Overview
Horner & Shifrin is the prime consultant leading a team on the design of the new diamond interchange for I-270 at Riverview Drive. The Riverview Drive interchange is being reconstructed to accommodate the proposed New Chain of Rocks Bridge over the Mississippi River. Horner & Shifrin is also the lead teaming partner designing this new Major River crossing structure for IDOT. The proposed New Chain of Rocks Bridge will be capable of handling 6 lanes of traffic in addition to ramps on the bridge. The Riverview Drive interchange is also being constructed to handle 6 lanes in the ultimate configuration while safely handling 4 lanes at opening.
Our design team provided survey, plats & legal descriptions, developed alternatives analysis, ramps design, corridor modeling, geotechnical engineering, utility investigation & coordination, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District coordination, Environmental Assessment re-evaluation, public involvement utilizing context solutions principles, traffic modeling, safety analysis, Access Justification Report, and the coordination of a complex maintenance of traffic plan spanning two states. The project also includes the design of a future multi-use path and coordination with Great Rivers Greenway. Final design included grading plans, MSE and soldier pile retaining walls, storm sewers, traffic signals, signing, lighting, ITS, and pavement markings.
One of the biggest challenges of this project is the complex maintenance of traffic and close coordination with the project schedule of the river bridge replacement. The interchange will need to be functional over long periods of staged construction configurations. This way it may match the longer construction of the river bridge. All four lanes of traffic are expected to be shifted on the new structure while demolition of the existing bridge and construction of the new twin bridge to the north can be completed. The Riverview Drive bridges and traffic phases must also move in concert. Maintaining access to Riverview Driver during most of the construction is a challenge. Complicating this further, two lanes of traffic in each direction are required to remain open during construction activities. This is due the regional importance of I-270 to both the commuter traffic and freight network in the St. Louis Metro Region.
