S&ME was contracted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to provide construction engineering and inspection as well as construction materials testing, supporting the upgrade of the oldest section of I-440.
Project Scope
Located within the Raleigh Beltline, between Walnut Street in Cary and Wade Avenue in Raleigh, the project addresses severe congestion. It is caused by a four-lane bottleneck by widening the roadway to six lanes, replacing pavement and bridges, and improving interchanges.
U-2719
The U-2719 project consists of improvements to approximately five miles of I-440, adding through lanes and rebuilding intersections to improve traffic flow along an older section of I-440 with reduced capacity compared to adjacent sections of I-440, both north and south.
U-4437
The U-4437 project consists of reconstructing the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street from an at-grade intersection to a grade-separated intersection, which also involves the rail lines that run parallel to Hillsborough Street.
Site Background
Built in the 1960s, this segment requires rehabilitation to correct substandard design features such as narrow shoulders, poor sight lines, and short merge lanes.
The Approach
The work includes lowering Blue Ridge Road and building new bridges for Hillsborough Street, multiple rail lines, and Beryl Road to reduce traffic and train conflicts. A new connector will link Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street.
Since January 2020, S&ME has provided multiple personnel in key roles, including a Lead Erosion Control technician and technicians who perform density testing on ABC stone base and asphalt using nuclear gauges. In addition to these specialized duties, S&ME technicians:
- Tested soil density and concrete
- Inspected grading operations and curb and gutter placement
- Completed daily work reports
- Collected materials received documentation
- Trained many less experienced technicians on testing and inspection processes
S&ME partnered with WSP to perform CEI inspection and contract administration.
