KS Engineers, P.C. (KSE) provided comprehensive engineering design, construction quality management, and construction inspection services for this major Design-Build highway rehabilitation project for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT). KSE’s multidisciplinary responsibilities included geotechnical engineering, bridge rehabilitation design, pavement and highway design, Maintenance and Protection of Traffic (MPT), traffic engineering, drainage design, noise wall and knee wall design, sign structure design, highway illumination, Incident Management System (IMS) upgrades, and environmental permitting. During construction, KSE led the Quality Management Program by providing a Construction Quality Administrator, Construction Quality Control Manager, and a team of certified inspectors responsible for quality assurance, construction inspection, materials verification, environmental compliance, progress documentation, subcontractor payment verification, and project closeout support. KSE also developed the project-specific Quality Management Plan (QMP) and detailed Quality Control Plans (QCPs) governing every critical construction activity.
The project encompassed approximately 4,000 feet of Interstate 95 through the City of Stamford between Bridge No. 00023 over West Avenue and Bridge No. 00027 over Washington Boulevard. As one of Connecticut’s busiest transportation corridors, the project was designed to improve safety, increase roadway capacity, enhance operational reliability, and extend the service life of critical highway and bridge infrastructure while maintaining traffic throughout construction.
Major improvements included rehabilitation of approximately 4,000 linear feet of the I-95 mainline and four entrance and exit ramps, construction of auxiliary lanes in both directions between Exits 6 and 7, pavement rehabilitation, replacement of overhead and roadside sign structures, installation of new concrete barrier walls, upgrades to deficient median barriers and concrete caps, improvements to highway illumination and the Incident Management System, and comprehensive drainage system upgrades to address long-standing deficiencies.
A centerpiece of the project was the rehabilitation of four bridges, including Bridge Nos. 00023, 00024, 00025, and 00026. The work included structural repairs, bridge load rating analyses, replacement of bridge bearings with elastomeric bearing pads, reconstruction of backwalls, wingwall parapets, expansion joints, keeper blocks, and pedestals, concrete deck and pier cap repairs, and jacking of the Bridge No. 00024 superstructure to achieve the required minimum vertical clearance beneath the structure. Associated improvements included reconstruction of Wilson Street, full-depth pavement replacement, roadway profile modifications, and drainage reconstruction.
Throughout construction, KSE performed environmental and stormwater inspections, geotechnical observations, paving inspections, reinforced concrete inspections, reinforcing steel inspections, and quality oversight of newly constructed noise barrier walls. The firm’s proactive quality management approach ensured compliance with CTDOT requirements while maintaining construction quality, schedule, and safety on one of Connecticut’s most heavily traveled interstate highways.
The project’s exceptional engineering, innovative Design-Build delivery, and successful modernization of this critical transportation corridor were recognized with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers ACE Award.
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