Optimization Along the Tri – State I-294 Tollway: A Value Engineering Introduction

The Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) is being reconstructed and widened from Balmoral Avenue to 95th Street to provide congestion relief, reconstruct old infrastructure to meet current and future transportation demand and address regional needs. The project is scheduled from 2018 through 2026. This 22-mile corridor serves more than 300,000 vehicles daily. The $4 billion project is scheduled from 2018 through 2026.Tollway for the overall reconstruction . Walsh Construction was awarded ISTHA Contract I-21-4835 in 2021 which involves the reconstruction of the northbound I-294 Central Tri-State tollway, primarily at the I-294/I-88/I-290 interchange. The I-290/I-88 Interchange at I-294 is one of the most important interchanges on the Tollway system. It is not only a crossroads for commuter and local traffic, but also an integral part of the regional freight network. More than 300,000 vehicles use the interchange every day, traveling between the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) as well as other local and state roadways.

As part of delivering a cost effective and time sensitive product, Walsh Construction has implemented several Value Engineering Proposals (VEP) to the owner throughout the contract. The VEP process allows the contractor to provide alternatives to the original Phase II design as long as the proposed changes can be proven to save significant costs and/or construction time. During this process, the Contractor will typically obtain the services of a design firm to evaluate the proposed alternatives whether that be to a structure, maintenance of traffic pattern, earthwork, material usage or schedule change. During this presentation Walsh Construction and their engineer, Ciorba Group, will discuss some of the interesting VEP’s that are underway and how these methods save valuable time and money to the contract. This presentation will also aim to provide information to Phase II design engineers with respect to typical construction conflicts, situations and practices that can educate designers and elevate problems in the field.

Learning Objectives

• Familiarization with the Value Engineering Process (VEP)
• Benefits of contractor-led VEs
• Considerations during Phase II design that make construction more efficient.

1 CE credit

Registration

This is a virtual event on Zoom. Attendees are required to have a free Zoom account in order to access the webinar.

Members: $25
Nonmembers: $40

About the Speaker

Greg Osborn
Project Manager - The Walsh Group

Brad Smetana
Project Manager II - The Walsh Group

Will Mardauss PE, SE
Structural Project Manager - Ciorba Group
Will Mardauss, a graduate of University of Illinois at Chicago (BS/MS), joined Ciorba Group in 2021 with over 15 years of experience. Will’s experience includes inspection, preliminary engineering, structural analysis, and design of complex highway bridges. Will has extensive experience with 3D Modeling and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) analysis including soil-structure interaction and complex foundation modeling. Will has a deep knowledge of construction methods and assists contractors on complex structural projects