The Garden Grove Freeway, State Route 22 (SR-22), is a 12-mile east–west transportation corridor in Orange County, California, that provides connections to all major north–south freeways, including I-605, I-405, I-5, SR-57, and SR-55, as well as crossing most of the major north–south arterial corridors in Orange County, making it a vital link to residents, businesses, and visitors. No major improvements have been made to the corridor since it was built in the early 1960s when Orange County’s population was 700,000 and it was designed to handle a maximum of 115,000 cars per day. Orange County now has nearly 3,000,000 residents, and SR-22 carries more than 200,000 cars daily; its volume is expected to reach 250,000 by 2020. SR-22 is the last remaining freeway in Orange County that does not have high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. The SR-22 project’s conclusion will mark the completion of the region’s comprehensive HOV transportation network.

Project Location Map

On September 22, 2004, Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), in partnership with California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Federal Highway Administration, began design and construction of the $550 million project to increase SR-22’s capacity. This project is the first design-build contract on an operating freeway in the state of California. It is funded primarily through Measure M, a half-cent sales tax for Orange County transportation improvement projects that was passed by Orange County voters in 1990. Other sources include various federal, state, and local city funds. Although OCTA is the funding agency, Caltrans will be the ultimate owner and operator.

Parsons was selected by OCTA to provide program, design, and construction management services for the project through a qualification-based selection process. Parsons’ services include preliminary engineering, surveying, geotechnical investigations, environmental documentation, noise studies, risk management, cost and schedule controls, contractor prequalification, preparation of the request for proposals, proposal evaluation, and “best-value” recommendation for the design-build contract. Parsons developed the best-value criteria, which allowed the bidding contractors flexibility in their approach to traffic staging and overall schedule. The best-value selected bid saved more than $150 million and brought the project in over a year sooner than the competing bids.

Bridge Replacement and Interchange Construction

SR-22 is currently the largest highway contract under construction in the state of California. The project’s main feature is widening the existing six-lane facility by adding 12 miles of HOV lanes in each direction between SR-55 and Valley View Street. In addition, 6 miles of general-purpose lanes are being constructed in each direction between I-5 and Beach Boulevard. Other features include interchange improvements at the intersections of SR-22, SR-57, and I-5—known locally as the “Orange Crush”— and construction of braided ramps separating the southbound SR-57 connector and The City Drive ramps on westbound SR-22. It also includes widening and reconfiguring existing ramps, constructing 11 new bridges, widening 22 existing bridges, seismic retrofitting of existing bridges, sound walls, retaining walls, architectural treatment and landscaping, drainage improvements, and a state-of-the-art Traffic Management System—linked to Caltrans and California Highway Patrol Traffic Management Center—that monitors conditions on 400+ miles of Southern California freeways.

Project Highlights: Click on vehicles

Team 22 with Governor Schwarzenegger

Parsons, OCTA, Caltrans, the design-build contractor, and their designers call themselves Team 22, and they are collocated in a project office to facilitate open communications and to expedite design reviews. Parsons has successfully implemented the collocated, single-team, partnering approach on many previous fast-track design-build projects. This unified team approach facilitates early issue resolution to minimize potential cost and schedule impacts and promotes a “can-do” team spirit among all partners. This approach was put to the test shortly after the notice to proceed was received: the project’s seismic design requirements changed, which impacted the original critical path schedule and caused nearly a 100-day delay. The team worked together to revise the maintenance of traffic plans, adjusting the critical path so that the project’s substantial completion date did not change.

Existing Connector Ramp Demolition

One of the most significant challenges was keeping all lanes of SR-22 open to traffic during the day; thus, major work elements had to be performed at night. The nighttime operations disturbed the adjacent communities, requiring a careful balance between regional transportation needs and those of the local communities. However, the project had tremendous community support because of its fast pace and proactive community outreach approach. The project outreach team found that the community was very patient with the nighttime work because people could see remarkable progress every day. In addition, during the project development phase, Parsons led community meetings to gain support for the landscape and architectural themes that allow each community to better identify with the improvements in their neighborhood.

Commuters in Orange County are already benefiting from the early completion of newly configured connectors between I-5 and SR-57 with SR-22, which have eliminated congestion at traffic merges. By Thanksgiving 2006, all freeway improvements will be operational, and on November 30, 2006, after an aggressive 800-day schedule, SR-22 will be substantially completed on time and on budget.

Orange Crush Connector Ramp Opening

The on-time and on-schedule success of the design-build approach to SR-22 has attracted national attention and is being considered as the delivery method for future quick turnaround freeway system projects in California. Parsons is proud to assist OCTA and Caltrans in delivering this critical project to improve safety and mobility for the residents and businesses of Orange County.

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