To replace an interchange and toll plaza on a busy stretch of highway requires extraordinary collaboration. The Exit 45 Interchange Project, a complex multi-year project in a high-traffic-volume area of the Maine Turnpike, was completed by CPM Constructors and their subcontractor team. The work involved removing an existing underpass bridge and existing toll plaza, while also building a new underpass bridge, two new toll plazas, two new exit plazas, and constructing a whole new interchange configuration. Additionally, the project was at the epicenter of the busiest shopping area in southern Maine, with the Maine Mall on the east side of the interchange, and the Target shopping plaza on the west side of the Maine Turnpike. With an average of 50,000 cars per day using the interchange, the project involved constant logistical challenges to manage the work and coordinate the movement of the crews, equipment, and materials.
The project was successful because of the team effort of multiple partners working together in concert, with CPM Constructors conducting all operations. CPM Constructors began in March of 2021 with pile driving and concrete foundation work for the four new toll locations. The existing interchange was realigned to allow for construction activities. During 2022, the old interchange bridge and toll plaza were demolished and removed, and the new bridge was completed. An important element for the new bridge was to raise its height by three feet to avoid the numerous collisions that had plagued the previous bridge for years. In 2023 the interchange was fully operational, with all final median barrier, bridge slope protection and plantings completed. The new interchange allows for safer passage on and off the Turnpike as well as for expansion possibilities in the future.
COMMUNITY
CPM Constructors made efforts to limit the impact of this major highway and bridge construction project on the surrounding community. Operations were conducted without impeding regular traffic on the Maine Turnpike or intersecting Route 703 (the Maine Turnpike approach road), and without limiting access to the adjacent Maine Mall and Target shopping areas. There were no significant closures of the Turnpike beyond some temporary nighttime closures for beam removal of the old bridge and beam placement on the new bridge.
In an effort to support Maine’s construction community, CPM Constructors also used this complex construction project as a learning opportunity for a number of trade school programs and internships. Hosting several tours, CPM Constructors exposed students to multiple construction disciplines and a variety of construction management issues, allowing them to observe a sophisticated project environment.
INNOVATION & CHALLENGES
CPM Constructors needed to be creative both in scheduling and labor allocation to address the complex needs and constraints of the project. In order to construct multiple toll facilities at the same time, CPM Constructors ran four separate crews simultaneously. Thinking strategically, all the concrete work was completed during the first year of construction. This allowed subcontractors to come in during the second year of the project to complete the new toll facilities while the crews at CPM Constructors focused on the bridge construction. CPM Constructors also designed a material delivery and storage approach that saved time and ensured early delivery of the bridge beams during a period of tight supply. This approach minimized the number of nighttime shutdowns required to set all the beams for the new bridge and enabled CPM Constructors to move the project forward ahead of schedule.
The large work site area, located in both South Portland and Scarborough, presented some challenges for the CPM Constructors crew to overcome. The work site was spread out over 36 acres, one of the largest single highway/bridge projects on the Maine Turnpike. Work was done in multiple locations simultaneously, often separated by heavy highway traffic. This required the safe coordination and movement of crews, materials, and equipment between four different interchanges. Access roads were constructed to allow movement along the east and west sides of the project without interrupting Turnpike traffic. CPM Constructors also realigned an on ramp to free up space for bulk material storage. During the required nighttime closures, CPM Constructors worked closely with the Maine Turnpike Authority and Maine State Police to prevent traffic or safety incidents. The site was also in close proximity to the Portland International Jetport, which required coordination with the airport control tower for all crane operations.
Another challenge of the project was the concurrent work being done on the Maine Turnpike by subcontractor Shaw Brothers. They had a separate contract for the Portland Area Widening project, which ran through the center of the Exit 45 job site and necessitated extensive coordination to ensure the smooth progress of both contracts.
SAFETY
CPM Constructors worked over 50,000 hours with no loss time injuries. The team of subcontractors also worked over 50,000 hours, taking the project up to over 100,000 hours with no loss time injuries. Also, there were no major accidents or traffic interruptions during construction on a busy stretch of the Maine Turnpike.
See the project video here – https://youtu.be/kpQTIw3VuaY
Project Title: Exit 45 Interchange
Owner: Maine Turnpike Authority
Construction Manager: CPM Constructors
- Andy Kittredge, CPM President
- Taylor Light-Surek, Project Manager/Estimator
- Jake Adams, Project Manager
- Dylan Simpson, Superintendent
Engineer: HNTB
Key Subcontractors:
- Shaw Brothers Construction
- Great Falls Construction
- HB Fleming
- Enterprise Electric