March 27, 2015

4 NW projects win AGC ‘Oscars'

Photos from AGC of America [enlarge]

SR 520 Eastside Transit & HOV project

[enlarge]

Willamette River Bridge

The Associated General Contractors of America calls it the “Oscars” of the construction industry.

Last week, the association picked the winners of the 2015 Alliant Build America Awards, and four Northwest projects made the list.

The Grand Award went to Wisconsin's Epic Deep Space Auditorium.

The I-5 Willamette River Bridge-Whilamut Passage in Oregon took top honors in the Highway & Transportation Renovation category; and the Ione Bridge rehab in Eastern Washington won the Highway & Transportation category for projects under $10 million.

Merit awards went to the SR 520 Eastside Transit & HOV project in Bellevue in the Highway & Transportation Renovation category; and the Northern Rail extension in Alaska in the Highway & Transportation New category.

The AGC gave 23 Alliant and 11 Merit awards to projects across the country.

Willamette River Bridge

The new bridge between Eugene and Springfield was Oregon DOT's largest bridge project and the first to use the construction manager/general contractor delivery system. Twin bridges span 1,985 feet with 400-foot arches, making them the largest single-arch spans in the state.

Hamilton Construction Co., the CM/GC, used fully contained workbridges to protect the river from construction debris and runoff. Hamilton also salvaged materials from the old bridge for a new pedestrian bridge.

The project was finished four months ahead of schedule and $15 million under budget.

OBEC Engineering was the lead engineer.

Ione Bridge rehab

Constructed in 1934, Ione Bridge is an 830-foot-long steel-truss bridge spanning the Pend Oreille River on Sullivan Lake Road (SR 31) near Ione in Pend Oreille County.

West Co. did foundation scour repairs, timber pile splicing and preservation, sub- and superstructure concrete spall repairs, epoxy crack injection, pier refurbishment with carbon fiber wrap, bridge jacking, steel bearing refurbishment, timber stringer and expansion joint replacement, steel grid decking repairs and lead-based paint removal prior to painting.

West finished 57 days ahead of schedule.

Donald A. Ramsey was the lead architect and Bob Hilmes of WSDOT was lead engineer.

SR 520 Eastside Transit & HOV project

Eastside Corridor Constructors, a joint venture of Granite Construction Co. and PCL Civil Constructors, built four transit centers and improved 3.5 miles of an 8.8-mile HOV system from Evergreen Point Road to the state Route 202 interchange in Bellevue.

The design-build project widened 2.5 miles of roadway and built new HOV lanes, wider shoulders, a new transit and HOV interchange, three urban green-scaped freeway lids, retaining walls, sound walls, traffic controls, utility relocations, public space and transit-oriented facilities.

The team worked with six cities and towns to obtain permits. The project was on time and on budget.

Northern Rail extension

The first of a four-phase project to build an 80-mile rail extension from Fairbanks to Delta Junction. Phase one built a bridge over Tanana River in Salcha, an approach road and an associated 2.1-mile levee.

Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. of Anchorage provided construction management and general contracting services.