Wilder Projects

International Airport Road - Minnesota Drive Interchange

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Project Location: Anchorage, Alaska

Client: Alaska DOT/Public Facilities

Construction Cost: $19.1 million

Wilder’s Role: Prime

Construction Period: 5/99 – 10/99

Project Highlights

  Funded by AK DOT/PF
   Construction of two new bridges and widening of a third
  Electrical installation
  30,000 SF of MSE retaining wall
  Relocation of several thousand feet of major water line
  Over 1 million tons of imported embankment
  Preparation of work and H & S plans

In the fall of 1998, Wilder Construction Company’s Alaska Division began one of its most challenging projects ever, the construction of a major interchange in a single construction season – the International Airport Road/ Minnesota Drive Interchange project in Anchorage. This multiple phase construction project included two completely new bridges and widening of a third.

Additional work included electrical installation, 30,000 SF of Mechanically Stabilized Earth retaining wall, drainage improvements, bike paths including several span arch type tunnels, relocation of several thousand feet of major water line, asphalt concrete pavement, and over a million tons of imported embankment material.

Several saturated peat areas were excavated and backfilled in December 1998 and January, 1999 due to the bird nesting season starting April 1. The major work started in early May after the winter shutdown, and by October 3, 1999 the project was substantially complete and open to the public in its final designed configuration.

Representatives of the Alaska DOT say the project had the most intense schedule of any project they had ever done and that it was one of their five biggest volumes of work ever completed in a single construction season (May 1 through October 31).

Rigorous scheduling, planning and phasing of work were critical to the success of the project, especially considering the daily traffic volume running through the project.

The majority of work was completed in two major phases. The initial phase involved shifting the alignment of International Airport Road to the south and building as much of the new approach embankment to the new bridge as possible. The available area was limited because the traffic needed to be maintained along the detour. Extensive effort was made during the majority of the work to insure that the public was virtually unaffected by our construction activities.

The project was completed on time and under budget despite a two week delay in receiving steel piles manufactured in the lower 48 states. All interested parties were very pleased with the construction quality and timing of the project.