I-90 Project Near Alexandria Wins Highway Paving Award

PIERRE – The I-90 project from Alexandria to the McCook County line recently received honors as the best construction paving project in the state. South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) Secretary Dennis Landguth announced the award winners Wednesday, January 5 at the SDDOT/AGC (Associated General Contractors) Partnership for Quality Highway banquet in Pierre.

The project included repaving 8 miles concrete on the interstate, improving bridge railing, guardrails, and redoing the bridge deck overlay and approach.

The contractor used existing asphalt shoulders and removed the existing westbound concrete. The road behind the removal area was immediately shaped and compacted to preserve the existing base material. During construction, traffic was moved to the other set of lanes for head-to-head traffic.

Crews began paving on July 14^th, 2004 and were finished in 20 days. The contractor took particular care to ensure a smooth ride to the finished pavement. 

During construction, the contractor, SDDOT, and law enforcement from the state, county and city levels worked together to plan for traffic and potential accidents as motorcycle traffic increased during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Irving F. Jenson Co., Inc, was the prime contractor on the project. They worked with the SDDOT’s Mitchell Area Office and ten subcontractors: Bowes Construction, Brandt Land Surveying, Buskerud Construction, Commercial Asphalt, Construction Signing Corp., Diamond Surface, Highway Improvement, Penhall Co., Runge Enterprises and Sioux Falls Construction.

Each year the SDDOT and AGC award top construction projects around the state at the annual partnering meeting. A committee made up of members from both organizations and the Federal Highway Administration evaluate the nominations and select the top winners. 

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