SPS New England Wins Prestigious Award for $96M Haverhill Bridge Replacement Design-Build

Two deteriorating 80-year-old bridges that provide a critical path for commuters on I-495 crossing the historic Merrimack River were in serious disrepair. Replacing the bridges involved several challenges, including environmental concerns for the endangered species of fish inhabiting the Merrimack River, working over 700 feet of water with quickly approaching winter conditions, along with the unexpected difficulties of completing this project during the height of COVID. All the while, the Design-Build team of SPS New England and HNTB Corporation were expected to ensure continuity of traffic while performing construction on a major highway that would ultimately deliver on time and on budget.

“SPS New England, Inc. recently completed the replacement of twin 714-foot long bridges over the Merrimack River under a Design-Build contract with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation,” says Chris Groth, Sr. Vice President of Estimating at SPS New England. “The $96 million project included temporary access trestles, driven steel H-piles, drilled shafts, concrete substructure, steel superstructure, and cast-in-place decks. The job was bid using HeavyBid, tracked using HeavyJob, monitored using HCSS Safety, and supported by operations with HCSS Dispatcher.”

Recognized for Excellence Through Adversity

Not every project is an award winner – but the work performed on this bridge not only won a Gold Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, but it also took home recognition at the CMAA New England Awards for SPS New England and their partners at HNTB and MASS DOT. The team was specifically mentioned for their collaborative efforts during the pandemic to deliver the completed Haverhill Bridge on time.

“One of the challenges when the project started – it was really October, and we had to be in the river for that November,” says MassDOT. “So there was a lot of work upfront both by SPS and HNTB and MassDOT to review a lot of design and get on the same page so we could really hit the ground running that first season.”

As construction on I-495 began, the team had to maintain three lanes of traffic in both directions, which required careful planning, real-time traffic management systems, and close coordination with MassDOT.

“Throughout the design-build project delivery process, they took ownership of their design and construction methods,” praised MassDot. “Frequently utilizing innovation to successfully mitigate project risk – in addition to providing the resources necessary to overcome challenging environmental schedule constraints, the SPS team effectively managed the project through the pandemic, and the project was completed on time and on budget.”

Saving Salmon in the Merrimack River

The aging I-495 bridges were structurally deficient, requiring frequent repairs and causing traffic disruptions. The new bridges significantly improve the safety, reliability, and traffic flow on a prominent New England interstate highway with wider lanes, full breakdown shoulders, and improved on/off ramp configurations.

The project design aimed to minimize its impact on the Merrimack River. Reducing the number of in-water piers was a significant eco-conscious design element. Home to several protected species, it was necessary to build a temporary trestle for construction access across the Merrimack River and maintain the presence of environmental experts on-site to minimize the project’s impact.

“This project was unique,” says the SPS New England Project Executive Matthew McCue. “It was a very fast-paced design-build project, requiring some key partnerships with specialized subs. This was a signature project for SPS. It was also a signature project for DOT, and you could really tell that by the way in which they rallied around and supported the project.”

Improved Budget Accuracy and Daily Project Tracking with HCSS Software

SPS New England successfully navigated these challenges to deliver a much-needed infrastructure upgrade. Their expertise in bridge building has been a partnership with HCSS since 2002, when tighter profit margins required the company to shift from a revenue-based company that relied on accounting for relaying costs after-the-fact, to a company that could instantly measure daily costs using HeavyJob in 2005. Operating with a budget created directly from the estimate created in HeavyBid, SPS New England’s foremen can use their iPads in the field to track the time their crew spends on a specific phase of work against the budget set by the estimators.

With the seamless integration of HeavyBid to HeavyJob, the budgeted production rate from HeavyBid, along with logged man-hours, quantity tracking, and material tracking can inform the field if they are ahead or behind.

According to SPS – a resource and cost-loaded critical path method (CPM) schedule was used for this project. Implementing a CPM schedule in conjunction with the project controls of HeavyJob, HCSS provided the project management team with up-to-date job cost information, projected spending, and cost projections. This led to an overall best-practice management of the project’s budget. Change orders accounted for $4,043,729.81 (4.24 percent) of the project value; 90 percent of this amount was attributed to an owner-directed safety improvement for designing and constructing a slip ramp on the I-495 mainline.

Combining the team’s commitment to the job, with its absolute commitment to safety, and coordination with MassDOT to maintain continuity and safety, the team was able to win multiple awards and improve infrastructure that can now support economic growth, facilitate efficient transportation, and make the area more attractive for businesses and residents. This project will save the ecology beneath it and significantly reduce accidents, congestion, and delays for the hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.

Congratulations to the entire design-build team for their dedication, use of innovative technology, and commitment to safety, which won these accolades.