Project Information
Name:
I-95 Jupiter Interchange
Jupiter, FL
Product: AB Aztec
Size:16,000 ft2 (1,486 m2)
Wall Builder:
PaverScape Inc
Wall Designer:
Rob Cotleur -
Cotleur & Hearing
Allan Block Manufacturer:
McMaster Concrete Products
Medley, FL
Bold New Look for I-95 Jupiter Interchange
The I-95 Jupiter Interchange is a major gateway to the town of Jupiter, FL and the rest of Palm Beach County. As part of the Florida DOT’s Bold Vision design approach to attract visitors and businesses to the area, they have invested a portion of the landscaping budget to fund roadside beautification projects, such as the I-95 Jupiter Interchange.
Plan:
The plan was to remove and revamp the landscaping to showcase the many native and exotic palms and flowering trees that are famous to South Florida. As this is an active road, it was highly important to allow the road to stay in use and to ensure safe access to the construction site and materials.
This site consisted of steep slopes below the interstate requiring multiple retaining walls in a terraced/tiered design on each side to create useable land for the planned landscaping. Allan Block’s local representative reached out to Rob Cotleur, with Cotleur & Hearing, on behalf of PaverScape Inc. to create a design for the retaining walls using Allan Block’s new product AB Aztec Classic of the AB Aztec Collection.
“The unique look of the AB Aztec really helped win the project, otherwise we would not have been the installers.” Said Ernie Cox of PaverScape after learning the design/build team of PaverScape and Cotleur were awarded the project. The smooth molded face look and style in a beautiful grey blended color gives the project a clean upscale look they were looking for.
Design:
Florida DOT’s Bold Vision initiative looks for “consistent, predictable and repeatable approaches that produce the highest visual impact and distinctive sense of place at the lowest design, construction and maintenance cost,” which modular retaining walls can provide, especially with the AB Aztec collection.
Rob’s design consisted of 2 and 3 segmental retaining wall (SRW’s) structures on either side of the Interstate totaling over 16,000 ft2 (1486 m2) of retaining walls.
Allan Block retaining walls have a consistent design and install process that makes it fast to install, cost effective and adaptable for each site. The terraces were designed based on the Best Practices approach of grid lengths reaching 60% of the total structure height with the upper walls applied as surcharges to account for the additional weight of soil. With the new update to AB Walls 3D+Terraces the design is even easier using the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM), which takes the original Best Practices into account automatically. Rob has already used this same approach and design for another upcoming DOT project with AB Aztec.
Build:
Due to the busy site and steep slope, staging the material required logistical planning to ensure everyone’s safety and easy access to materials. PaverScape Inc, as Allan Block Master Wall Builders, handled these obstacles and more with veritable ease completing the install within 20 business days.
