2001 SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS are given for those projects worthy of special recognition of the engineer and the owner/client for achieving engineering excellence.
BUILDING / TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
HANSON ENGINEERS INC.
Profitable Paint Hangar Helps Garrett Soar
Owner: Garrett Aviation
Client: H&H Construction Services
Consultants: B&B Electrical Services, Springfield;
RJ Power Plumbing & Heating, Springfield; King-Lar, Decatur; Mid-Valley Radiants, St.
Louis; FWAI Architects, Springfield; Woolpert LLP, Belleville
The Dilemma: The paint department at Garrett Aviation, Springfield, Ill., was lagging behind the rest of its retrofitting/refurbishing business. Only a limited number of planes could be painted per year.
The Solution: Build a larger, more sophisticated paint hangar.
The Process: Hanson Engineers Inc. designed a paint hangar where temperature and humidity are tightly controlled with a downdraft heating and cooling system. Productivity has gone up significantly thanks to the larger, more efficient paint hangar. Now, the paint department is leading the way.
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
CONSOER TOWNSEND ENVIRODYNE ENGINEERS, INC.
Cermak Road Rolling Lift Bridge Rehabilitation
Owner/Client: Chicago Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Bridges and Transit
Consultants: Shah Engineering, Chicago
The Cermak Road Bridge, the last Scherzer Rolling Lift Bascule Bridge in Chicago, is listed on the register of historic places. The original bridge was constructed in 1906 and serves as the main thoroughfare and Chicago River crossing in the area. High usage over the years has contributed to the widespread deterioration of the bridge. In addition, the original bridge had one of the lowest vertical clearances on the entire Chicago River system, requiring over 2,000 openings per year. CTE Engineers provided engineering and architectural services for the complete rehabilitation of the bridge, including the major rehabilitation of the structural and machinery components, and the replacement of all electrical systems. The Cermak Road Bridge has been restored, true to its original design, while providing an additional 2.5 feet of vertical clearance for river traffic and incorporating the latest equipment and standards.
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
J. MULLER INTERNATIONAL
East Fork Cable-Stayed Bridge
Owner/Client: City of Columbus, Indiana / Indiana Department of Transportation
Consultants: Rotz Engineers, Inc., IN; Engineering Testing
Services, IN; Shuler & Shook, Inc., Chicago
The East Fork Cable-Stayed Bridge spans 465-ft. over the East Fork of the White River, connecting SR 46 with Second Street in Columbus, Indiana. The structure is a composite concrete and post-tensioned cable-stayed bridge carrying four lanes of traffic and two sidewalks. The pylon consists of four steel pipe legs in a quadruped configuration - the first of its kind in the United States.
The bridge was constructed as part of the Front Door corridor improvement project extending east from 1-65 to the downtown area. The overall cost of the project was $42-million.
The community demonstrated its enthusiastic acceptance of the structure through a celebration that was held at the opening ceremony. Over 6,000 people attended the ceremony to walk along the bridge, enjoy the view of the downtown and learn about the design and construction of the bridge.
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
RHUTASEL AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Covered Timber Highway Bridge over Embarras River
Owner/Client: Cumberland County Highway Department
The construction of the covered timber bridge is the culmination of a lengthy effort to replace an existing structurally deficient bridge structure with a unique covered timber bridge reminiscent of one that once spanned the Embarras River at this location in the early to mid 1800's. Because heavy timber members are normally not used in the construction of modern highway bridges in this part of the country, extensive historic and technical research was necessary to achieve a solution that satisfied the project's aesthetic and structural requirements.
The bridge not only serves as a local cultural attraction but also functions as a bridge structure capable of supporting current traffic loading, including AASHTO HS 20 vehicles. The 200 foot single span structure utilizes a combination of 25 foot high parallel chord trusses and 3-hinged parabolic arches to satisfy stringent loading and deflection criteria. The substructure consists of buttressed abutments that average 40 feet in height. The completed. bridge structure is reported to be the longest covered timber bridge in the U.S. without a posted load restriction.
WATER & WASTEWATER
REZEK, HENRY, MEISENHEIMER AND GENDE, INC.
Otter Creek Water Reclamation District Water System
Owner: Otter Creek Water Reclamation District
Client: Thornwood Associates, L.L.C.
Consultants: Daniel K. Bleck Architects, Libertyville
RHMG designed water supply, treatment, and storage facilities to serve the new Thornwood Development and other growth areas in South Elgin. A unique interactive well drilling process was used to optimize raw water quality (particularly with respect to barium), while insuring sufficient well capacity. Minimizing barium in the raw water supply substantially reduced project costs by eliminating the need for expensive regenerant wastewater treatment required to meet barium discharge limits of the local wastewater treatment authority.
Improvements included: two 1,000 gpm, 1,970 feet deep Mt. Simon sandstone wells; six 9-foot diameter ion exchange softeners for reduction of radioactivity (gross alpha, combined radium 226 and 228) and hardness; a 2.0 million gallon standpipe; three 2,500 gpm high service booster pumps; brine storage tanks and pumps; waste backwash storage tanks and pumps; and an inline booster pump station/pressure reducing station, which provides an emergency interconnection with the Village of South Elgin.
TRANSPORTATION
CRAWFORD, MURPHY & TILLY, INC.
Narrow ROW Challenges Met in Elgin
Owner/Client: City of Elgin, Illinois
Consultants: Burnidge Cassell Associates, Elgin; Conservation
Design Forum, Elmhurst; Metro Transportation Group, Hanover Park; Terracon, Naperville
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. worked with the city of Elgin, Illinois, to plan, design and oversee construction of a north-south extension of Shales Parkway within a corridor closely confined by subdivisions on one side and high tension electric towers on the other.
The project’s uniqueness stemmed from CMT’s ability to combine various design techniques, materials and equipment. CMT engineers incorporated various construction elements such as internally reinforced earth walls and a three-span bridge in addition to addressing environmental and residential concerns.
The 1.5-mile-long roadway project was greatly needed and had been envisioned by Elgin officials for nearly 30 years. CMT went beyond the city’s goal of merely providing residents with an efficient north-south roadway. Through skillful planning and applying useful techniques, CMT engineers successfully stayed within the city’s schedule and budget.
TRANSPORTATION
WVP A DIVISION OF URS CORPORATION
Bison Yard
Owner/Client: Norfolk Southern Corporation
The division of Conrail's assets between Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX Transportation (CSXT) in 1999 did not provide NS significant additional yard facilities in the Buffalo area. This resulted in congestion and rail service delays. At the behest of customers, government, elected officials and the Surface Transportation Board, NS determined that a new yard was the best solution. The location selected was the vacant site of the former Conrail Bison Yard which had been abandoned after the creation of Conrail in 1976.
The improvements included: 70,000 ft. of yard, storage and engine track; 13,000 ft. of arrival/departure and lead track; 80,000 tons of aggregate material; two mainline control points with power turnouts and power derails; 32 yard turnouts with electric switch heaters; seven 100 ft. high-mast steel light towers for general lighting; ten 60 ft. high poles with focused lighting for the switching lead areas; permanent self contained air generation service; yard office building for 100 employees; asphalt parking lot and access drives; and extension of public electric, gas, telephone, water and sewer utilities.
