Watsonville, California-based Granite Construction has won an approximately $46 million contract from the California DOT to build the Indianola Interchange on U.S. Highway 101 in Humboldt County, California.
The work will enhance the safety and mobility of motorists by eliminating a T-intersection along the primary route between Arcata and Eureka, the company said in a release. The interchange is being funded by the Federal Highway Administration.
The project will include a column-stabilized embankment with over 5,000 columns averaging 65 feet deep, a 42,000 cubic-yard load transfer platform treated with cement and 24,000 cubic yards of lightweight foam fill to support the new roadway.
“This project includes several unique construction features to address challenging subsurface conditions and completion will result in safer passage along this stretch of highway,” said Brent Fogg, Granite vice president of regional operations.
The contract illustrates Granite’s pivot away from $500-million-plus megaprojects as it pursues jobs that have less design and execution risk. The company changed its approach after a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation in its heavy civil unit led it to restate some of its financials from 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The interchange buildout also aligns with the firm’s “home market strategy,” which emphasizes taking on projects in areas where Granite already has a strong presence, such as California, and can take advantage of economies of scale.
The project is set to begin this spring and is slated for completion in 2025.
