New methods mean getting I-40 bridge project done faster

If you travel east of Flagstaff along Interstate 40, you may have noticed crews hard at work building a new bridge at the Meteor City Road interchange. You might be thinking that this is going to take the better part of a year to get done.

Actually, by using new and innovative techniques ADOT intends to have this entire project, which started in mid-July and would ordinarily take six months or more, wrapped up this fall.

Crews are creating bridge abutments by putting in alternating layers of granular fill reinforced with synthetic material. This method is known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system, and it’s ADOT’s first use of this technique.

But wait, there’s more. A second first-time innovation being employed to build this bridge involves a new way to lay the bridge deck.

The deck will be constructed using a polyester polymer concrete that can be placed and cured in a matter of days rather than weeks. This type of deck provides similar performance with lower maintenance costs compared to a traditional concrete bridge deck.

This is not only a first for ADOT but for the state.

The Arizona Management System championed by Governor Ducey challenges ADOT and other state agencies to continuously improve their value to customers – in this case to the drivers and others who will benefit from a faster project that will yield lower maintenance costs through the years. This innovative approach is allowing us to do just that.