No stranger to the intricacies of design/build projects, Martin K. Eby Construction Company, Inc., was awarded Contract 2 of the I-4 widening job on June 27, 2002 - with construction beginning during the first week of January, 2003. Founded in Wichita, Kan. in 1937, Martin K. Eby Construction Company, Inc., has since built itself into one of the nation’s most respected and capable contractors. Known for its project diversity, Eby Construction has completed projects in nearly every construction market including major buildings, manufacturing/industrial, water and wastewater, power and, of course, transportation. Still headquartered in Wichita, the company has additional divisions located in Maitland, Fla., Bedford, Tex., and Austin, Tex. Employing more than 700 people nationwide, the company’s 2003 revenues exceeded $171 million, making it 238th out of the Top 400 Contractors in the nation according to sales volume.

Given its experience and capabilities, there’s no question that Eby Construction has the knowhow and horsepower to tackle large projects in a relatively short period of time. But Contract 2 of the I-4 widening job presents quite a challenge. Covering 16 miles of the 29.5-mile project, Contract 2 is the largest contract of the three, involving a span of I-4 from the edge of Lakeland to just east of CR 557. Eby Construction is not only responsibly for widening the road, but also for widening two bridges, reconstructing the Socrum Loop/CR 582 interchange and replacing both the Mount Olive Road and CR 557A bridges.

According to Dale Willis, a superintendent for Eby Construction and an I-4 project manager, this job requires a very focused approach to be completed on time. “This is a huge, $80-million job,” said Willis. “To complete the 16-miles in two years, we’re dealing with a very tight schedule. Therefore, we’ve split up our Southeast division crews to include the most experienced roadbuilders on this job. We’re basically putting our best resources out there based on the importance of the project - and that includes about 138 pieces of equipment and 150 people.” Outside of the bridge and interchange construction, the road-segment widening portion of the project can be broken down into a few major steps. First, excavation must be done to existing portions of the roadway to prepare for the additional lanes. Next, a soil stabilizer is brought in to mix and prepare the base in order to achieve the proper load-bearing ratio to support the eventual finished road surface. This material is then compacted, covered with a layer of lime rock and paved with asphalt. But it was with the second step of this process - soil stabilization - where Eby Construction encountered some setbacks.

According to FDOT specifications, the stabilized base for the I-4 road widening must achieve a load-bearing ratio (LBR) of 40, which is quite common for most jobs in the state of Florida. Sometimes the materials that are already present in the soil are enough to support this requirement, whereas other times a clay or lime rock must be added depending on the situation. Either way, a soil stabilizer is brought in to mix these materials to a certain depth to achieve the proper LBR. Given Eby Construction’s vast experience with previous Florida roadbuilding projects, this requirement was nothing new. They had long been renting a soil stabilizer to handle such a task. But it was the tight schedule involved with this project that brought some equipment deficiencies to light.