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Salem NH I-93 project reaches major milestone

SALEM, NH – Drivers traveling to and from New Hampshire along I-93 who have put up with a Byzantine maze of one-lane ramps and bridges around busy Exit 1 now have an easier commute.

Because SPS New England, Inc. met a key milestone on the New Hampshire Highway Department of Transportation project, two four-lane bridges over I-93 northbound and I-93 southbound now span the interstate with improved major safety features, wider ramps and a scenic view. In addition, half of the bridge over South Policy Street has been completely rebuilt from the foundation to riding surface.

SPS was awarded the $22.4 million project covering 15 acres over and around the busy interstate in Salem in August 2007.  This major benchmark means phase three of five phases of the project are complete. The entire Exit 1 project is estimated to be finished next fall.

The remaining work in 2009 includes completion of the northern half of the South Policy Bridge and removal of the existing structurally deficient “red list” bridges over I-93 northbound and southbound.

The opening of the new bridges and ramps are part of a much larger I-93 widening project for the New Hampshire DOT. That project includes adding another travel lane on I-93 in both directions from Salem to Manchester, N.H. The SPS contract is for the Exit 1 portion – the gateway to the Mall at Rockingham Park, Rockingham Park and congested Route 28.

Successfully meeting the interim completion date means traffic has been switched onto three newly constructed bridges, ending the temporary on/off ramp detour configuration. Also, a new soundwall along Exit 1 is has been completed. The wall, protecting residential neighborhoods, measures nearly half a mile. One supervisor predicts that the sound barrier will increase the value of homes surrounding the highway.

The old bridges over I-93 showed years of wear and tear with rusting metal girders and decaying concrete support columns.  The old aluminum railing has been replaced and upgraded with steel railings to present safety standards.

Tim McLaughlin, Senior Vice President Construction, said there was a big push to finish this portion of the project before winter set in.

“There was lots of overtime,” he said, referring to the work schedule that included a minimum six-day workweek and two shifts per day.

Weather presented many challenges. Dan Jolda, SPS field engineer, pointed to the landscaped embankment which carries the newly constructed Exit 1 northbound off-ramp. It took 120,000 cubic yards of fill to build up the area, most of which was installed in the winter months of  2008.

“That’s 20 tractor trailers dumping every day all day through the winter, traveling from Salem to Windham,” he said. “It’s exciting to see so much work happening in such a short period of time.”

But filling in the gap had to be tempered with environmental concerns because Porcupine Brook streams through the valley. Every time it was nearly filled in, heavy rain would loosen the fill, requiring regular monitoring, fencing and hay bales to protect the brook.

The unusually wet summer also forced supervisors and workers to adhere to an already tight schedule.

“It was a big factor,” said Dan, taking a brief break at an SPS trailer site near Route 38, a short distance from the project.

Other weather-related problems meant overnight freezes left a frost layer on the newly formed embankment. So, every morning workers had to scrape it up or cover the loose, moist soil with a layer of sand the night before.

One of the more interesting procedures was the “pipe jacking” operation which required
workers to crawl into a 48-inch concrete pipe and hand dig and remove the dirt as a hydraulic piston pushed the pipe ahead.

Technology and communication also play major roles in the project. A NHDOT Web site and digital message boards keep motorists updated on the ebb and flow of the project.

The so-called Smart Work Zone setup consists of four constantly updated message boards that provide travel information to motorists approaching the project. Sensors embedded in the road calculate the volume and traffic rate to provide an estimated travel time through the work zone. There are two message boards north and two south of the project to inform drivers of any delay.

The Web site (www.rebuildingi93.com) allows commuters to read the message boards and view the area from a real-time camera focused on I-93 northbound.

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Written by Anita Perkins, Eyeland Creations

Project at a glance:

NH DOT, I-93 Salem
SPS: Exit 1 Interchange project
Project Manager: Bill Schurman
Project Superintendent: Henry Mulvey
Cost: $22.4 million
Started: September 2007
Exit 1 Northbound Ramp opened: May 29, 2008
Phase 2 Project Milestone: Nov. 14, 2008
Completion: October 2009
SPS employees: 35 on average each day with a high of more than 40 per day during the summer.
Subcontractors: 20
Concrete: 2,050 cubic yards
Sound wall: 184 cast-in-place foundations; 184 precast posts and 183 precast leveling panels. Approximately 4,500 boards make up the 2,450-foot long wall.
Fill: 115,000 cubic yards
NH DOT Web site:www.rebuildingi93.com

The SPS Companies
Since 1984, SPS New England, Inc. has been helping to shape New England’s landscape. Wherever you drive throughout Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, there's a good chance you will travel down a road or over a bridge built by SPS New England.

Whether providing environmentally sensitive site development, heavy highway construction and bridge repair, residential development, or commercial leasing, the SPS Companies are driven in their commitment to quality workmanship, employee training, dependability, and delivering projects that are on time and on budget.

Please contact us for more information.