The 2004 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award Merit Finalists
The 2004 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award honors the project that best illustrates superior civil engineering skills and represents a significant contribution to civil engineering progress and society. Honoring an overall project rather than an individual, the award recognizes the contributions of the many organizations that have worked together to achieve success.
Established in 1960, the prestigious national award recognizes civil engineering projects selected on the basis of their contribution to the well-being of people and communities, resourcefulness in planning and design challenges, and innovations in materials and techniques. Past winners have included the relocation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the World Trade Center Towers.
This year, seven projects have been selected representing the finest in civil engineering ingenuity. Each of the seven merit finalists are commendable examples of how civil engineering can improve the quality of life for local residents, contribute to a community's economic success and lift the spirits of an embattled nation.
- Repavement of Kabul-Kandahar Road
- Restoration of the World Trade Center PATH Station
- Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
- The New Braddock Dam, Braddock, Pennsylvania
- William H. Natcher Bridge, Owensboro, Kentucky
- Emergency Bypass Water Tunnel, Waipio Valley, Hilo, Hawaii
- Integrated Water Transmission & Treatment Project, Clark County, Nevada
Louis Berger Group, Inc.
In September 2002, the journey from Kabul to Kandahar took approximately 18 to 19 hours. Originally the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) tasked Louis Berger Group, Inc. with repaving only 49 kilometers by December 2003, but in April 2003 President Bush promised Afghani President Karzai that the entire Kabul-Kandahar Road would be repaved by December 2003.
Several innovative techniques were employed, including a unique asphalt-treated base that utilized local gravel, and could be laid down in 2 or 3 layers. This allowed the road to be paved, dust-free and capable of enduring an average speed of approximately 100 kph, when the first layer was complete. The proposed unit rate contract allowed for contractors to begin work in advance of design, and included provisions for materials, security-related stoppages and performance-based scope adjustments.
Improving traveling conditions not only decreased travel time and vehicle operating costs, but it also increased safety. Afghanistan has the highest density of landmines in the world. Traditional detection methods are notoriously slow, so armored, mechanized, GPS-controlled vehicles were brought in to collect air samples which were taken to an offsite lab for testing. If a mine was detected it was removed using the traditional method. The de-mining rate was augmented 400 percent, which increased safety for the construction teams and the residents. In addition, local farmers and tradesmen have been given greater access to commercial centers, which brings new opportunities for economic growth.
Restoration of the World Trade Center PATH Station
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
When the WTC collapsed on September 11, 2001, the PATH station that occupied the lowest level of the site was also destroyed. The two tunnels that connected the station to the New Jersey Exchange Place station were also heavily damaged. On December 13, 2001, the Board of Commissioners and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey gave authorization to reestablish PATH service to lower Manhattan.
The tunnels were gutted and a state-of-the-art track system was installed in less than a year. To reduce disruptions to neighboring communities at the Exchange Place station, the team used a roadheader instead of the traditional drill and blast methods for excavation. This helped avoid damages and liabilities, and allowed a 24-hour schedule, which in turn allowed them to complete the project in only 18 months.
The team decided that the best solution for the WTC station was to restore it to the pre-September 11 configuration. The station features a mezzanine level above the platforms that provides access to the street. Both levels are located within the existing "bathtub" area. The station's open-air design uses a portion of the original concourse to reach the new Church Street entrance. Keeping in mind the station is located on an active construction site, precautions such as filtered air ventilation in the terminal as opposed to traditional exhaust fans, were taken to ensure the commuters safety. The WTC station opened to the public one month ahead of schedule on November 23, 2003.
Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, Boston
HNTB Corporation
The crown jewel of Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project, the ten-lane bridge and its four-lane sister the Storrow Drive Connector, will more than double traffic capacity in the city's northern gateway. HNTB and Figg Engineering Group 183-foot wide bridge is the world's widest cable-stayed bridge and the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in North America. The use of an ungrouted stay cable system is a first in the United States, as is the combined use of steel in the main span and concrete in the back spans. Also on the list of firsts are a composite concrete tower with a high-performance steel inner core, and the use of internal viscous dampers and external helical beads on the stay cables to mitigate rain and wind oscillation.
These achievements were reached while working around several major site constraints, including an existing six-lane bridge that dictated the back span layout, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Orange Line subway and ventilation building, and a critical 36-inch water main which had to be isolated from construction impacts. The $100 million bridge's first four lanes opened to northbound traffic in March 2003, and when fully operational in 2005, more than 110,000 motorists will travel the route daily. Praised by community leaders and residents, the bridge has become a city landmark.
The New Braddock Dam, Braddock, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
An important component of the nation's Inland Waterways System, the dam was construction with an innovative in-the-wet technique, used for the first time by the Army Corps of Engineers. The $107.4 million contract was awarded to J. A. Jones Construction Company/Traylor Bros., Inc., and its signature feature, the fabrication, assembly and delivery of two football field-sized concrete segments, required floating the 11,000 and 9,500-ton pieces 27 miles upstream on the Ohio and Monongahela rivers.
The design reduced cost by eliminating the need for conventional cofferdams to dewater the construction site, reduced time by allowing concurrent construction of the foundations and dam structure, and increased quality by pre-casting in a controlled environment. Over 400,000 cubic yards of dredged and excavated foundation materials were reused as cap matter on the former U.S. Steel Duquesne Works Brownfield, saving millions of dollars and restoring a profitable generator in the economically depressed Monongahela River steel valley. The dam also helps sustain the $8 billion in annual commerce that travels through the Port of Pittsburgh and the 34,000 jobs directly linked to the local waterways.
William H. Natcher Bridge, Owensboro, Kentucky
Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet challenged Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas Inc./Traylor Bros. Inc. to combine technical innovations with beauty, simplicity and economy in a bridge to span the Ohio River from Owensboro, Ky. to Rockport, Ind., and be named for the late Congressman. Their four-lane, 4,505-foot solution was completed on time, within budget and with no claims, and features one of the longest main spans over the inland waterway system.
Intended to promote future upkeep, the bridge's features are designed to aid in proper and frequent inspections, ensuring safety and cutting costs. In order to protect the local farming communities, a hydraulic modeling analysis was done for the floodplain, with and without the bridge, for cycles of 100 and 500 years. This marked the first time such an analysis was done for a bridge project in the U.S. Construction time was also limited to October through March for the river pier foundations in order to diminish impact on the mussel beds. The bridge opened to traffic on October 21, 2002.
Emergency Bypass Water Tunnel, Waipio Valley, Hilo, Hawaii
URS Corporation
As the result of a catastrophic landslide which collapsed a 30-foot section of the Lower Hamakua Ditch water system in 1989, this local water supply was diverted above the twin Hakalaoa Falls, costing farmers $11 million and significantly damaging the Waipio Valley ecosystem. In 2001, the state of Hawaii selected design/build team Jas. W. Glover Ltd./URS Corporation to restore the water by constructing an emergency bypass tunnel.
The project's mid-height location on the 2,000-foot Hakalaoa Falls offered the team multiple challenges, including the continuing danger of further collapse. Their solution, a 300-foot long, 7-foot in diameter, hand-mined, liner plate supported bypass tunnel, was built without the use of tunneling machines and drilling robots. Over 1,300 tons of materials had to be hauled to the site at one half ton per load, over a distance of 2 miles each way, at 5 mph. The cumulative distance for all materials was over 5,200 miles, further than a round-trip from San Francisco to D.C. Despite the many challenges, the tunnel was completed on schedule, within budget, without claims and with no discernable impact on the environment, costing $17 million less than building a new tunnel.
Integrated Water Transmission & Treatment Project, Clark County, Nevada
MWH, Las Vegas
Noting the population explosion in the Las Vegas Valley, the Nevada Water Authority embarked on an extensive development project for its existing potable water supply system. The ensuing MWH/CH2M Hill design addressed aesthetic, safety and environmental concerns, while providing educational opportunities to the local communities.
The facility was planned using integrated three-dimensional design technology, making it one of the first and largest to do so, and the 3,000-foot raw water aqueduct is one of the world's largest underwater pressure pipes. To ensure compliance with future regulations, designs included a high-level of flexibility and physical space to accommodate growth. To preserve the region's natural beauty, designs minimizing visual impact were utilized, including unique masonry and concrete which mimic the desert's natural colors. Personnel received training, and a fencing system was designed to protect the endangered desert tortoises which make their home within the acreage. The $2 billion system increased water supply capability 25 percent by 2002, and is expected to increase and additional 25 percent by 2005.
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