New AASHTO Video Outlines National Innovative Solutions, Cutting Costs & Inconvenience

A new Transportation TV video released Wednesday by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials showcases the Utah Department of Transportation’s cutting-edge solutions to deliver a 24-mile, $1.7 billion interstate improvement faster, safer, and cheaper.The video — “Innovation in Motion, Utah DOT’s I-15 CORE Project” — highlights four key innovative solutions being used by UDOT including “Fixed-Price, Best-Design Procurement,” a method of conducting the competitive bid process for a highway construction project based on a fixed price and other requirements.

“When we first started the bidding process, we anticipated we’d get something in the 17-mile range; but in the end, we were able to get a total of 24 miles of freeway under construction for the same fixed price,” said John Njord, UDOT’s executive director. “This is about doing something that saves money and people time out on the highway. We’re using innovative techniques to speed project delivery and get more for every dollar we spend.”

The video also focuses on three other innovation solutions:

• Accelerated Bridge Construction, which is demonstrated through the record-setting move of a 3.8-million-pound bridge;
• A Diverging Diamond Interchange, one of only a handful of such facilities in the United States; and
• UDOT’s Innovative Strategic Communications and Public Outreach Program, which is keeping stakeholders informed and engaged in new ways.

The I-15 CORE Project is Utah’s largest highway construction effort. The massive investment will restore, expand, and renovate I-15 in Utah County to meet transportation demands through 2030.

“This project is 100% state funded, because we’re trusted,” Njord says in the video. “And the reason we’re trusted is because of this type of work that we do.”

Watch “Innovation in Motion, Utah DOT’s I-15 CORE Project” at www.TransportationTV.org to hear Njord’s interview, watch the massive bridge move, and hear from some of project’s leading contractors.