I-15 Express Lanes Project Design-Build

Completed in Spring 2021, the completion of the I-15 Express Lanes Project Design-Build (ELP DB) by the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), working in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), improves mobility, enhances safety, and provides more travel options for motorists. The I-15 ELP DB included the addition of two express lanes to I-15 in both directions from State Route 60 (SR-60) to Cajalco Road for a distance of approximately 15 miles and included widening of 11 bridges and adding six new sound walls.

The project was built within the existing median and offers multiple entrance and exit points to the express lanes. Delivered through an innovative design-build (DB) process, the project was designed by AZTEC Engineering Group, Inc. (AZTEC) as the lead engineering firm and constructed by Skanska-Ames, a Joint Venture (SAJV). Some of the major project developments included designing a concrete batch plant conveyor system to move material to the median without disrupting traffic, utilizing a dual gantry crane system, designing all tolling system aspects, a unique retrofitted pavement sub-drainage system, and implementing a custom maintenance of traffic plan.

Working collaboratively through accelerated schedules, environmental sensitivities, and hazardous conditions, such as building during live traffic, AZTEC and the DB team successfully delivered this $275M project, Southern California’s first intersection of two major express lane corridors.

Additional Information

Design Build Institute of America – National Award of Excellence
California Transportation Foundation – Project of the Year Finalist
ACEC California Engineering Excellence – Grand Award