2012 No. 27

[F E AT U R E ]

From Texas to Chicago, Kansas City and St. Louis, Burns & McDonnell is managing some of the largest roadway construction projects in the country.

“At Burns & McDonnell we pride ourselves on the fact that we can truly offer services throughout the entire life cycle of a project,” says Ben Biller, vice president of Transportation. “We carry our clients through from design and construction phases all the way to ribbon cutting.”

The Burns & McDonnell transportation construction management team oversees all construction activity, including making sure the project unfolds according to its contract and mitigating problems that emerge. “Sometimes the problems take an hour to solve sometimes they take a couple days,” says Mike Folta, vice president in the Burns & McDonnell Chicago office.

The team manages the ebb and flow of staff on site, increasing or decreasing staff based on the client’s budget. Burns & McDonnell also provides technical resources while managing construction.

In 2011, Burns & McDonnell divided its overarching Infrastructure Group into Transportation and Water groups to more sharply focus on both areas. Transportation deals only with surface transportation infrastructure and includes the staff of Harrington & Cortelyou (H&C), a Burns & McDonnell company with a 100-year legacy in bridge, highway and roadway design.

“We are a full-service transportation firm,” Biller says, “Construction management is a critical piece of that puzzle.”

In Chicago — the third largest metropolitan area in the country — the firm is managing the $800 million reconstruction of the Dan Ryan Expressway. The near 12-mile roadway is designated both Interstate 90 and Interstate 294 and runs near downtown through the south side of the city.

It was designed in the 1960s to carry high volumes of traffic, but not the 300,000 commuters who now travel it daily — lending to Chicago’s reputation for being the most congested city in America behind Los Angeles and New York.

“Our job is to make sure a project is on time and stays within a budget,” Folta says.

Burns & McDonnell successfully managed renovations to Chicago’s famous Grand Station to include an expanded mezzanine

Crews are reconstructing 2.5 miles of Illinois Route 47 through Huntley, Ill. The $25 million project, managed by Burns & McDonnell, is expected to open in June 2012.

Burns & McDonnell managed the $71.5 million renovation of Chicago’s Grand Station from platform to street level.

Crews seal a portion of Route 47 that was expanded from two to four lanes to improve congestion northwest of Chicago.

Transportation Construction Management

For two decades, Burns & McDonnell has provided transportation construction management services and is expanding to work in highly congested urban areas with significant roadway construction.

B U R N S & M c D O N N E L L 8

[F E AT U R E ]

level. The firm is also managing the Illinois Tollway’s reconstruction of the Tri-Level Bridge where three major interstates merge near Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

The Tri-Level Bridge has twin flyover ramps connecting I-90 and I-294. Designed in 1958, the bridge has undergone minor rehabilitations over the years but is no longer suited to support the congestion from nearly 36,000 drivers a day. The $13.1 million project entails demolishing the existing bridge decks and reconstructing all approach pavement, drainage and roadway lighting. In addition to managing the reconstruction, Burns & McDonnell has worked with multiple agencies to handle a complex interstate detour required during construction.

The Chisholm Trail parkway toll road project is another major Burns & McDonnell undertaking. Once complete, it will provide a north-south alternate route for Interstate 35 West stretching from Fort Worth’s central business district to Cleburne. The 28-mile highway, expected to open in 2014, is projected to spawn major economic growth along the route once traveled by famous Texas cowboys.

For more information, contact Ben Biller, 816-822-3479.

Transportation Construction Management

Renovations to the Grand Station include new granite floors, tiled arch semi-circular ceilings and the expansion of the mezzanine level for improved commuter circulation.

Crews continue work on the Central Avenue bridge over I-55 just outside of Chicago. Once complete, the current bridge intersection will become a single-point urban interchange by the redecking and widening of the bridge and entrance/exit ramps.