At $176 million, the I-95/I-295 North Interchange project will rank as the largest design-build effort ever completed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Two.
FDOT recently selected the team of GAI Consultants (GAI) and FIGG Bridge Group (FIGG) to provide construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services for the I-95/I-295 North Interchange project in Jacksonville, Florida. GAI sat down with Project Manager Andre Sutherland, PE and Principal-in-Charge Kevin Leadbetter, PE to learn more about this project with FDOT District Two.
Why are major modifications needed for this interchange?
Andre: The I-95/I-295 North Interchange serves as the gateway to Northeast Florida and is also one of the largest interchanges in Florida. This location is experiencing rapid economic and commercial growth with an accompanying increase in vehicular traffic. Without this transformational project, the increased traffic would overwhelm the existing roadway infrastructure, leading to worsening traffic conditions—especially during rush hour and special events. Some local entities that depend on this interchange running smoothly include JAXPORT, which is the country’s number one port for vehicle exports, Anheuser-Busch Jacksonville Brewery, which generates approximately 235 trucks per day, and the Jacksonville International Airport, which routinely has more than five million passengers annually.
“The I-95/I-295 North Interchange project is the next opportunity for GAI to successfully deliver a large, complex project for FDOT.”
What improvements can the public expect to see on the I-95/I-295 North Interchange?
Andre: The modifications will improve the capacity, operation, and safety of this major interchange and will allow for future development and growth in the Jacksonville area. The interchange’s operation will improve significantly with the introduction of a new collector-distributor system, allowing for local traffic to remain separated from through traffic for both the I-295 and I-95 approaches. The existing bridges and interchanges will be constructed to meet current engineering standards.
Why was the GAI/FIGG team selected to represent FDOT on this critical project?
Kevin: Two reasons— the first of which is GAI’s reputation as a CEI leader in Northeast Florida. GAI’s CEI Team in District Two has built a solid reputation for working with FDOT to build their most complex projects. A small sampling of our successful CEI projects in North Florida include the I-10/I-95 Interchange Reconstruction Contract Administration (a multiple award-winning project, including the AASHTO 2011 America’s Best Transportation Project), I-295/Collins Road Interchange and Road System CEI (recipient of the 2015 FICE Outstanding Design-Build Project Award), I-295 Express Lanes, and I-10 at Hammond Boulevard (Marietta) Interchange. The second reason the GAI/FIGG design-build team was the clear choice is our team’s technical expertise. Both GAI and FIGG have extensive design and construction experience on design-build projects, which makes our team uniquely qualified to deliver the I-95/I-295 North Interchange project for FDOT.
“The entire construction team is excited to work on this transformational project, which represents the District’s continued investment in transportation infrastructure in Northeast Florida,” notes Sutherland. Adds Leadbetter, “The I-95/I-295 North Interchange project is the next opportunity for GAI to successfully deliver a large, complex project for FDOT.” To learn more about the I-95/I-295 North Interchange project, which has a projected completion of fall 2020, contact Senior Engineering Manager Andre Sutherland, PE at 904.363.1110 or Vice President Kevin Leadbetter, PE at 904.363.1110.
