Design of U.S. 34 Biggsville Bypass, Biggsville, Illinois
PSBA provided the Phase II design engineering services for a 5.9 mile relocation of U.S. Route 34 in Henderson County from west of TR 111 to east of TR 190 and 1.8 miles of related side roads. The new alignment of U.S. Route 34 is built to 4-lane expressway standards and bypasses the Village of Biggsville to the south. The relocation includes a diamond interchange with IL Route 94/116 and dual structures over the South Fork of Henderson Creek.
The Phase II design began with the conversion of a 10-year old Phase I study from metric to English units. The result was a preliminary roadway design using current expressway design standards. The majority of the proposed right-of-way needs for the new alignment were access controlled. Additional geometric roadway designs were needed to transition the new alignment into the existing two-lane U.S. Route 34 at each end. Total Four Lane Project Length = 5.9 miles. Four Lane on new alignment = 3.1 miles. Four Lane by reconstructing Two Lanes to Four Lanes = 2.8 miles.
PSBA established the centerline of the median for the proposed improvement. We provided field survey information, prepared design plans and facilitated right-of-way appraisal and acquisitions. The land survey portion of the project consisted of locating or re-establishing the PLLS corners, creating monument records, a right-of-way plan, a Freeway Order, right-of-way plats, easement plats and preparing legal descriptions. The project consisted of 47 parcels with over 100 individual right-of-way and easement plats.
The project required a new Interchange Design Study for the IL-94/116 interchange due to the 10-year delay in proceeding to Phase II. The result was a reconfiguration of the Ramp intersections with IL-94/116 from a 65 degree skew to a 75 & 90 degree skew and related adjustments to median islands and pavement transitions and tapers. The proposed ramp alignments were reconfigured and the proposed vertical alignments were revised.
A review of the Phase I Geotechnical/Soil Report determined new soil borings were needed for new ramp alignments, proposed culverts greater than 48” diameter, existing IL-94/116 approaches to the interchange structure SN 036-0065 and the U.S. Route 34 dual S. Henderson Creek bridges (SN 036-0062,0063). Evaluation of these reports identified many areas of unsuitable and restricted use soils. The deep approach fills to SN 036-0062, 0036 required the use of a sand drainage blanket with vertical plastic wick drains to speed the consolidation time. The total project required over 800,000 cubic yards of earth excavation and 300,000 cubic yards of furnished excavation.
Construction staging and local traffic management required the project to be built in three phases and required the use of three runaround detours. Detours were required at each end of existing U.S. Route 34 for the tie-ins. A run-around detour was required for existing IL-94/116 adjacent to the existing alignment to accommodate the approach embankments and interchange structure SN 036-0065 while maintaining local traffic to the Community Unit School District #235 (West Central High School) and the I.D.O.T. Maintenance Facility.
