Hurricane Alley, otherwise known as Florida, faces unique dangers. When Hurricane Andrew almost blew the state off the map in ’92, and Floyd’s destructive path swerved dangerously close in ’99, several million residents and visitors tried to flee from coastal cities. Massive traffic jams were created along major east-west highways. Had the storms landed on stranded motorists, results would have been deadly. On March 18, 2002, Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon and other officials gathered on a highway west of Melbourne for a ribbon cutting/groundbreaking ceremony praising construction on the first of dozens of projects that will widen three key central Florida evacuation paths: U.S. 192 west of Melbourne extending to Osceola County, State Road 60 west of Vero Beach, and State Road 70. “Hurricane Floyd could have been a potential disaster for our state,” said Bush. “Thankfully, the storm stayed off the coast. This construction is long over-due.” Inclusive construction costs for State Road 60 are $112 million for the first 23-mi. (37 km). State Road 70 construction costs are estimated at $76 million for the first 17 mi. (27 km). All projects are scheduled for completion in five to six years, and are not yet open for bid. The first phase of a major improvement is planned for U.S. 192/SR-500 in Central Florida. Approximately 35 mi. (56 km) of U.S. 192 stretching from Melbourne to St. Cloud, at an estimated cost of $122 million including design and rights-of-way, will be reconstructed from a two-lane road to a four-lane divided highway. The state will pay $66.2 million, and the federal government will put up the rest. Most of the state’s share will come from a $6- billion project approved two years go to implement widening of evacuation routes. According to Weldon, “Helping to secure funding for the widening of U.S. 192 was one of my highest priorities. For too long this important evacuation route was not getting the attention it deserved. Beginning this construction is a victory for East Coast and Central Florida residents. The importance and reality of this project is absolutely gigantic.” Ranger Construction Industries Inc., a major road building, site work, asphalt and excavation company, with headquarters in Palm Beach County, is the prime contractor on this first project. Ranger’s $24.3-million contract includes milling and resurfacing the existing lanes and adding a new lane in each direction on approximately 9.7 mi. (16 km) of roadway in Brevard County, extending west from I-95 to the Osceola County line. The contract allows 660 calendar days for completion (early 2004), with 60 to 70 weather days. The design is by Keith & Schnars. Overseeing the job, which is being run out of Ranger’s Grant office is its Project Manager Anthony Johnson. “Ranger is clearing land using a Caterpillar 966 loader, a D-5 dozer and some Caterpillar 320 L backhoes. Assuming no permitting delays, full-scale excavation will begin around May 22 using a Caterpillar 330 excavator for subsoil excavation [demucking], a Caterpillar 320 excavator for drainage and pipe work, and a Caterpillar 990 excavator working at an off-site borrow pit, the first of three that will be utilized on the job. Material will be hauled using either off-road articulated haul trucks or on-road triaxle dump trucks, depending on haul road condition,” Johnson noted. “The plan is to start near the center of the job and work toward the ends, building the new lanes first. Once that is done [at about the 485-day mark, according to the schedule], traffic will be switched over and the existing lanes will be milled [to a depth of 2 in.] and resurfaced, using RoadTec milling and paving machines.” he said. For grading work, the company will use a Caterpillar 14G grader and Ingersoll-Rand vibratory rollers. For paving work, which will be done to Superpave specifications, Ranger will use Hi-Pac vibratory rollers. “Bridge subcontractor LeWare, a company with which we’ve established a great partnership in completing DOT projects, is on board with us,” Johnson noted. Carl Thiemann, communications director of Ranger Construction, added that this road work was definitely needed to alleviate heavy traffic flows to and from rural areas where many drivers live. “Currently there are no main roads in this part of the state for that purpose. This construction en total, will provide a much higher degree of safer daily travel — a concern of the 300,000 who live in the east portion and those who live in the west, one of the fastest growing areas in the state,” he said.This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.
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