A Change in Direction
The original planning concept presented to Century had recommended two lanes of widening along the north side of Cedar Lane. After a field visit and preliminary grading studies, Century prepared and presented alignment options and environmental impact analyses showing that all widening should instead be done to the south side. This option eliminated the need for total property takes of private residences, avoided excessive impacts to the north side’s stable stream channel, and allowed for innovative erosion improvements to the south side stream channel that was experiencing bank failure.
Coordination and Phasing
Complex projects require careful coordination of design and construction plans. Maintenance of traffic (MOT) required all existing travel lanes to be maintained during construction, so the phasing of construction and necessary utility relocations became critical. Century ensured maintenance of stream flow was coordinated with the phasing of MOT, erosion and sediment control, culvert construction, and utility relocation phasing to allow construction to proceed as efficiently as possible.
Advance Utility Breakout Contract (AUBC)
An AUBC was developed after evaluation of the proposed utility relocation timeline. The AUBC included utility relocation for sewer, electric, gas and telephone facilities that allowed the next contractor to start culvert construction without delay. Upon conclusion of the AUBC construction, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) identified additional waterline vaults that required replacement on either side of MD 355 at the Cedar Lane intersection. Century led the coordination efforts with subconsultant, utility, construction, and management staff to expedite the design process that made this possible.
Project Facts
Owner
Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA)
Location
Montgomery County, MD
