T
raffic congestion along Higley Road
from the Santan Loop 202 Freeway to
Mesquite Street will soon be improved
courtesy of a $5.265 million road
improvement project undertaken by DCS
Contracting, Inc. Construction, which
started in September, will widen the road
from two lanes to four lanes and add a
median when it’s finished in the fall of
2016.
The most challenging aspect of the job
is the construction sequence, according to
Matthew Byrne, DCS chief estimator. “The
project is required to be built to allow the
existing roadway to remain open during
construction,” Byrne says. “This will
require extensive traffic control setups and
a great deal of coordination and
scheduling with stakeholders.”
Particularly difficult is the intersection
of Higley and Warner roads, located
adjacent to the Santan Loop 202 Freeway.
“This already heavily populated area is
continuing to grow with the ongoing
construction of the Warner Groves
subdivision,” Byrne adds. “Completing the
project in a timely manner will be essential
for public safety and to ease traffic
congestion.”
Construction is further complicated by
the number and variety of stakeholders
impacted by the project including the Salt
River Project (SRP), Roosevelt Water
Conservation District, the Town of Gilbert,
farmers, residential developers, nearby
business owners, and the public.
"This collection of stakeholders all
have different agendas and needs," Byrne
says. "Litigating between these groups and
coming together with a cohesive schedule
to meet everyone's needs is essential to
the project."
DCS is self-performing grading, paving,
concrete, and wet utilities. The company
is also working with subcontractors
including the SRP for overhead conversion,
Contractors West for traffic signals and
street lights, EPS Group for surveying, and
National Barricade for traffic control.
Higley Road was named after an
unincorporated community in the East
Valley that was eventually annexed into
Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek.
Images courtesy of DCS Contracting
Construction Around Arizona
Higley Road to Flow
Thanks to DCS
DCS crews working on the underground wet utility portion of the project.
EIGHTEEN
Winter 2015