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Contractor under fire for problem-plagued Timpanogos Highway

brandonlmb

brandonlmb

brandonlmb
Location
Farmington
Flatiron was so far over their head on this project. They were the lowest bidder and left a huge chunk of cash on the table for this project. Why wouldn't the State want a contractor such as Ames, Staker,Granite, even Harper that has a track record on these types of jobs. It's to bad a lot of the listed companies had to help work with Flatiron on this and not done the job them selves.
 
Coco

Coco

Well-Known Member
Location
Lehi, UT
They didnt prep the roadway well either for the conditions. Your spending that kind of money on a project, why didnt you do more to protect from the elements? The wind blows so hard down here, the road gets completely covered in slow even on the nicest of days. And the tunnels have iced over in the commuter lane, and have already caused accidents.
 
ricsrx

ricsrx

Well-Known Member
having worked for and was a project manager for a company that got in way over thier heads, granted the projects i handled were not this size, it is a very painfull time when your oun personal credibility is put on the line when your up against problems that you have no control, it does suck for all the employees.
hearing that other companies were called in to help out was a smart move but it still looks like they didnt ask for help soon enough.
 
DevinB

DevinB

I like traffic lights
Location
Down Or'm
We were talking about this the other day in the UVU Construction Management department. The general feeling is that Flatiron has pretty much pushed itself out of ever doing anymore work here in Utah. They've royally pissed off about the only source of this size of project here. You know UDOT will never use them again. After this fustercluck, who else would?
 
mombobuggy

mombobuggy

Well-Known Member
Location
Highland
Did Harper start the project and then quit or get fired? I think Flat Iron kind of inherited the mess when they pulled out or they may have been there all along as well I am not sure anymore. I sure am tired of the whole mess. Does that westbound commuter lane make any good sense. You go under the highway, drive along the south side of it just so you can cross under the same highway again in a few miles, I am certainly not a road construction engineer, just seems to me they made it as complicated as possible for the sake of milking it for all it was worth which would be bad enough if the end justified the means. Instead we are left with a weird road with icy spots in the curves when shaded. Pretty sorry deal in my opinion.
 
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RNandKT

RNandKT

If the Chick Digs it ....
Location
Lehi, UT
I agree that Flatiron was in way over their heads, but really shame on UDOT for taking their bid when they really new they were not up to the task.

That being sad I live down here and use that road every day to work and the design of it is great. I live by the thanksgiving gardens and work over in highland, and I love the commuter lanes. I just jump on and avoid the lights and pretty much never run into traffic. I think it took forever to build and seems complicated, but having driven it for over a year now, I wish all minor highways were like this (bangerter, redwood, 89, etc) you would be surprised how much less frustrating, and how much faster it is when you can bypass the lights.

I have lived here for 7 years now and before this road was constantly crowded and completely over burdened with traffic (lots of accidents etc). Now it is so much better. Just saying, blame stupid contractors (how can they even stay in business after 4 million in fines and counting), stupid UDOT for using them (although maybe not so stupid since they were cheapest and they are making money back in the fines and still stupid contractors who have to fix the mistakes), but cool road design.
 
Coco

Coco

Well-Known Member
Location
Lehi, UT
The commuter lanes are awesome, I do love those about the new road. But there have already been accidents from the bridges, because the sun doesn't hit the road and it gets icy. The commuter lanes unlike the main road, don't seem to get any build up of snow from the wind. Mostly because they are down lower that the main road, and the main road gets all the snow. I think it was/is a cool design, just think that if your going to do a project that big, prepare for the elements that has always plagued this area, the wind. Add snow to that mix, and you got lots of snow on the roadways. I would guess there was a foot of snow in some spot on that road just last weekend.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
mombobuggy said:
Does that westbound commuter lane make any good sense. You go under the highway, drive along the south side of it just so you can cross under the same highway again in a few miles, I am certainly not a road construction engineer, just seems to me they made it as complicated as possible for the sake of milking it for all it was worth which would be bad enough if the end justified the means. Instead we are left with a weird road with icy spots in the curves when shaded. Pretty sorry deal in my opinion.
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I 100% agree. I usually arrive at the cabelas light before the people in the.commuter lane. I think its a complete joke and they just milked it for all they could. For how much money it cost, its not worth the small benefit in my opinion.

And Westbound, any time you may have saved goes out the window when you have to go 25 MPH for that right.hand turn, only to have traffic back up when you try to merge back in.

I think they should have just made it another lane wider.
 
SnwMnkys

SnwMnkys

Registered User
Location
Orem, Utah
DevinB said:
We were talking about this the other day in the UVU Construction Management department. The general feeling is that Flatiron has pretty much pushed itself out of ever doing anymore work here in Utah. They've royally pissed off about the only source of this size of project here. You know UDOT will never use them again. After this fustercluck, who else would?
Click to expand...

Would you hurry up and graduate already?

Do any of you who are saying Flatiron was in over their heads or dont have the track record actually know anything about Flatiron? Did anyone notice that Harper equipment was nowhere to be seen halfway through the project?
 
Spork

Spork

Tin Foil Hat Equipped
Location
Saratoga Springs, UT
sixstringsteve said:
I 100% agree. I usually arrive at the cabelas light before the people in the.commuter lane. I think its a complete joke and they just milked it for all they could. For how much money it cost, its not worth the small benefit in my opinion.

And Westbound, any time you may have saved goes out the window when you have to go 25 MPH for that right.hand turn, only to have traffic back up when you try to merge back in.

I think they should have just made it another lane wider.
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My impression is they could have made it 4 lanes in each direction and used about the same amount of materials/$.
 
SnwMnkys

SnwMnkys

Registered User
Location
Orem, Utah
Rock Taco said:
Like you can believe everything else the government wants to tell us right?

Like those weapons of mass destruction...

Looks like they have tons of experience to me. http://www.flatironcorp.com/index.asp?w=pages&r=5&pid=28

http://www.flatironcorp.com/index.asp?w=pages&r=9&pid=76
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Thank you. At least someone did their research. You dont get to be the 48th biggest contractor (37th last year) in the country by not knowing what you are doing. They will be around Utah for a while. They have a few water works related contracts in Utah.
 
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