Inberg-Miller Engineers created the original Dry Creek Road design for a uranium mining company, with the understanding that the County would eventually take over maintenance of the road. The County obtained State funding for the reconstruction. At the same time, another mining company presented plans to start an open pit mine over a portion of the road, necessitating a new alignment. The original mining company put its plans on hold and did not participate in the road project. The County chose to continue the project using State and AML funding. IME performed the final design work for the County.

During the final design process, using an AML program’s open-ended contract, aggregate for the subbase and crushed gravel surfacing were obtained and crushed during the reclamation of the Rattlesnake quarry. Most of the project is located on federal lands, so right-of-way had to be obtained from the BLM. As a federal agency, there were cultural and environmental restrictions associated with the construction. During design, a telephone line was identified that conflicted with the new road cross-sections. IME worked with the County and utility company to replace the old telephone line with fiber optic cable before construction began.

IME provided bidding phase services including conducting the bid opening, evaluating bids, and preparing the contract documents for execution. During the construction phase, IME provided construction staking, full-time construction observation, quality control testing on the subgrade, and construction contract administration. With wildlife restrictions for several bird species, including the ferruginous hawk, red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, and sage-grouse, IME ensured that the contractor stayed out of the nesting buffer areas until the birds had fledged. With all the challenges both during design and construction, the project has been a great success for the County and our client.