I-35 Unbonded Concrete Overlay

I-35 Unbonded Concrete Overlay

Location

• I-35 between Scanlon and Proctor

Schedule

• May 14 to Nov. 4, 2012 and April to Oct. 2013
  
  

Cost

• $30,107,574

A large concrete saw cuts through the bottom edge of a bridge rail. Each bridge in the project area will get new concrete railings.

Traffic impacts

Motorists traveling on I-35 between Scanlon and Boundary Avenue in Duluth are restricted to a single lane in each direction on the southbound lanes while the northbound lanes are being reconstructed.

The on- and off-ramps at County Road 61, Exit 245, are also closed while they are being reconstructed.

These traffic impacts will remain in effect until mid-July.

All of the ramps at Midway Road (County Road13), Exit 246, are open.

All businesses will remain accessible

All businesses will remain accessible during this project using marked detour routes. These businesses include: The Buffalo House, Kraemer Construction, Cretex Concrete Products, Calumet Oil Refinery Terminal, Kivi Bros Trucking and St. Germaine Cabinets.

Motorists traveling north on I-35 can use the County Road 13 exit and follow the marked detour to access County Road 61 businesses. The detour follows Midway Road south to Becks Road and Becks Road west to Stenman Road for the Buffalo House. Or County Road 13 to County Road 73 for businesses located on County Road 73.

County Road 61 is open to Becks Road and Stenman Road during construction, providing access to all businesses from County Road 61.

The railings have already been completed on northbound I-35 bridge.

Project includes

• Approximately 10 miles of new concrete surfacing and drainage repairs in both directions
• Reconstructed underpass at Hwy 61 and Guss Road
• Hwy 2 complete reconstruction from Boundary Avenue to Skyline Parkway
• Pavement resurfacing at the intersection of Mesaba Avenue/Superior Street and Michigan Avenue
• The section being worked on this year is between Esko and Proctor.

MnDOT District 1 recently completed two other major projects on I-35 using unbonded concrete overlay. Unbonded concrete overlay is roadway resurfacing process in which a new layer of concrete is poured over an existing layer of pavement with an interlayer between them to break the bond between the two layers. The interlayer allows the layers to expand and contract independently of each other. By allowing the layers to move freely the new concrete surface is less prone to cracking and pavement deterioration..

Benefits

• Replaces worn-out concrete with new concrete
• Reuses old concrete base so there is no need to haul away old material
• Long term improvement, will last more than 20 years.
• Includes new paved shoulders and guardrail
• Includes drainage improvements
• Includes bridge improvements
• Improves safety and provides a smoother ride.