C.C. Myers wins contract to rebuild I-5 downtown

Sacramento Business Journal
Friday, February 8, 2008

Builder C.C. Myers Inc. has been awarded a $27 million contract by the state Department of Transportation to repair a worn-out section of Interstate 5 that passes through downtown Sacramento.

C.C. Myers, of Rancho Cordova, was the low bidder among six contractors vying for the project. Its bid came in well below a Caltrans engineering estimate of $44.3 million.

The company, which has made a name in the industry for fast turnarounds on high-profile road projects, said in its bid that it could fix the freeway in 114 days. Caltrans officials had estimated it would take 305 days. C.C. Myers hit or beat tight deadlines in the past such as the Labor Day 2007 replacement of a deck on the Bay Bridge and reconstruction of a collapsed freeway connector in Oakland, but is perhaps best known for replacing a fallen portion of the Santa Monica Freeway in 66 days after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, two months ahead of schedule.

The contract has not been signed. That could occur before the end of the month, said Mark Dinger, chief of Caltrans District 3 public information office. Construction could begin as early as mid-April, he said.

The around-the-clock construction activity to rehabilitate the section of I-5 between L and S streets is also expected to affect traffic flow on Highway 50, Interstate 80, Highway 99 and the Capital City Freeway.

I-5 is an important north-south economic link between the Canadian and Mexican borders. The section of road in need of repair serves more than 190,000 daily commuters, according to Caltrans.

It's known as the "boat section" because it was constructed below the groundwater level and would become buoyant without the anchorage system that's underneath the road.

The drainage system that historically has kept water from seeping up to the pavement has become clogged, causing water to rise and crack the surface. At times, especially during the rainy season as water leaks through the cracks, Caltrans is forced to temporarily shut down lanes that become flooded.

The contractor would pull off the old pavement and lay down new drainage channels and a new layer of concrete.

The work zone spans three to five lanes in each direction, between Richards Boulevard on the north to Sutterville Road on the south. Caltrans would close one or two lanes in each direction, leaving three lanes open in each direction during construction.

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This will be a huge project. C.C. Myers has a great record of getting projects done ahead of schedule, so getting this stretch of levee/freeway repaired in three months or less will be impressive.