If you’ve been following along with us, you know that we’ve been covering the Loop 101 widening project since work started last summer.

We’ve given you updates, shared a cool time-lapse video and even told you about that time an ASU class came to visit the site.

One thing we haven’t covered yet is speed. No, we’re not talking about the speed of the project’s progress (we actually have covered that – work currently is on schedule to wrap up late next year). We’re referring to the speed at which motorists are driving through the project’s work zone…

Crews have noted that not all drivers are slowing down to the reduced 55 mph speed limit. ADOT Transportation Engineering Specialist David Locher says the data shows that some vehicles are actually averaging about 70 mph through the area.

Slow down in the work zone!

Crews need space to work, but instead of closing an entire lane through the work zone, ADOT opted to narrow each of the existing lanes to help keep traffic moving during the project.

“A typical lane is 12 feet wide and we’ve narrowed it to 11 feet wide,” Locher explains. “On top of that, we don’t have a shoulder during construction, so even the minor flat tire can become a back-up and there’s little room to maneuver if there is an accident.”

So, what should drivers do?

Department of Public Safety Spokesman Bart Graves reminds drivers that they have to slow down and obey all signs/warning devices in work zones – not only for the well-being of construction crews, but for their own safety.

“It’s really important that the motorists slow down and approach that area carefully” Graves said.

For more information on how to safely maneuver through work zones, please visit our Work Zone Safety page.

It’s been a while since we last checked in on the Loop 101 widening project, so we thought we’d take a look and see how work is progressing…

You might remember that construction began in early August 2014 and is expected to wrap up in late 2016. When work is complete, Loop 101 will be widened from Shea Boulevard to the Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) interchange. In addition to the new travel lanes (one in each direction) from Shea Boulevard to McKellips Road, the project also includes:

• Two additional travel lanes from the northbound Loop 101/Loop 202 interchange entrance ramp to McDowell Road
• Traffic-interchange improvements
• New rubberized asphalt on the roadway surface from Shea Boulevard to McKellips Road

Right now, the project is roughly 42 percent complete and crews are really taking advantage of the summer months – when there’s less traffic and fewer big events – to get a lot of work done.

Northeast Valley drivers have likely noticed a few ramp closures within the project’s span.

ADOT Transportation Engineering Specialist David Locher explains that those closures are necessary so that crews can move/relocate the ramps outward so they’ll be able to align with the new expanded freeway exit/entrance lanes. Locher says the goal is to have all the ramps finished by January.

Currently, 60-day ramp closures are in place at McDowell (closure began June 1), Indian School (June 22) and Indian Bend (July 13). Drivers should also prepare for an upcoming 60-day closure at the 90th Street/Via Linda on- and off-ramps that will begin Aug. 10.

The project also includes 11 bridges…

Crews use the paving machine at  night.

Crews have completed most of the bridge work, says Locher, but they still have to wrap up construction on the bridge approaches. Speaking of bridges, if you haven’t already seen it, you might want to check out this video from back in March that shows how (and why) crews lowered a new lane on the bridge at 90th Street.

As you can see from the aerial photos above, crews are continuing day and night to expand the freeway lanes along the length of the project.

“ADOT is working hard to ensure drivers won’t have to wait long to experience a less congested and quieter ride,” ADOT Senior Community Relations Officer Felicia Beltran said.

For more information (including traffic alerts), please our previous posts or check out the project’s progress on our Flickr Page.

Typically, we’re asked about driver licenses, project timelines, vehicle registration and even ramp meters, but we hardly ever get questions about bird nests.

So, when we found out that someone had in fact submitted a bird nest question to ADOT’s constituent services officer, we knew we had to share the answer on this blog.

The inquiry concerned nests built by cliff and barn swallows (you’ve likely seen them before – they’re mostly made out of mud and are found under eaves or bridges). Someone who regularly jogs near the Loop 101 widening project wanted to know why the nests under the freeway bridges had been removed.

ADOT biologists were able to explain that the birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and that ADOT’s Environmental Planning Group reviews all projects before assigning measures to protect nesting birds from harm during construction.

In many instances, ADOT goes in to remove old, EMPTY nests from a project site before work begins, but after the birds have gone south for the year (they only nest here during the spring and summer months). This was the case on the Loop 101.

Cliff Swallow Nesting Stages

If work is happening during nesting season, the birds will often try to rebuild, even on a bridge structure that’s under construction.

When that happens, the nesting mud must be removed by contractors on a daily basis to prevent nest completion.

“We can remove the nests as they’re building them without harming the birds,” said ADOT Biologist Joshua Fife, adding that contractors are given training on what to look for and are instructed to not remove nests that are farther along and may contain eggs or nestlings.

On some projects, the team may also install exclusionary measures such as netting or plastic to prevent the birds from building nests.

After construction is complete, the birds are free to build their nests again and ADOT stays out of their way because the mud doesn’t impact our structures.

If you’re interested in birds, you might like this post that explains how ADOT keeps birds away from project site water sources near airports.

Learning doesn’t always have to take place inside of a classroom, sometimes it can happen safely near the side of a freeway!

That’s where a group of ASU students received a “behind the scenes” tour, packed with details on how ADOT’s Roadside Development section provides landscape, architectural and environmental technical design direction for projects statewide.

After sitting in on a morning construction meeting, the students – all juniors who are working toward their degrees in landscape architecture – were given a tour of the Loop 101 improvement project. The project, which will add new lanes in both directions of Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 in the Scottsdale and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, proved to be an excellent one to showcase.

“It’s an ideal example of all the aspects ADOT gets involved with … it contains everything,” said ADOT Project Landscape Architectural Designer Joe Salazar.

Just north of Chaparral Road, the students stopped to see the project's plant salvaging operation.

Yuri Lechuga-Robles, an ADOT intern with Roadside Development and also a student in the ASU class, helped to initiate the tour and agreed that the project was a good one to highlight.

“The project is one that the students were aware of, but probably never thought they’d be able to see from the inside. For that reason, it was a really good choice,” he said, adding that before beginning his internship at ADOT, he didn’t realize how much input goes into a project. “For me, the tour was an opportunity for my classmates to get a glimpse of what the projects are all about … just to have them see the size of the team that it requires was important.”

The first stop on the tour was off Loop 101, just north of Chaparral Road. Here, the students saw the project’s plant salvaging operation, where the cacti and trees that were removed for construction live for the project’s duration. The thousands of Ironwoods, Ocotillos and Saguaros are watered and cared for in the makeshift nursery until they can be replanted when the project nears completion.

ADOT’s Chief Landscape Architect LeRoy Brady told the students that many factors are vital when replanting salvaged Saguaros. Research has shown that Saguaros fare much better if they’re replanted at the same, exact depth they were originally growing – even just a few inches deeper can result in loss, he said.

Thousands of Ironwoods, Ocotillos and Saguaros are watered and cared for in the makeshift nursery.

The next stop was off the freeway at McDonald Drive for a look at the project’s paint pallet and decomposed granite samples. Salazar explained how ADOT worked with the community to determine the colors, which are all earth tones.

The tour concluded with a review of the project’s architectural design at the 90th Street bridge and a look how surrounding neighborhoods can be integrated into ADOT projects using walkways, bike lanes, equestrian trails and landscaping.

That community collaboration was definitely a big theme for the day…

Before the tour even began, students got the chance to hear from representatives from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

SRPMIC Director of Community Relations Janet Johnson talked to the students about the meaning behind some of the symbols and artwork being used on the project. Terrollene Charley, of the SRPMIC Planning Services Division explained it is important to the community that the project’s landscaping reflects the indigenous desert surroundings.

The community collaboration made an impression on the students.

Cesar Del Castillo said he especially liked seeing how the surrounding communities play a part in the project.

Student Shane Ohlhausen agreed, saying he enjoyed the exposure to public works and being able to hear from the SRPMIC.

“It was a good experience,” he said.

Loop 101 is being widened from Shea Boulevard to Loop 202, and within that span, there are several bridges that get additional lanes. However, one of those bridges – the one at 90th Street – required a little more work than the others.

For one thing, it’s curved. That means precast girders, ones that are prebuilt offsite, weren’t an available option for the lane additions. So, crews had to build the components at the project location, which required falsework (we’ve blogged about falsework before, but if you need a refresher: falsework gives temporary support to a structure until it can carry its own weight).

That falsework, which is what crews constructed the additional Loop 101 lane on top of, hangs lower than the final height of the bridge and had to be built high enough to give adequate clearance to the traffic traveling below on 90th Street.

Still with us?

To recap, the necessary falsework meant that crews had to build the new lane a few feet above its eventual resting spot and, as you can see in the video above, when the lane construction was finished, they had to lower it into place.

That covers why the lane was lowered, now let’s look at how it all got done.

ADOT Transportation Engineering Specialist David Locher explains that lowering the new lane was accomplished with the help of four jacks – each rated at 250 tons.

“We use very strong jacks,” he said. “We just lifted the lane ever so slightly so that we could remove some of the timbers (part of the falsework) at a time.”

Locher said that the road was lowered in three-inch increments until it was in place about 13 hours later.

In the coming months, crews will pour concrete to connect the new lanes to the existing bridge. After that, they’ll build the roadway deck on top.

One more thing…

ADOT is expanding Loop 101 on both the southbound and northbound sides, but you might notice in the video above that only the northbound side of the freeway had to be lowered.

Wondering why?

Locher explains that the southbound side was actually high enough to clear traffic because it is built on a banked curve. The slight incline gave crews the space they needed to build the additional southbound lane without having to elevate the falsework.

For more on this project, check out these previous posts. You’ll also find project photos on ADOT’s Flickr site.