### FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES

#### Recent Success Stories in Kentucky

**Author: M Chad LaRue, P.E.**

FULL FREEWAY CLOSURES

Recent Success Stories In Kentucky

# [Background]{.underline}

In the summer of 2000 and the fall of 2001 the Kentucky Transportation
Cabinet (KYTC) successfully completed major rehabilitation projects on
Interstate 65 (I-65) and Interstate 64\
(I-64) with the use of full freeway closures. These two projects were
the Cabinet's first use of complete freeway closures. These closures
were used on two of the busiest interstates in Kentucky and were done in
Louisville, the most densely populated city in Kentucky.

KYTC performed its first full closure in August and September 2000, on
I-65. The project was to replace 44 bridge expansion joints, re-seal
eight others, and address many smaller maintenance issues along the
downtown portion of I-65. The expansion joints on these bridges had not
been replaced in over 20 years and were becoming a potential danger to
the traveling public.

I-65 has an average of 133,000 vehicles per day with approximately 50%
of the traffic being comprised of commercial vehicles. Businesses and
entities crucial to the infrastructure of the City of Louisville border
the corridor. Several of Louisville's major hospitals, airport,
University of Louisville, Kentucky State Fairgrounds and Convention
Center, and Six Flags line this section of I-65.

The second full closure took place in August and September 2001, on
I-64. The focus of this project was to rehabilitate the pavement along
the 3.64 mile route, rehabilitate the Cochran Hill tunnels, and to
update guardrail and bridge rails to meet current Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) Standards. Video cameras, vehicle sensors, and ITS
message signs were also placed within the construction zone. This
segment of I-64 had not received any major rehabilitation since its
construction in the mid to late 1960's.

I-64 has an average of 100,000 vehicles per day with approximately 11%
of the traffic being comprised of commercial vehicles. The project
corridor passes through both Cherokee Park and Seneca Park as well as
numerous residential areas. Special consideration had to be given to the
possible impact the traffic control (construction) alternatives would
have on the human and natural environment.

## Description of Methods

There are three methods that were vital to the success of the projects
on I-65 and I-64. Those three methods are open and honest partnering, a
solid maintenance of traffic plan, and an excellent public relations
campaign. The effectiveness of our maintenance of traffic plans was
magnified by open communication in the partnering process and the
phenomenal informative impact our public relations campaign had on the
traveling public.

On both projects, KYTC made formal partnering a requirement of the
contract. We felt that to accomplish these projects in the short time
frames given, successful partnering was critical. The partnering allowed
for concerns and issues to be addressed before the beginning of the
projects and forged bonds that made dealing with issues during
construction much more simple. A real sense of trust was gained between
the contractors and KYTC.

Our maintenance of traffic plans for both I-64 and I-65 were exhaustive.
Numerous informational and directional signs were used before and all
through the detour routes. Variable message signs were placed well in
advance of the detours all along the interstate routes, some as far as
100 miles in advance, informing travelers of the upcoming detours.
Louisville's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) was also used to
inform travelers of the upcoming detours. The variable message signs and
the ITS were also used the week prior to the closure to remind travelers
the dates and times the interstates would be closed. Police officers
were stationed at each entrance and exit ramp throughout the duration of
the closures. Tow Trucks were placed in locations throughout the detour
routes to ensure the routes would be opened as quickly as possible in
the event a vehicle were to crash or experience mechanical problems.

For all the efforts we made to insure that the traveling public was
informed about our detours, the greatest traffic control asset was our
public relations campaign. Not only was the full closure of I-65 and
I-64 a first for KYTC, there were also formal public relations campaigns
associated with both projects. Never before had KYTC actually placed
funding in a project to be used solely for public relations. The money
was used to produce radio commercials, place ads in the local newspaper,
operate a 24 hour hotline, send personnel to local events to disseminate
information about the projects, produce door hanging packages (ear
plugs, sunglasses, etc.) for all of the houses adjacent to the projects,
and print information about the closures and detours that was sent to
every trucking company that held a license in the State of Kentucky.
KYTC personnel involved in the project also appeared on local radio
shows and local news broadcasts to help inform travelers about the
projects.

### Identification of Need/ Reason for Use

When the I-65 project was initially proposed, KYTC looked at doing the
project using traditional part-width construction. Using a continuous
part-width maintenance of traffic plan the project was estimated to take
approximately 90 days. The KYTC District 5 (Louisville) personnel were
strongly opposed to having traffic control set up on the interstate
continuously for 90 days. From experiences with emergency maintenance
projects and crashes in this corridor, District 5 personnel new that
with half the capacity taken away for construction, I-65 would virtually
shut down from 6am to 6pm during the week. KYTC felt these types of
delays would not be in the best interest of the traveling public.
District 5 personnel proposed that the work be done on the weekends
only. While all agreed that the project could be done that way and with
less impact to the traveling public, everyone realized that stretching
the project out that long was also be unacceptable to KYTC and the
public.

The District 5 Chief District Engineer then asked, "If money and
workforce were not an issue, how quickly could the work be completed?"
The response was it could be done in two weekends, one weekend for each
direction. After some discussion, all KYTC personnel agreed that this
was the best alternative for both the traveling public and KYTC. From
this, the initiative to implement a full freeway closure was born. KYTC
believed that it was better to have a major impact on the traveling
public for a very short time than to have a moderate impact over an
extended period of time. From this belief, KYTC developed a philosophy
of, "Get In, GetOut, and Stay Out." GET IN and complete as much quality
work as possible in a timeframe that will have a minimal impact on the
traveling public, GET OUT in the time promised, and finish the work in a
quality manner in order to STAY OUT. We shared our idea of a full
closure with local officials and public leaders to get their input and
received their full support in pursuing the project in this manner.

KYTC faced similar traffic volumes and congestion on I-64 when we began
looking at how best to accommodate traffic during the I-64
rehabilitation. Because of the success of the full freeway closure on
I-65 and its positive reception by the public and media, a full freeway
closure was also chosen to be implemented on the I-64 rehabilitation
project.

### Benefits of Use

Several benefits were realized through the successful use of the full
freeway closures. Using the full closures in comparison to past
experiences using traditional traffic control methods minimized the
impact to the traveling public. We found that even though the full
closures have a much greater impact on the traveling public, if a good
detour is available and information is given to the public in advance,
the public is very accepting of this traffic control method. The public
supported our belief that travelers would prefer a full closure of a
major roadway as opposed to traditional traffic control methods in
exchange for the promise of no further construction on that roadway in
the near future; which follows our philosophy of, "Get In, Get Out, and
Stay Out."

KYTC also feels that diverting traffic through a detour, one that can
adequately handle the volume of traffic, is a much safer driving
environment than driving through a construction zone. Drivers do not get
distracted by looking at the work being done to the road. Drivers are
also less likely to become agitated (road rage) driving through a detour
than driving through a construction zone where, in the case of these
projects, traffic would have been queued for several miles during the
course of each day. As a result of using the detours, there were no
traffic accidents and no congestion during either project.

By removing traffic from the construction zone, a much safer working
environment was also created for the contractors. We felt that the
benefits of a safer working environment were more productivity and a
higher quality end product. Productivity was improved because the
contractor was able to do the rehabilitations across the full width of
the road rather than part of the road at time. The quality of work was
increased because construction joints were eliminated and because the
contractors had complete access to the construction zones. This gave the
contractors more room to operate their equipment and store their
materials. During both projects, there was only one work zone injury.

A major reason for us choosing to use full freeway closures was to
rehabilitate the roadways in what we felt was the smallest time
possible. However, much to our delight, the contractor completed both
projects well ahead of schedule. Not only were they completed ahead of
schedule, but also extra work was accomplished to further enhance the
condition of the roadways, thus staying with our philosophy of "Get In,
Get Out, and Stay Out." The I-65 project was finished seven hours ahead
of schedule. The project was limited to 114 hours; the contractor
completed the project in 107 hours. The I-64 project was completed seven
weekends ahead of schedule. The project was limited to 15 weekends; the
contractor completed the project in eight weekends. For this, the
contractor received incentive money. The early completions far surpassed
our greatest expectations of the amount of work that could be
accomplished in a small amount of time.

A great benefit from completing these projects in this manner has been
the sense of respect that the Louisville citizens and media gained for
the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. They understood that our efforts
were truly being done to best address their needs. A new level of
respect was given to the Kentucky Transportation employees.

### Applicability of Use in Other Locations

We feel that full roadway closures are a viable option in many different
types of locations, although they are best suited for urbanized areas. A
full closure can be an attractive option when there are two factors
present. There must be a detour route that is capable of adequately
handling the added traffic volume and the detour route cannot be so long
or complicated that it offsets the convenience of using a detour.

### Lessons Learned

KYTC has learned that a full freeway closure is not only an option when
determining maintenance of traffic option, but can be the preferred
option when the right factors exist. In urban areas such as Louisville,
we feel that when any major rehabilitation projects are planned on major
roadways, the option of using full roadway closures has to be seriously
considered before choosing a more traditional option.

A good public relations campaign is vital when completely closing a
major freeway. It was vital to the success of the maintenance of traffic
plan. By informing people what they would encounter when driving through
this area, drivers knew what to expect and how to easily navigate
through the detours. The public relations campaign also had the effect
that once people heard about the roadway closures and alternate detour
routes, many citizens either found alternate routes to their
destinations, avoiding the construction area, or did not travel at all.

Comments from the community showed us that the travelers much preferred
KYTC to have a major impact to the roadways for the short duration
rather than a lesser impact on the roadways for an extended period of
time. During both projects, the construction zones looked like military
operations, a choreography of workers and equipment doing the
rehabilitations. Often times on construction projects the public become
angered because they have waited in traffic to drive through a
construction zone, only to see no work taking place. This was not the
case on these projects. Anyone seeing the workzones realized there were
massive amounts of work taking place at an incredible pace. This
assisted in the citizens and the media in Louisville having a new sense
of respect for what KYTC does, and how we do it.

### Summary and Conclusions

Full freeway closures are not only a viable traffic control option, but
can be the most desirable option. A full closure must have a viable
detour, honest partnering among all parties involved, and a great public
relations campaign in order to be successful. When alternative routes
are available and time is of the utmost importance, the Cabinet believes
a full closure is the best choice.

Louisville is home to the Kentucky Derby, the greatest horse race in the
world. When training a horse to run in the Kentucky Derby, the trainer
must plan a strategy to prepare the horse for the race that will give it
the greatest opportunity for success. In using full freeway closures,
transportation leaders must also develop a strategy that will give the
project every opportunity to be successful. Extensive partnering and
communication, a good public relations campaign, and a solid maintenance
of traffic plan are vital components to a successful strategy. Even
though each project was setup to allow the contractor to close the roads
for only 57 hours (9 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. on Monday) at a time,
the other 111 hours of the week were spent stockpiling materials,
assigning personnel, and developing a "game plan" for the next 57 hour
window. After all the preparation is complete, transportation leaders
(much like the horse trainer) must insure they have prepared for any
situation, hope for a fast track, and pray for nice weather. If the
leaders have prepared well and developed a good strategy, a thankful
motoring public will be waiting at the finish line.