Maguire Group wins regional Engineering Excellence award

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A panel of ACEC/Massachusetts & Rhode Island judges selected Maguire Group, prime consultant on the Interstate 195 Relocation and New Providence River Bridge project (Iway Project) in Rhode Island, as Grand Conceptor winner in the organization’s 2010 Engineering Excellence Awards competition. This competition recognizes engineering achievements that demonstrate the highest degree of innovation, achievement, and value. Winning the regional competition has made the project eligible for entry in the 2010 ACEC National Competition.

The Iway Project is the largest transportation project in Rhode Island’s history. It includes the complete relocation of I-195 around downtown Providence, a new major interchange at I-95 and I-195, construction of 16 new bridges, and 16,000 linear feet of new retaining walls.

The centerpiece of the project is the Providence River Bridge, the first network arch constructed in the United States. The span, one of the most visible Providence landmarks, represents a unique application of accelerated bridge design and engineering. Maguire Group served as the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) prime consultant on the project, along with other integral members of the project team including the Federal Highway Administration, the city of Providence, and contractors.

Overall project goals were to improve traffic flow, enhance connectivity, replace or rehabilitate deficient bridges, minimize traffic disruption during construction, and allow for redevelopment of downtown Providence by detouring the existing interstate around the downtown area, creating valuable real estate development opportunities.

“According to RIDOT’s statistical evidence, this project has reduced travel times by more than 20 percent and average speeds are almost 10 percent higher, saving commuters hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel costs every year,” said Maguire President and CEO Carlos A. Duart. “The innovative use of the network arch cable arrangement also produced a significant savings in structural steel, and resulted in a structure light enough for the contractor to build offsite and then float into Providence — altogether a great feat of engineering.