Challenge
The del Lago Resort & Casino development project is anticipated to generate an average of 9,000 daily visitors, roughly doubling the amount of traffic using Interchange 41 on the NYS Thruway. The NYS Governor required the casino to be opened and fully operational within two years of issuing the casino license. The proposed project required significant roadway improvements to be established, designed, bid, permitted and constructed in an expedited fashion to meet the overall casino project schedule.
Solution
This project consisted of design and construction administration for off-site roadway improvements leading to the new del Lago Casino and Resort in the rural town of Tyre, along the NYS I-90 Thruway Corridor. The capacity analysis included trip generation, regional trip distribution, highway safety study and analysis of the NYS Thruway Exit 41 toll plaza. Conceptual roadway improvement layouts were developed, along with an opinion of probable cost amounting to $8.1M in off-site roadway improvements. MJ was responsible for expediting approval by NYSDOT, NYSTA, Seneca County and the Town of Tyre, in order to meet casino license application deadlines.
Roadway improvements included widening the existing Route 414 bridge over the Thruway to 4-lanes, widening Route 414 from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway for a 0.6 mile stretch, and widening Routes 5 & 20 from a two-lane highway to a three-lane highway over a 0.3 mile stretch. The existing NYS I-90 Thruway Interchange 41 toll plaza had to be widened from 4 toll booth lanes to 5 lanes along with the corresponding approach roadways.
Significant improvements were required at four existing intersections, including additional turn-lane pockets, new traffic signals and roadway alignment modifications. A new signalized intersection, with a channelized right-turn lane, was also designed for the new casino entrance drive.
MJ worked efficiently and diligently both internally and with the review agencies to meet the extremely rigid timeframe to complete the work prior to the casino opening while also remaining within the project budget. The project was successfully completed with no transportation issues since the casino opened in February 2017.