First Coast Expressway

The Work

Superior implemented a strong logistical schedule and plan to clear the land, build bridges, and install stormwater drainage, all while steadily moving 6.6 million yards of earth. Construction equipment travel was limited by two obstacles — US 17 and the CSX railroad — so Superior developed a plan to haul fill material around and eventually over these impediments. In the beginning, the Project Team worked ahead to build the necessary bridges to offer a pathway for construction equipment and speed up operations. In order to minimize impact on the surrounding communities and environmentally sensitive areas, Superior constructed mechanically stabilized earthen (MSE) retaining walls to contain embankment slopes and limit the footprint of the new expressway.

Our team also converted a well-traveled two-lane rural country road with a speed limit of 55 into a DDI for entering and leaving the new expressway. The unique design — one of the few DDIs in Florida — is extremely beneficial for safe traffic flow but also challenging to construct and pave. Superior built the DDI around live traffic, which required detailed traffic control plans with multiple incremental phases depending on the section of road under construction.