Roadway Project Requires Extensive Work Below Ground
(1st / 2nd Quarters 2008)

For road improvements above ground to last, complex utility work below the surface needs to be performed just as expertly.

Ranger Central is making sure it’s business as usual for commercial properties along a busy corridor in western Ft. Pierce, Fla., as the division reconstructs a section of 25th Street (Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard).

The project team is working closely with the city and the FDOT to relocate utilities without interruption to businesses and homeowners. Much of the work is underground, so extra attention is being paid to maintaining sufficient access points for adjacent properties, providing adequate signage, and keeping owners informed of construction schedules.

Set for completion in 2009, the $6 million FDOT project involves widening and resurfacing about 1.3 miles of roadway from Orange Avenue to Avenue Q.

The project is one of many Ranger Central has underway to improve driving conditions for South Florida motorists.

In Palm Beach County, the division has started a two-year, $14.9 million project to construct a four-lane divided bridge that will extend Hypoluxo Road over the Florida Turnpike (SR-91). The project, administered by Palm Beach County Roadway Produc­tion, will include roadway widening, milling and resurfacing, concrete curb and sidewalk, and mechanically stabilized earth wall construction. The bridge will serve a high volume of traffic once it unites both sides of Hypoluxo Road.

On the Turnpike in Martin County, the division is widening the shoulder on the Thomas B. Manuel Bridge over the St. Lucie Waterway. Crews will remove the center median wall, install a double-face guardrail and construct an 8-foot shoulder to provide a safer “break down” lane off to the side of traffic flow.

In May, Ranger Central began a two-year project to widen 4.5 miles of Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach to ease congestion from Royal Palm Beach High School to the Turnpike. The $29.8 million contract with Palm Beach County Road Production adds a traffic lane in each direction to boost capacity to eight lanes. It also includes a pedestrian bridge, concrete curbs and sidewalks, and improved drainage.

Other recently awarded projects include a $900,000 “push­button” job for FDOT’s District 4. The year-long contract enables the state to get miscellaneous drainage repairs and small improvements made at various locations throughout the district.

The new work closely follows the on-time completion of a large, two-phased project in Martin County. In March, Ranger Central completed a $20 million FDOT project to mill and resurface Florida’s Turnpike in Martin County. A portion of the project used PaveSmart, a relatively new, proprietary system that automates the milling and paving process. The first phase of the project was completed early, enabling Turnpike drivers to enjoy smoother driving ahead of schedule.

From working with multiple stakeholders to safely relocating utilities to testing innovative paving systems for the FDOT, Ranger crews strive for excellence in quality and safety.

Ranger Construction bridges the gap between the engineer’s vision for improved roadways and the final results experienced by the motoring public — high-quality roads that allow the safe and efficient movement of people and goods.