30 Crossing ribbon cutting a celebration six months ahead of schedule

In the parking lot of the Clinton Presidential Center, in downtown Little Rock, alongside members of the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), Kiewit-Massman Construction (KMC), and local elected officials, Garver employees celebrated the $633 million Interstate 30 Crossing project, which has officially been completed six months ahead of schedule.

Historic in its scope and projected impact, the 30 Crossing project included reconstruction of 4.7 miles of I-30 and I-40 through Little Rock and North Little Rock, from the interchange with I-630 to the interchange with I-40 and included the replacement and widening of the Arkansas River Bridge. These vital upgrades, which replaced infrastructure that was functionally and structurally deficient, improve Arkansas’s most traveled corridor, which averages 120,000 vehicles each day.

The completed project improvements will allow for more capacity to keep up with projected population growth, as well as improve safety and regional mobility. And that’s not all.

“This project has created better access to downtown Little Rock,” said Garver Director of Enterprise Solutions Jerry Holder. “That easy access is going to help the business community thrive.”

The 30 Crossing project is the largest infrastructure project ARDOT and Garver have ever completed and the first design-build project that ARDOT has done. Under a design-build contract, the designer and contractor collaborate as a team to fit the schedule and budget.

“Completing this massive project in record time, half a year faster than expected, is a testament to KMC’s excellent work and ARDOT’s implementation of the design-build process,” said Garver Director of Field Services Earl Mott. “With design-build, construction can begin while design is ongoing. It’s a proactive approach and when you do it right, like what we’ve done for 30 Crossing, the project advances quickly and the troubleshooting gets done before problems arise.”

Construction on the project began in the summer of 2020, but Holder noted that this project started long before with traffic studies, community input, and hundreds of community meetings.

“After all this time and work, to see how smoothly construction has gone and to see the project finished six months early and hear positive, excited feedback from the community - I don’t know what could be more rewarding,” Holder said. “This ribbon cutting is something special for sure.”

In addition to increased access that will bring economic benefits, construction of the new bridge has opened up a 14-acre area near the Riverfront Park, replacing concrete infrastructure for a more natural setting and a welcoming invitation to the heart of downtown.

Garver oversaw the construction of the 30 Crossing project as program manager for ARDOT, providing construction engineering and inspection services. Garver also worked on the planning and environmental linkages study; implemented project controls; supported proposal review and subsequent selection of the design-build team; conducted quality review and assurance during project implementation; and oversaw preparation of the schematic design and assessment, the procurement procedure, document development, and contract negotiation.