Hurricane Ivan, the strongest hurricane of 2004, destroyed the Interstate Highway 10 twin bridges between Florida’s Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Sections of both bridges were completely torn out by winds that topped 155 miles per hour.
Skanksa designed and constructed two replacement bridges to stand 25 feet above water, more than twice the height of the original bridges. The project was completed in two years and eight months. Although Skanska had to work through the challenges of rescheduling the project during multiple hurricanes in 2005 – including Katrina – the project was completed on time and on budget.
Weekly progress meetings, partnering sessions and community awareness programs were vital in keeping the project on track. Skanska set up live Web cameras and posted routine construction updates so residents were aware of construction activities that could delay travel.
The $243 million contract was managed by Skanska (60 percent) in partnership with Flatiron Constructors (40 percent) for the Florida Department of Transportation.
