Oak Hill Road Reconstruction Phase I

Evansville, Indiana

This project involved a total rebuild of 1.3 miles from a mainly 2-lane road to a mainly 2-lane road with 4-foot bike paths on each side, as well as 6-foot sidewalks with curb and gutter. Oak Hill Road was lowered to address drainage issues, which meant over 3,600 feet of 30-inch water main also needed to be lowered. There was a large amount of additional water main and service line tie-ins to make this grade lowering possible. This project also included installation of new storm sewers that spanned the length of the job. These storm sewers were often tied into existing deep trunk lines that made construction and maintenance of traffic very complex.

The Pigeon Creek Bridge was also modified to provide additional width for bike paths and sidewalks. This work entailed removing existing barrier walls, curb islands, and portions of the structure’s deck to facilitate more deck area for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Additional project elements included subgrade treatment type IV installed under all mainline pavement; five lifts of QC/QA HMA pavement; concrete driveways, sidewalks, and curb ramps; guardrail; a new entrance for an adjacent middle school; pavement markings; signage; and landscaping. Coordination between utilities was paramount to this contract. Efforts were also made to coordinate the relocation activities for all utilities. There was a gas main relocated the full length of the project, as well as service line relocations. The overhead electric transmission and distribution poles and lines were relocated through a large majority of the job. Finally, four communication utilities relocated their lines through a large majority of the contract. All of these relocations were coordinated around the waterline work being constructed by this project. An especially complex aspect of this project included keeping Oak Hill Road accessible to businesses and homeowners as the utility relocations, waterline, and storm sewer work progressed. More than 25 businesses, a church, a middle school, a fire station, and an urgent care center needed to have access through Oak Hill Road at all times. To assist in the coordination efforts, a business owners meeting was held to discuss the details of the project with the affected businesses. In addition to this meeting, multiple letters were distributed door to door to provide project information and warn of upcoming road work. A website was developed for this project to inform the public about completed work and upcoming work. Oak Hill Road was an LPA project performed for the city of Evansville predominantly with ARRA funding built in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Transportation Vincennes District. Approximate construction cost was $7 million (Contract R-31849).