I-4 Ultimate Corridor Improvements

As part of our Statewide Public-Private Partnership (P3) and Engineering Support Services contract with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Central Office, RS&H is providing owner’s representative services to District 5 for the $2.3 billion widening of I-4. This project includes the complete reconstruction of I-4, construction of 138 new bridges, upgrades to 19 urban interchanges, and new ITS systems within the FDOT right-of-way. Also included are 21 miles of new tolled express lanes, two eastbound and two westbound.

The I-4 widening was initially planned as six separate design-build contracts and each section’s design consultant produced plans suitable for defining right-of-way and permitting. RS&H was tasked with combining the various contracts into one design-build-finance-operate-maintain contract. RS&H produced a value engineering study to identify and develop innovative alternatives to reduce project cost without sacrificing the overall level of service and project intent. RS&H also developed a detailed cost estimate for the combined project and cost evaluations of each alternative under review. As part of this assignment, the team completed geometric analysis of the whole corridor and updated and analyzed the traffic model. RS&H is providing FDOT a broad spectrum of services under this assignment, including value engineering, procurement, traffic modeling, evaluation of alternatives and analysis, public involvement, cost estimating, project scheduling, permitting, and general engineering support through construction.

Using Visualization
RS&H created a scale 3-D virtual model of the proposed and existing conditions, including traffic simulations at five major interchanges. Using the model, the team produced a multitude of materials, including a 15-minute movie that gives an overview of the entire I-4 project, numerous high-resolution renderings that were used to create presentation boards for public meetings, and animations of project innovations for future marketing opportunities.

The visualization developed for the I-4 Corridor Improvements is a milestone in large-scale transportation project communications. FDOT plays the video during each coordination meeting, as it “communicates in 15 minutes what would take any person two hours.” FDOT has even begun using I-4 to set a new standard of visualization materials for similar projects.

Value Engineering
We are producing a value engineering study to identify and develop innovative alternatives to reduce project cost without sacrificing the overall level of service and project intent. We are also developing a detailed cost estimate for the combined project and costs evaluations of each alternative under review. As part of this assignment, the team is undertaking a complete geometric analysis of the whole corridor and updating and analyzing the traffic model.

Concessionaires, general contractors, specialty contractors, and subconsultants interested in the project will be invited to attend an industry forum to hear how FDOT plans to repackage and advance the project. Individual meetings with concessionaire teams will be scheduled to solicit comments on the draft RFP. Following the industry forum, we will work closely with FDOT to refine the RFP and define the project for further refinement and advancement.