ICC MAKES ENORMOUS PROGRESS
One Year of Construction; Three Segments Underway
A little over one year ago, the Intercounty Connector (ICC) began transforming blueprints into pavement. Today, along the length of the corridor, it is apparent that a major highway is under construction. The 18.8-mile toll road, which will link I-270/I-370 in Montgomery County to I-95 and US 1 in Prince Georges County, has 17.9 miles of highway underway, with ongoing design and construction, representing $1.5 billion in work.
The State Highway Administration (SHA) has purchased, or is in the process of buying, approximately 96 percent of the needed 400 right-of-way parcels. Project-wide, crews have placed approximately 307,000 cubic yards of embankment and poured more than 310,000 cubic yards of concrete. Eleven bridges along the route are in various stages of construction. In 2008, the ICC employed more than 1,400 people and construction workers logged more than 739,000 labor hours.
In addition, the first ICC environmental mitigation project, a newly created wetland along Bonifant Road, has been completed and several stormwater management improvement projects are in progress marking the start of the ICCs environmental program.
Contract A, the first segment, is a seven-mile stretch between I-370 and Georgia Avenue (MD 97) and is more than 32 percent complete. Contract C, the second segment underway, is more than 22 percent complete and runs from just west of US 29 to I-95.
In the fall of 2008, Contract B, the seven miles of highway beginning east of Georgia Avenue to west of US 29, was issued a Limited Notice to Proceed (LNTP). While the contract amount is $560 million, which was approximately 22 percent higher than the finance plan estimate, or three percent of the entire budget, the ICC project will continue to manage the project within budget.
The bid price reflects the trend seen over the past year of increased steel, concrete, asphalt and other related costs across the industry, stated State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen.
This cost increase will be managed within the projects finance plan through savings in right-of-way acquisition and the deferral of collector distributor roads (Contract D) along I-95.
The mainline of the ICC can open without the collector distributor roads being constructed along I-95 in Contract D. They are not needed at this time for acceptable operations of the ICC, Pedersen explained.
Tough economic times forced the deferral of many transportation projects in Maryland and the ICC was no exception. In October, the Board of Public Works deferred until 2011 the transfer of $20 million from the general fund to the Transportation Trust Fund for the Intercounty Connector. This is a deferral of cash flow for the ICC project and will not affect the schedule or delivery of the ICC.
In all, enormous progress has been made and the ICC is on schedule to open Contract A in fall 2010 and the remaining segments by late 2011, said Project Director Melinda Peters.
FOR MORE INIFORMATION ON THE ICC CALL
TOLL FREE 1-866-462-0020 OR VISIT THE WEBITE AT WWW.ICCPROJECT.COM
ICC, Intercounty Connector, Montgomery County transportation, Prince Georges County Transportation, HOT lanes, express toll lanes, Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Transportation Authority, Purple Line, Interstate 270, Baltimore Washington Parkway, Interstate 95, Gaithersburg, Laurel, Olney, Norbeck, Burtonsville, Muncaster Mill
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