ACEC Pennsylvania honors Gannett Fleming projects

Harrisburg, Pa. — Global infrastructure firm Gannett Fleming captured three industry honors at the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) 2016 Diamond Awards for Engineering Excellence gala on March 2.

Gannett Fleming’s Hulton Bridge Replacement project in Oakmont, Pa., earned the Grand Conceptor Award. The Grand Conceptor is the premier award of the competition, which recognizes outstanding achievements of Pennsylvania’s engineering firms – this is the third time in the last four years that Gannett Fleming has taken home the Grand Conceptor Award. The Hulton Bridge was also recently named the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania 2016 Transportation Project of the Year and the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers’ Pittsburgh Chapter Outstanding Engineering Achievement award.

The Hulton Bridge provided a vital connection between Oakmont Borough and Harmar Township for more than 100 years. However, the bridge no longer met the demands of increasing regional traffic. Working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Gannett Fleming designed the new $65 million Hulton Bridge to meet the region’s travel needs while retaining the unique aesthetics of the original structure. The new bridge – a 1,633-foot multi-span, steel girder structure – improves safety, traffic flow, and functionality. The Hulton Bridge opened to traffic in October 2015.

Overcoming the challenge of limiting restrictions to commercial river activity, including a maximum 72-hour closure of the navigational channel, required an innovative strategy for the erection of the new Hulton Bridge. The design team proposed using a strand jacking lift for the closure section of the steel superstructure. This was the first time that PennDOT used strand jacking to erect a steel girder bridge.

The Maintenance-IQ application won the ACEC/PA Diamond Honor Award in the Surveying and Mapping Technology category. GeoDecisions, Gannett Fleming’s enterprise geospatial IT division, designed the application. The intranet-based GIS tool empowers PennDOT’s maintenance community to process information from more than 10 technology systems and create maps using current data. An intranet-based time saver, the GIS mapping application enables bureau stakeholders to combine, analyze, and visualize data from multiple engineering districts and statewide locations. Using Maintenance-IQ, PennDOT is improving assets and infrastructure to enhance safety and facilitate route planning while saving millions in mobilization and labor investments.

The $43.2 million I-81 Interchange and Navy Way Road Extension, located in Luzerne County, Pa., earned the ACEC/PA Diamond Certificate in the Transportation category. Previously, commercial trucks traveling through the greater Pittston area to access I-81, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, or the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, met unfavorable conditions. More than 93,000 vehicles per day traveled through the corridor, adding noise, congestion, and wear and tear to the community streets. Transforming the transportation landscape, the design team reconfigured the I-81 north- and southbound exits. Three new multilane roundabouts provide an innovative way to connect the access ramps to the local road network with increased safety and mobility. The new Navy Way Road diverts commercial traffic from the neighborhood streets and provides improved access to the airport and two industrial parks, which are helping spur economic growth and development.