DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF OHIO TURNPIKE'S THIRD LANE

Ohio Turnpike, opened to traffic in October 1955, needs to be upgraded by adding a third lane in the selected segments of the highway in both directions in order to accommodate the increased demand. The State-of-art field testing technology using non-destructive methods was used to evaluate the structural integrity of the existing shoulders so that they could be used to divert traffic during the construction of the third lane, thus maintaining two-lane traffic in each direction. Latest equipment available in the market was used to collect soil samples from the existing median areas and the berm slopes so that these soils could be identified and classified for the purpose of pavement design. The most up-to-data methods were then used to design the pavements of the third lane. Field observations made during the construction of the third lane sections of the initial phase and some of the unique conditions encountered during construction and the solutions used are also discussed here. For the covering abstract of the proceedings, see IRRD 490713.