The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) I-4 Ultimate Project in Orlando, Florida was recently awarded the Project Achievement Award from the American Concrete Pipe Association. The award was announced by ACPA Vice President of Engineering Josh Beakley ruring the American Association of State Highway and Transportation (AASHTO) Committee on Bridges and Structures meeting in Kansas City, Missouri on May 23, 2023. Will Potter, P.E., FDOT State Structures Design Engineer, was presented with the award. Rodd Litchfield was also in attendance as a representative of Rinker Materials, which supplied the reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) used throughout the I-4 Ultimate Project. Rodd Litchfield was instrumental in Rinker Materials' award to supply the RCP to the SGL Group (Skanska, Granite, Lane) during the project's initiation in 2014.
Construction of the I-4 Ultimate Project began in 2015, and all lanes were opened to the public on February 26, 2022. Nearly all of the concrete and steel removed from the original roadway and bridges was recycled, and recycled materials were used during the new construction. Fifteen major interchanges were completely reconstruction, including multiple diverging diamond interchanges. Four bridges were replaced, 13 bridges were widened, and 53 new bridges were constructed along the corridor. Rinker Materials supplied products throughout the corridor, including RCP and precast concrete box culverts consisting of Class III RCP up to 96-inch diameter, Class IV RCP up to 60-inch diameter, and also Class V RCP. Now completed, the I-4 Ultimate Project has enhanced safety and mobility.