Canadian contractor Stantec is to lead design work for a 16km upgrade and widening of State Road 91 in the US state of Florida.
Work will turn the section of road through Lake County into price-managed lanes for improved travel reliability, according to the company which will be working for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, part of the Florida Department of Transportation. Turnpike Enterprise operates a 740km-system of limited access toll highways
Stantec’s design for the project, with a construction cost of $212 million, will increase the number of travel lanes from four to eight and will facilitate future express lane and electronic tolling operations within the 16km project area, from the Minneola interchange north to US 27 highway
Stantec noted that priced managed lanes are gaining in popularity in the US. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, 11 states operate priced managed lanes across 1,100 of centre-lane kilometres.
Work will include milling and resurfacing, implementation of all-electronic tolling capabilities, design of future dynamically priced express lanes, emergency shoulder utilisation, surveying, lighting, and environmental services. A team from Stantec’s Orlando, Florida, office will lead the work. Project design is anticipated for completion January 2022.
“Over the last five years, we have seen a steady increase in the implementation of priced managed lanes across the country with demonstrated success in maintaining speed conditions and managing greater traffic volumes,” said Steven Abendschein, senior principal and leader of Stantec’s traffic and revenue practice in New York.
“There continues to be a tremendous opportunity for this tool in additional markets, particularly dense urban areas and growing mid-tier cities, to not only address roadway congestion, but also supplement infrastructure financing.”
The 16km project is part of Turnpike Enterprise’s phased plan to widen 60km of the turnpike within Lake and Orange Counties to address traveller safety, mobility, travel time reliability and future demand for capacity in response to anticipated population growth.
Across the US, Stantec has played a key role in major managed lane projects, including leading the Illinois I-55 managed lane study and the traffic and revenue study for SR 91 Express Lanes in California’s Orange and Riverside Counties.
Stantec has its headquarters in Edmonton in the western Canadian province of Alberta. The company trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN.
