Challenging State Route 60 Job Wins High Hazard Award A


stretch of winding highway through an arid mountain pass in an area of River- side County known as the “badlands”


was the location for a highly challenging, $96 million road widening project under- taken by Skanska USA Civil West. The project team overcame unique


challenges to safely complete the 4.5- mile State Route 60 Truck Lanes project, earning it the AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award for Safety on a High Hazard job. The challenges were substantial. They


included: workers using rope access and climbing techniques to access the steep slopes, alongside a specialized spider excavator; operators challenged with accessing shoring systems deep inside a ravine; and mitigating the risk of rattle- snakes daily, to name just a few. As part of the contract, Skanska con-


structed truck climbing and descending lanes, widened shoulders to standards widths and established two large wildlife crossings among other things. The area surrounding the project is an


unforgiving landscape, with little to no ex- ternal access to the route. The route itself consists of two lanes in each direction, with no inside or outside shoulders. The pass is carved through steep slopes and deep valleys. In several areas, the slopes extend 200 feet vertically, directly from the roadway, while on the opposite side, there is a 100-foot-deep ravine. With no shoulders and no easily


accessible alternate routes, State Route 60 through the Badlands has one of the highest fatality pictures in the state. When serious accidents occur, access for emer- gency responders is extremely difficult, creating major traffic issues. An overar-


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CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022


ching goal of the project was to improve safety and access for public motorists. Skanska matched the project’s many


challenges with an intense focus on safety. The team consistently innovated and planned every detail to protect their workers and the traveling public. Their approach to safety encompassed four main categories: planning, protection, communication, and controlling change.


Planning With the project broken into six stages, planning often required in-depth review of constructing temporary pavement sections, traffic switches, access to the site for work- ers, haul trucks, and pavement operations. Just one example of this planning


success: during a review of a haul route in which trucks would need to be loaded on the west bound side and then travel about six miles through the job to turn around


and dump on the east bound side, the project superintendent suggested installing conveyor belts in the existing culverts that passed under the road. This allowed for dirt to be loaded directly onto the conveyor and then loaded out on the opposite side. The solution eliminated almost 40,000


truck trips on the public roadway, greatly reducing public and worker exposure.


Protection Traffic accidents continue to be the #1 cause of worker deaths in California and are a grave danger to construction work- ers on highways. The team committed early on to provid-


ing 100% positive protection to workers. The only time work would be performed within the traffic lanes would be under the few full closure windows that were allowed. All other work would happen behind positive barriers such as K-rail.


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