A joint venture of Flatiron Construction Corp. and Fred Smith Co., along with lead designer ICE of the Carolinas, is advancing a $449.9 million section of North Carolina’s $2.5 million Complete 540 project through design and preconstruction. The contract comes as the project nears milestones of completing Phase 1 and beginning construction on Phase 2 this year.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and NC Turnpike Authority’s Complete 540 project is expanding the Triangle Expressway, also known as State Route 540, to make it a complete loop around the Raleigh area.
This is the first of two projects planned in Phase 2 of the project and covers about 6.6 miles of six-lane divided highway plus three interchanges in Wake County. The scope of the contract also includes the construction of 19 bridges and the rehabilitation and widening of an existing Interstate 540 bridge over Interstate 87.
The Complete 540 project is being built in five segments. Map courtesy of the North Carolina Department of TransportationThe team plans to use a “superior” design for the direct connection ramp from southbound I-87 to westbound State Route 540, which contractors say will save money and time while minimizing traffic impacts during construction. They also say they optimized the design to reduce the expected earth movement by 1.3 million cubic meters.
This is the third segment of the Complete 540 project that Flatiron is working on. As the lead partner in another joint venture with Branch Civil, the Broomfield, Colo.-based contractor is also working on two of the Phase 1 sections expected to be completed in the fall.
Jim Schneiderman, senior vice president of Flatiron’s Mid-Atlantic division, said in a statement that the project “will pave the way for continued growth and greater opportunity in this fast-growing urban area by making everyday travel be safer and more efficient.”
Construction on the Phase 2 segment could also begin in the fall, with completion expected in 2028, according to Flatiron and NCDOT.
State officials awarded a $287 million contract for the other Phase 2 piece last fall to a Branch-ST Wooten joint venture.
