The prestigious 2020 Heavy Civil $35 – $100 Million Constructor Award was presented to Teichert Construction for their work on the Colfax I-80 Truck Climbing Lane – 03-1 F4 004 Project. Over the past two decades, Interstate 80 through Colfax, California has become a dangerous road. The steep lanes climbing through the mountains serve as a main source of truck commerce and are heavily traveled by the general public.
Caltrans contracted with Teichert Construction on a project to improve the capacity and safety of the roadway. The project added a 3-mile-long “truck-climbing” lane, widened the east and westbound shoulders and reconstructed a portion of Cape Horn Road, an underpass running beneath I-80 in Colfax.
Teichert overcame an array of challenges. During the second of three initial stages of construction, crews drilling into the slope walls unknowingly exposed an old embankment which was holding back an old slope failure. A large piece of slope broke off in the middle of the night, releasing over 60,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt that slid onto I-80. Teichert devised a quick solution to build a new 4,400-square-foot retaining wall – effectively adding a “project within a project.”
The team navigated additional hurdles ranging from a major bridge repair issue to unusually stormy weather conditions, drainage issues, and the need to work at high elevations along steep grades while maintaining traffic safety.
Through perseverance, communication, and teamwork with Caltrans, Teichert completed one of the most difficult projects it had ever undertaken, on schedule and under budget.
