NOISETTE CREEK BRIDGE WINS NATIONAL AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION 2023 PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Mt. Pleasant, SC — The American Public Works Association (APWA) announced that Thomas & Hutton (T&H) earned APWA’s 2023 Public Works Project of the Year Award for the City of North Charleston’s Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge. The Project of the Year Awards honors publicly developed, owned, and maintained infrastructure projects that promote excellence in construction management and administration. These awards recognize the alliance between the managing agency, the contractor, and the consultant and their cooperative achievements.

Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge earned APWA’s 2023 Public Works Project of the Year Award in the Structures category, in the $5 Million, but less than $25 Million division. The City of North Charleston transformed an older area of the City into a place where locals and visitors can enjoy and interact with nature by creating the Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge (previously known as the Battery Park Bridge). The Bridge connects the City’s existing Riverfront Park to the newly developed Battery Park on the north side of Noisette Creek. The City of North Charleston intends to continue the momentum and redevelop 70 acres of the decommissioned Charleston Naval Complex with a mixed-use district. Although the Bridge serves as an initial catalyst for the revitalization efforts, the 800-foot-long Bridge, with two distinguishing 55-foot-tall arches spanning 238 feet, has created a destination on its own. Since the Bridge opened to the public in October of 2022, a continuous flow of people walking, running, and bicycling across the Bridge has contributed to its initial success. With gradual slopes along the entire length, the Bridge is universally accessible. The top of the Bridge offers unprecedented and unobstructed views across the marshes and waterways of the Lowcountry.

“The Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge is the City of North Charleston’s first step in transforming an older and underutilized area of its community. Their successful completion of this project is a testament to their dedication to breathing new life into the formal naval complex, promoting economic vitality, and improving quality of life for their citizens and beyond,” said SC APWA Chapter President Samantha H. Yager, who served as the nominator for the project to the APWA national awards competition. “A project of this size, complexity, and visibility requires a dedicated team who communicates regularly and responds quickly. T&H provided high-quality management and design throughout all phases, working closely with contractors and stakeholders during two years of construction, all accumulating in the project’s success.

T&H provided environmental permitting, surveying, landscape architecture, structural design, bidding, and construction services for the City of North Charleston. T&H conducted public meetings during the concept development phase, coordinated on behalf of their clients with numerous state and local agencies to secure permits, and, after the design was complete, led the City’s pre-qualification process to ensure the construction would be completed by an experienced contractor. T&H’s legacy in the South Carolina Low Country afforded the design team time-tested relationships with the City of North Charleston and prime contractor, Cape Romain Contractors Inc. CRC). Working on various projects within and for the City for over 30 years and with CRC for over 50 years, the team’s collective knowledge and proven experience working together allowed for a seamless construction process.

T&H looks forward to celebrating this achievement alongside the City of North Charleston and CRC at APWA’s PWX 2023 in San Diego in August. T&H also received recognition from the South Carolina Chapter of APWA for the Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge, which has been named a South Carolina Public Works Project of the Year in the Structures Category.

ABOUT APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.org) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 30,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy, and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, with an office in Washington, DC, 62 chapters, and 97 branches throughout North America.

ABOUT THOMAS & HUTTON
Thomas & Hutton celebrates over 75 years of creating transformative communities. Founded in 1946, Thomas & Hutton is a privately held professional services company providing consulting, planning, and engineering design services related to land and infrastructure.  Thomas & Hutton is located in ten regions throughout Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.