OCTA, I-405 Design Build Project

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), in cooperation with Caltrans, is widening Interstate 405 between State Route 73 and Interstate 605. The project will improve 16 miles of I-405 between the SR-73 freeway in Costa Mesa and I-605 near the Los Angeles County line. The project includes adding one regular lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605, and making improvements to freeway entrances, exits, and bridges. In addition, the project will add the 405 Express Lanes, incorporating the existing carpool lanes and a new lane in each direction between SR-73 and I-605.

As a member of the design engineering team, Guida Surveying Inc. (Guida) is providing horizontal and vertical controls, topographic design surveys, utility pothole and geotechnical borehole survey support, and other mapping in support of the Interstate 405 Improvement Project. Guida has been responsible for establishing and augmenting project controls to support the design engineering and construction for the project. More than 40-miles of design surveys have been performed, including 22 bridge surveys, 2 railroad bridge surveys, 7 flood control channel surveys, approximately 40 city street surveys, and the Orange County Sanitation District facility.

This is a design build project with a very accelerated schedule, dynamic changes, and high levels of coordination and adaptability as both the engineering and construction progress. To meet these challenges, Guida has engaged as many as 5 survey crews on this project, working days, nights and weekends. Close coordination was required with the engineering design manager, traffic control and other subconsultants to keep up with the fast pace, changes in scope of work, project limits, and project schedules. Guida has met the required schedules for survey and mapping deliverables, submitting over 27 weekly deliverables since the project began.

Throughout the surveys, Guida collaborated with the Caltrans District 12 surveyor’s office and all surveying services were performed and delivered to the design engineering team in accordance with the Caltrans survey manual.