Awards
Merit Award, American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois, 2020
Public Works Project of the Year Award, Transportation Category (Less than $5 million), American Public Works Association, 2019
A county highway in northern Peoria, Northmoor Road was failing to meet current design standards, with lacking sidewalks and a rural two-lane cross section with insufficient drainage.
Hanson provided Phase I and Phase II engineering services for the staged reconstruction of 1.9 miles of Northmoor Road. The complex project transformed the rural roadway into an urban corridor with one travel lane in each direction, a bidirectional turn lane, curb and gutter, sidewalks, a multiuse path, storm sewers, roadway lighting, retaining walls and intersection improvements.
Hanson’s services included project development, environmental and traffic studies, topographic survey, roadway and drainage design, traffic signals, lighting, pavement markings, maintenance of traffic, right-of-way services, utility coordination and public involvement. Traffic modeling helped the project team evaluate roadway and intersection alternatives, including the three-lane configuration, school access, pedestrian crossings and signal coordination.
Pedestrian access and school traffic were important considerations along the roadway, which serves multiple schools and a school district bus garage. Improvements included raised pedestrian crossings with flashing signals and a new signalized intersection providing access to school facilities, the bus garage and Exposition Gardens.
At Allen Road, improvements included new traffic signals, changes to channelizing islands and curb-line reconstruction. Hanson also designed pedestrian and intersection lighting throughout the project area. For the last mile of the corridor, the Hanson team used Geopak OpenRoads 3D modeling to develop the roadway design.
Project challenges
Drainage was one of the most significant engineering challenges during the project. Most of the existing ditches held water, and the road frequently flooded due to culverts being buried or plugged. Hanson conducted drainage studies and incorporated storm sewers, inline detention and new inlets to better manage runoff. Green infrastructure, including permeable hot-mix asphalt pavement for the multiuse path and grassy swales, reduced stormwater runoff and peak flows.
Hanson also evaluated Big Hollow Creek, conducting hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and assessing scour and bank stability. The team designed structural repairs to an existing box culvert and streambank protection and prepared associated permitting.
Utilities presented another unique challenge on the project, with numerous overhead and underground facilities within the project area. Hanson worked with utility companies to verify locations and adjusted portions of the design to reduce conflicts where possible.
Coordination with multiple entities
The project required extensive coordination because of the large number of adjacent properties, community destinations and utilities along the road. Hanson worked with property owners regarding a retaining wall and coordinated with Peoria Public Schools, Exposition Gardens, Proctor Hospital, Donovan Golf Course and the Peoria Park District.
Plans also evolved when the Surface Transportation Board authorized the removal of the Kellar Branch rail line during construction. Hanson partnered with the city of Peoria and the Illinois Department of Transportation to redesign the Northmoor Road and Knoxville Avenue intersection for the new Kellar Branch Trail crossing and shorten the pedestrian crossing.
