Gurr Road Intersection Reconstruction

 

Location

Gurr Road at State Route 140 Merced County

City or County Responsible for Project

Merced County

Category

Roads: Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects.

Description

This intersection improvement project at Gurr Rd and SR 140 enhanced safety and traffic flow for motorists. The project replaced a bridge over the McSwain Lateral with a more efficient 72-inch pipe culvert, effectively managing water flow in the area. By widening the intersection, the project accommodated the frequent use of school buses for McSwain Union Elementary School and fire engines from Merced County Franklin/Beachwood/McSwain Fire Station 61 providing a safer and smoother driving experience for residents and visitors in the community.

The project was well-organized, efficient, and adhered to established best practices in construction management. Including factors like project planning, resource allocation, and project monitoring to ensure the project stayed as close to schedule as possible and within budget. Meeting the project timeline was crucial for minimizing disruptions to both the school and the fire station. Despite numerous obstacles such as historic and catastrophic rain fall and avoiding multiple unmarked communication lines. The team was able to acknowledge and effectively deal with these unexpected challenges that were beyond the control of the project team.

The project team implemented safety protocols, training, and safety measures, demonstrating a commitment to safety, both for workers and the public, during and after construction is essential. The team made efforts to minimize public inconvenience during construction. Building positive relations with the community through open and on-going communication enhanced the project’s public perception.

Recognizing the importance of environmental protection and addressing specific environmental concerns due to the historic and catastrophic rainfall and flooding that occurred during the project. This involved incorporating components to benefit the community in the long term.

The team demonstrated exceptional efforts to maintain quality throughout the project ensuring that the finished construction met or exceeded established standards and specifications. By using value engineering to achieve cost and time efficiencies.
These criteria were essential for the overall success and quality of the project, ensuring that it not only met the immediate objectives but also contributed positively to the community, the environment, and the long-term well-being of the infrastructure. The project was completed underbudget allowing pavement resurfacing to extend beyond the original conform location to the project limits adding an efficient road maintenance aspect to the work.