COWIClient: West Virginia Department of Highways
As a key and reliable artery for northern West Virginia and eastern Ohio communities, the bridge will foster economic growth for the region. It also includes a distinctive arch design that was delivered through an unusual process. The selected steel arch rib geometry is nontraditional, as opposed to the normal parabolic curve, which provides a lower rise and more efficient shape when combined with a network cable arrangement. The 830-foot main span was lifted onto two pairs of barges and moved into position in a massive, 13-and-a-half-hour operation. At the time, it was the largest bridge float-in project performed in North America. The new bridge is expected to reduce travel time between Wellsburg and Brilliant, stimulate economic development in the area, provide a new river crossing for commerce, and offer an alternative route across the river if maintenance work needs to be done on nearby bridges. The new crossing is a signature bridge for the community and will also serve as an attraction to the region. Not only is the tied arch bridge an efficient structural solution, but it is also an elegant architectural form that complements the surrounding environment.
HDRClient: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Nearly a half century after the Seward Highway was reopened in 1968 following the 9.2 magnitude Great Alaskan Earthquake, it had reached the end of its design lifespan. Despite being the only route between Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula and designated as an All-American Road and National Scenic Byway, it became a source of severe regional congestion. The new highway features straightened curves; reconstructed or rehabilitated and seismically upgraded nine bridges; 5 miles of passing lanes in each direction and turn lanes at critical intersections; repavement of the entire stretch; enhanced pedestrian facilities; improved drainage; and protected shorelines. With three new underpasses and an extended multimodal scenic trail, the project increases pedestrian safety and improves access to recreational spots.
KPFFClient: University of Idaho
With a vision to showcase what Idaho timber can do, the University of Idaho rejected easier routes of using steel or concrete for its new arena. Instead, the team utilized wood harvested from the state of Idaho, including some harvested from the university’s Experimental Forest. The striking shape of the building mimics the quintessential rolling hills of the surrounding Palouse region and required innovative applications of wood to produce. After a series of iterations of central support designs, designers settled on a portal frame with king post trusses. The mass timber featured in this project also includes glulam columns, cross-laminated and dowel-laminated floors. The arena has quickly become one of the most iconic wooden structures in the state.
ParametrixClient: LOTT Clean Water Alliance
More than 80 wastewater plants discharge treated effluent into Puget Sound, contributing to nutrient loading (particularly nitrogen) that causes algae blooms and oxygen depletion, which harms the marine ecosystem. Nitrogen levels can be greatly reduced through a biological nutrient removal (BNR) treatment process. With the Biological Process Improvements project, the project team took the process to an entirely new level, reconfiguring and consolidating enhanced monitoring and controls. It also replaced aging equipment with state-of-the-art technologies. Treatment performance is highly effective, with total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) levels as low as 0.4 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and averaging 1.6 mg/L compared to the 3 mg/L permit limit. This high performance improves water quality in Budd Inlet, LOTT’s receiving waters, and has the capacity to meet community growth and comply with more stringent discharge permit limits anticipated in the future. The upgrades include energy-saving technologies and operational strategies estimated to save about 20 percent of overall plant electrical usage.
Severud AssociatesClient: L&L Holding Company
Resourceful engineering produced a new revitalized entertainment, retail, and hotel complex at the center of Times Square in New York City, while involving an extraordinary lift of the historic Palace Theater. The project team incorporated telescoping steel posts and computer-controlled hydraulic jacks, which allowed the entire Palace Theater structure to be raised an astonishing 31 feet. The 113-year-old structure, which occupies most of the project’s densely urban site, is protected from demolition, but its original location would have limited use of the site if not lifted. Raising the Palace Theater two stories into the air made the project physically and economically possible, freed valuable ground floor space, and provides millions of visitors sidewalk access to expanded retail space.
WSP USA | HOK (Joint Venture)Client: LaGuardia Gateway Partners
New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is the nation’s 19th busiest airport, serving over 30 million passengers annually. LGA was consistently recognized as one of the worst airports in the country because of aircraft taxiway congestion and general passenger discomfort. Following the opening of its new Terminal B, the tide has changed. The design team proposed a reconfiguration of Terminal B from a finger concourse design to an island design connecting the concourses to the arrivals and departures hall via elevated pedestrian bridges. This solution reduces overall airside congestion by allowing air traffic to navigate beneath the bridges in both directions and offers passengers a view of the New York City skyline and airfield. Other project design elements have contributed to its sustainability achievements, including the placement of vehicle charging stations; infrastructure to support a transition to all-electric ground support equipment on airside; and building innovations that ultimately cut energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. LGA’s Terminal B is also the first terminal in North America and one of only 24 terminals and airports worldwide ranked at 5 Stars by Skytrax.
StantecClient: 3rd Track Constructors (Joint Venture)(Dragados USA, Picone, Halmar, CCA Civil)
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the busiest commuter railroad in North America. Originally built in the early 1800s, it has since consisted of two tracks serving about 50,000 people. Today, those same two tracks carry more than 72 million customers annually on about 750 daily trains. The LIRR Expansion Project upgraded an extremely heavily utilized 9.8-mile two-track Main Line segment in Long Island, New York. The enhancement involved new three-track-wide bridges that were cast in place adjacent to the existing tracks and then were hydraulically jacked into position beneath the LIRR. This process reduced the interruptions of train service at each crossing location to just one weekend where the tracks were taken out of service.