Engineering excellence awards: FICE/ACEC FL HNTB, RS&H, AECOM and The Corradino Group: I-595 Corridor Improvements, FDOT This project – the first Florida P3, and the first use of availability payments in the nation – included reconstructing and widening 10.5 miles of the I-595 mainline and associated improve- ments to frontage roads and ramps. It included 63 bridges, as well as 2.5 miles of Florida’s Turnpike, including a direct express lane connection. The project helped pave the way for future P3 projects in Florida and the U.S., the citation says. Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.: Miami-Dade County Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) Over a six-year period, the engineer helped the county “plan, design and implement the complex moderniza- tion of their 1970s-era signal system to an advanced traffic management system (ATMS) for the twenty-first century – without any disruption of services to the traveling public or ad- verse traffic impact.” The system has growth capacity for up to 4,000 signals. As well, be- cause of the design’s flexibility, the county could reuse 1,700 traffic con- trollers that would otherwise cost $17 million to replace, the citation says. RS&H: Mathews Bridge emergency repairs: FDOT District 2; and Veter- ans Memorial Bridge, FDOT District 4 In September 2013, a US Naval ship under tow struck the Matthews Bridge in Jacksonville, the state’s first and oldest high-level cantilever truss 16 – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 — Florida Construction News bridge. The ship severed the bridge’s north lower trus chord, nearly causing a collapse. “The geometry and stabil- ity of the bridge were compromised, requiring a quick, efficient and well- planned repair effort to restore this landmark.” The FDOT assembled an emer- gency response team including contractors, surveyors, steel heat straightening professionals, steel fab- ricators, pin testers, bridge inspectors and construction engineering inspec- tors, and strain gage professionals. Within the first 76 hours after impact, the team “designed innovative tempo- rary and permanent repairs and pro- posed a construction bid package.” The bridge reopened only 33 days after impact, 12 days ahead of sched- ule. “Considering the challenges posed by the severity of the damage, weather, and a multitude of complex aspects, the project is an amazing ac- complishment for all involved,” says the FICE citation. Meanwhile, the Veterans Memorial Bridge, south Florida’s first new bridge crossing of the intracoastal wa- terway in more than 20 years, required both engineering innovation and envi- ronmental stewardship. “The team overcame an existing federal lawsuit and strong local oppo- sition by implementing an intensive public involvement campaign that in- cluded numerous public meetings and 3D visualization imagery to convey project vision, goals and aesthetics,” the FICE award says. “These and other outreach efforts built consensus among stakeholders and concerned citizens.” Wantman Group Inc: SR710 Big John Monohan Bridge reconstruction, FDOT District 4 The bridge in western Martin County traces its roots to a one-way swing bridge constructed in 1927, replaced by a single bridge in 1965. WGI engi- neers “redesigned this ‘gateway’ to the City of Indiantown as twin bridges.” Successful project innovations in- cluded a unique and strategic land purchase that allowed the bridge to be shortened nearly 1,000 ft., saving taxpayers approximately $15 million. The engineering design team “also provided innovation and significant cost savings by relocating the ponds from underneath the fixed-span, high- level bridge, where it is difficult to maintain turf,” WGI said in a news re- lease. The design-build team of WGI and Cone & Graham set newly ap- proved 84-foot Florida I Beams (FIBs) spanning 185 ft. – the longest FIBs ever set in the state, and completed the work 104 days ahead of schedule. “The Big John Monahan project faced many interesting challenges, said WGI president David Wantman. “The Department of Transportation deemed the bridge functionally obso- lete, yet it was a primary hurricane evacuation route and part of the strategic intermodal system.” Wantman said the contractor, engi- neer, subcontractors and subconsul- tants “worked seamlessly together with all the involved stakeholders. We are extremely proud of the outcome, and of the recognition of a job well done.” FICE/ ACEC FL encourage submittals for the 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards. The intent to enter form is due by September 18, 2015 and more info can be found at fleng.org.