New San Mateo Interchange Brings Heavy Highway to the Heart of Albuquerque

The $42 million I-40/San Mateo Interchange began construction in October. In just over a year, Albuquerque residents will be able to enjoy an efficient and artistically designed structure.

By Will Higgins

A.S. Horner Inc., an Albuquerque-based general contractor since 1927, is working on the complex reconstruction of the Interstate 40/San Mateo Interchange in the heart of the city.

The heavy-highway contractor began working on the $42 million New Mexico Dept. of Transportation contract in October. The project, which is part of Gov. Bill Richardson's GRIP program, not only includes replacement of the original structure built in the early 1960s but also increases the capacity to four lanes in each direction on I-40.

The job includes merging lanes and wider shoulders, decorative sound walls, a dynamic messaging system and signalization that improves access onto the highway. Also included in the project is a new storm drainage system for the city of Albuquerque.

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The contract calls for completion of the project in 390 calendar days. Crews will use 90,000 tons of asphalt, 60,000 tons of recycled base course, 13,000 linear ft of storm drain and 18,000 linear ft of concrete wall barrier, according to Linda Heller, director of human resources at A.S. Horner.

Albuquerque-based Bohannan Huston’s new overpass design called for the northbound structure to be completed adjacent to and east of the existing structure and the removal of only one girder and the associated deck and pier ends. The new structures are two spans with a pier placed in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Flood Control Authority channel bottom between the east and westbound lanes of I-40.

The structures are 262 ft long and 144 ft wide, providing additional clearance to interstate traffic. The finished grade is 6 ft higher than the existing structure elevation.

The south spans are 135 ft long, and the north spans are 127 ft long. The girders are prestressed concrete. The piers and abutments are on drilled caisson footings, 54 in. diameter for the piers and 48 in. diameter for the abutments.

“The never-ending traffic flow is the most visible challenge on the project,” says Charles Johnson, general superintendent for A.S. Horner. That’s because the contract requires that the existing three lanes in each direction on I-40, the three existing lanes of northbound San Mateo and the two existing lanes of southbound San Mateo be maintained almost without interruption during the construction.

It also calls for maintaining traffic on the existing loops for northbound San Mateo onto westbound I-40 and eastbound I-40 exiting to northbound San Mateo.

The northbound structure started carrying all San Mateo traffic in early April. Next up is demolition of the existing structures and start of construction of the southbound San Mateo structure.

To be built in just 390 days, the new San Mateo Interchange will use 90,000 tons of asphalt, 60,000 tons of recycled base course and 13,000 linear ft of storm drain. (Photo courtesy Eagle Eye Photo)

Another hurdle was building over the AMAFCA channel which can carry high volumes of water, even flash floods, during the summer rainy season. The Horner team drilled the caissons for the northbound structure piers in November in preparation for the diversion of San Mateo traffic in April. At the same time, the caissons for the southbound structure piers were drilled 40-ft deep using a low-profile drill under the existing overpass.

The northbound structure piers were built to grade, and the southbound piers were built to 15 ft above channel bottom elevations. This action avoided any problems with pier construction during spring runoff and early season rains, Johnson says.

The city of Albuquerque added the construction of a new storm drainage system, which includes moving approximately 400 ft of 36-in. waterline and 1,600 ft of 54-in. storm drain. Much of the storm drain required a 14-ft cut using trench-boxes. “Working with an aging infrastructure always presents a challenge, but our crews have worked round-the-clock to finish the work on schedule and minimize the impact on the neighborhoods and the business community,” Johnson says.

Decorative sound walls feature panels as large as 14-ft by 20-ft, supported by visible pilasters set in augured foundations. Inset: A crane is readied to lift the panels, some weighing up to 36,000 lbs each, into place. (Photo courtesy A.S. Horner)

As with other projects in the area, decorative sound walls are part of the project. The largest panels are 14 ft high by 20 ft long and weigh 36,000 lbs each. Other aesthetic elements, designed by Albuquerque-based Sites Southwest LLC, include pyramid art structures at all four corners of the overpass with three decorative pyramids at each location. In addition, the project includes Intelligent Traffic System, a messaging system designed to inform drivers of traffic conditions.

A.S. Horner set up an onsite crusher to recycle the existing concrete for reuse on this and other projects in the area, reducing costs by minimizing the haul distance for the waste material.

“This is a large, complex project, but the quality of our people is what allows us to complete our work safely, on schedule and on budget,” Johnson says.

Key Players:

Owner: NMDOT
Engineer: Bohannan Huston
General Contractor: A.S. Horner
Artwork/Landscape: Sites Southwest LLC
Subcontractors: Anderson Drilling; Mutual Drilling; DH Underground; J-H Supply; McDade Woodcock; SanBar; Windswept Organix; Coreslab Structures; Hydro Conduit; Holly Asphalt

Useful Sources:

Visit NMDOT’s website for more information and photos on this project at http://nmgrip.com/projects.asp?project=15298

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