O.C. Jones & Sons, Inc.
I-80 Eastbound Truck Scales
What makes it interesting?
The $50 million I-80 Eastbound Truck Scales in Cordelia, California (total project $100 million) was one of the largest jobsites in the country at the time of its construction.
How HCSS Software assisted with this project
HeavyJob helped us track day-to-day costs to analyze our actual cost versus budget. It provided a timeline history in case we needed to address an issue that may have risen after the work was completed. We utilized the cost code reviews to help process extra work and receive payment from Caltrans. Also, it assisted with our schedule status by reviewing the daily production to ensure we finished on time.
Project Description:
The I-80 Eastbound Truck Scales were over 50 years old and located in the middle of the I-80/I-680/SR12 interchange. The confluence of these major freeways, combined with the requirement that trucks must go on and off the freeway for safety and weight inspections, led to the most severe congestion in Solano County at this location, and safety for the travelling public was a primary concern. The project was initiated to alleviate the congestion resulting from the trucks, improve safety through the interchange, improve goods movement, and modernize the CHP inspection facility.
Teresa Becher, Chief of the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division, speaking of the safety in the post-9/11 climate said, “The more trucks we inspect, the safer it is for everybody out there, including the trucks.” In 2012, more than 2.4 million trucks traveled through the old facility, and more than 40,000 inspections were performed.
The new facility features multiple inspection bays and weigh-in-motion scales, which do not require trucks to come to a full stop to be weighed, making inspections more efficient. In addition, trucks will have longer exits and entrances onto Highway 80 and Highway 12 and new ramps that will make it safer for trucks entering and exiting the facility.
The project had many challenges due to its complexity and compressed schedule. The job entailed constructing a new state-of-the-art LEED Silver CHP inspection facility (30,000-square-foot building, of which 17,000 square feet are inspection bays), a Highway 12 on-ramp/Highway 80 on-ramp with a 300-foot two-lane (tunnel-like) separation structure, a new Highway 80 off-ramp and a new Highway 12 and Highway 80 connector, as well as the construction of a new bridge over an existing creek.
Some of the safety-related challenges posed on this jobsite included: maintaining smooth, unobstructed access for 24-hour CHP commercial vehicle safety inspections; providing safe parking areas, work space, and all-weather access for approximately 150-200 employees, inspectors, and subcontractor personnel during peak construction phases; and coordinating and implementing eight separate stages of traffic re-alignments of the Hwy 80 and Hwy 12 interchange. Through all this, maintaining smooth, efficient traffic patterns and transitions was critical since public safety and the safety of all the commercial truck drivers and CHP officers using the facility had to be top priority.
Despite the challenges and schedule changes, the State and Contractor combined stages of the project to accelerate its completion by 30 working days while having a minimal impact on the existing inspection facility and traveling public. The project won ENR Best Regional Highway Project, California Transportation Foundation Safety Project of the Year, American Society of Civil Engineers Best Highway Project, and the Caltrans Gold Partnering Award.
