n Fern Valley I terchange With most state highway projects already wrapped up for the winter, the Fern Valley Interchange project is looking ahead to its next milestone, a partial opening of the Diverging Diamond interchange on Interstate 5. The project addresses traffic congestion, during morning and evening commutes. Existing and proposed development along the east side of I-5 in Phoenix had reduced the capacity and created safety issues. The Fern Valley Interchange project’s size and complexity, encompassing I-5, Oregon 99 and Fern Valley Road, requires more than two full construction seasons to complete. In addition to construction of the Diverging Diamond interchange, the project realigns North Phoenix Road between Peterbilt Motors and The Home Depot. The $72 million Fern Valley Interchange project, scheduled for completion in September 2016.
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Concrete pours The project’s prime contractor Hamilton Construction has focused on concrete work on the east side of the new I-5 bridge. The Luman Road intersection is scheduled for another weekend closure in December, so it can be finished in concrete. The connection between Oregon 99 and I-5 was closed for a weekend last September, allowing workers to raise the intersection’s elevation and pave it with asphalt. As in September, access into the Shoppes at Exit 24 is maintained from Oregon 99 during weekend closures. “Concrete pours have been the critical path for Hamilton to reach the next project milestone, which is opening the new I-5 interchange,” said ODOT Assistant Project Manager Eric Finney. “To get the intersection open by 5 a.m. Monday, the pour needs to