GAI’s Michael Holbert, PE discusses the replacement of the Miller Road Overpass in Cabell County, West Virginia, which is part of the recently announced I-64 Makeover–a range of projects to expand and upgrade a 50-plus mile section of a high-traffic interstate highway.
Aging Structures Revitalized
“The overall goal is to widen I-64 in West Virginia all the way from Huntington to Charleston,” said Holbert, the Miller Road Overpass project’s lead roadway engineer who works out of the firm’s Bridgeport, WV office. The Miller Road Overpass project replaces and expands two side-by-side structures that carry I-64 over Miller Road, just east of Huntington. “The two existing 256-foot bridges each carry two lanes of traffic in either direction,” said Holbert “The project will replace these aging structures with a single 270-foot bridge capable of carrying three lanes in each direction.”
The new design improves safety and boosts the bridges’ traffic capacity. “While the existing bridges have 12-foot lanes, they also have relatively narrow shoulders,” said Holbert. “In the new design we are widening the shoulders on both sides of the bridge as well as providing additional lanes—this brings the structure up to current standards for construction and safety, and boosts traffic capacity to efficiently accommodate more than 43,000 vehicles a day.”
Maintaining Traffic Flow During Construction
Among the project specifications was the need to keep traffic moving unimpeded while work progressed. “Accommodating traffic flow throughout the project was key—we had to create a traffic management strategy that maintained two lanes of traffic in each direction throughout all phases of construction,” said Holbert.
The solution was a phased construction approach that maintains operable lanes and reroutes traffic from one side to the other as old structures are demolished and new structures are erected in their place. “It’s a complicated task, and we’re fortunate to have skilled in-house traffic management specialists to coordinate with our roadway designers and make it all come together smoothly,” said Holbert.
Diverse In-House Expertise Benefits Clients and Project Cohesiveness
The Miller Road Overpass project for the I-64 Makeover has brought together the expertise of professionals around GAI including roadway designers; bridge designers; traffic engineers; and hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) specialists—close to a dozen in-house contributors who collaborated to produce a winning project design.
“Overall, it works to improve efficiency and responsiveness and lets us work with a nimble collaboration that truly produces superior results.”
“I believe this wide range of expertise is one of the primary advantages we bring to our clients,” said Holbert. “We have people from a lot of different disciplines that can come together on one complex project to quickly deliver a great design. Overall, it works to improve efficiency and responsiveness and lets us work with a nimble collaboration that truly produces superior results.”
Contact Michael Holbert, PE, 304.933.5228, for more information about GAI’s transportation infrastructure services.
Michael Holbert brings more than 20 years of transportation and roadway engineering to GAI. As a Professional Engineer registered in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, he has specialized in development of plans, specifications, and cost estimates; design study; preliminary engineering; and final engineering for numerous bridges and roadways throughout those states. Michael has performed a wide range of work for clients including the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways (WVDOH); Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT); Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC); Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAAC); and Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA).