AASHTO Journal, 16 October 2015
The Nevada Department of Transportation named a design-build team led by Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. as the best value bidder for a project that would upgrade the state’s busiest roadway segment with the largest single contract in the department’s history.
That “Project NEON” is a 3.7-mile widening of Interstate 15 at Las Vegas between Sahara Avenue and the downtown “Spaghetti Bowl” interchange.
NDOT will next enter into contract negotiations with Kiewit, followed by an anticipated contract award in early November. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in first-quarter 2016 with completion by mid-2019.
That section of highway is currently used by 300,000 vehicles daily or one-tenth of the state population. It sees 25,000 lane changes an hour and nearly three crashes a day for 1,000 yearly. And volumes are rising so much that the corridor’s traffic is expected to double by 2035.
Project NEON will reduce travel delays by 28 percent for a $110 million annual savings through increased productivity. It will improve air quality due to less idle time and vehicle exhaust while enhancing motorist safety from less merge and weave traffic.
“Nearly two decades in the making, Project NEON will dramatically improve traffic congestion in southern Nevada while also creating 4,000 high-paying, quality jobs,” said NDOT Director Rudy Malfabon. “This is an exciting moment in our state history.”
The department said the best value bid was determined by a combination of technical components and total cost. Kiewit had both the highest technical score and lowest price with a $559.4 million bid that was 5 percent below the runner-up.
“The Kiewit proposal provided the best value and quickest completion schedule of all three project finalists,” said Malfabon. “Their plan minimizes traffic impacts during construction and maintains local street accessibility while still delivering a quality project.”
Besides widening the corridor, Project NEON will connect High Occupancy Vehicle or carpool lanes on U.S. Highway 95 to I-15 express lanes with a flyover bridge while creating direct access carpool ramps and a new interchange to be called “Neon Gateway.”
Other planned upgrades include reconstructing the Charleston Boulevard interchange, extending Grand Central Parkway over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as well as connecting to Industrial Road for improved downtown Las Vegas access and mobility. The work will include aesthetic and landscape upgrades, intelligent messaging signs and improved drainage, the announcement said.