlay of the south half of the project and maintained the reconstruction of the project in the north half. This approach maximized the benefit of the project while maintaining the construction budget. The project included elements of resurfacing, pavement replacement, traffic signals and improvements to the enclosed drainage system. The estimated construction cost of the project is $12,000,000.

Level 5 was hired to complete the design of this five kilometer reconstruction and widening of SR 45/46 in Bloomington. The project involved widening the existing roadway from two lanes to four lanes with a median/center left turn lane. Significant coordination was required with both the City of Bloomington and Indiana University to develop consensus regarding bike and pedestrian accommodations along the corridor. The project included a bike/pedestrian underpass structure below existing grade, several retaining walls, one bridge rehabilitation, new enclosed drainage systems and several signal installations and modernizations. The estimated construction cost of the project is $28,000,000.

Level 5 performed Phase I of a major highway corridor improvement which provided a new connection between the State of Indiana and a new Commonwealth of Kentucky bridge spanning the Ohio River. This limited access facility is 6.3 miles in length with three grade separated structures over existing and proposed railroad corridors. Involved was a full topographic survey of the entire corridor, design of two new bridge structures over the Norfolk & Southern Railroad spur tracks, 4.75 miles of the roadway design, and construction plans for 4,800 square yards of mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls. The construction cost of the project is $37,000,000.

Level 5 performed the final engineering design for the resurfacing and widening of US 41 through Rockville. The project’s design met its objectives of improving drainage along the corridor, reducing accidents by defining access points to the roadway and by providing a two-way left turn lane. The challenges of the project included adding sidewalks to both sides of the road, a request by the Town of Rockville that was made following the acquisition of right-of-way. The project design included resurfacing and widening of the roadway, extensions of several small structures, replacement of one bridge structure, installation of a new enclosed drainage system, traffic signal modernizations and installation of pedestrian facilities. The construction cost of the project is $10,000,000.