Excellence in Highway Design 2002 — Award Winners
Since 1968, hundreds of outstanding examples of highways, bridges,
pedestrian facilities, roadside facilities, and other facets of roadway
design have been showcased in what was first known as "The Highway
and its Environment" competition and is now the "Excellence
in Highway Design" awards program. The 2002 honorees described
here range from spectacular forest highways to historical bridges to
modern intelligent transportation systems. These creative and diverse
efforts demonstrate how cities, States, and counties are designing roadways
that are not only safe and efficient but enhance the environment around
them, often standing as impressive works of art on their own.
The 2002 awards will be announced at the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials Annual Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska,
on October 13. The awards will be presented to the winners at a later
date in their State FHWA Division Office by the FHWA Division Administrator.
More information on the award winners, as well as additional photos,
will soon be available on CD. To obtain a copy of the CD (Publication
No. FHWA-IF-02-062), contact the FHWA Report Center at 301-577-0818
(fax: 301-577-1421). A brochure is also being developed and will be
ready early next year. For general information on the awards program,
contact Program Coordinator Donald R. Jackson at FHWA, 202-366-4630
(email:donald.jackson@fhwa.dot.gov).
Category 1—The Urban Highway
Hutchinson River Parkway, New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT)
In 1993 the NYSDOT initiated a $40 million project to reconstruct the
Hutchinson River Parkway (HRP) in the Town of Harrison and Village of
Rye Brook. High traffic volumes and speeds on the 60-year-old HRP, along
with such features as tightly curved alignments and limited sight distances,
had resulted in an increased accident rate. Notable design elements
of the new road include noise wall panels designed to replicate a field
stone wall.
Contact:
Phillips C. Crocker, NYSDOT, 845-431-5848.
|
Hutchinson River Parkway |
Category 2—The Rural Highway
Taconic State Parkway (TSP), NYSDOT
The challenge: Improving the TSP so as to allow local road traffic
and Appalachian Trail users to safely pass under the Parkway, while
still retaining the road's rustic appearance. Working on a 1-year accelerated
construction schedule, the NYSDOT met this challenge and more, successfully
improving the safety of the road while simultaneously preserving the
aesthetic character of the Parkway.
Contact: Phillips C. Crocker, NYSDOT,
845-431-5848.
Category 3A-Major Highway Structures (Over $10 Million)
Broadway Bridge, Florida Department of Transportation and Figg Engineering
Group
Dedicated on July 20, 2001, Florida's Broadway Bridge links the International
Speedway Boulevard with Daytona Beach. Community residents voted to
select the bridge theme of "Timeless Ecology." Building on
the ecology theme, 3-m (10-ft) high mosaics of dolphins and manatees
wrap each bridge pier, while pedestrian sidewalks spotlight additional
mosaics.
Contact: Cheryl Maze, Figg Engineering
Group, 850-224-7400.
|
Taconic State Parkway |
Category 3B—Major Highway Structures (Under $10 Million)
Grays Bay Bridge, Hennepin County, Minnesota, Public Works Transportation
Department and Glenwood Bridge, Inc.
Built in 1920, the Grays Bay Bridge had narrow traffic lanes and no
shoulder or pedestrian walkway. The new Grays Bay Bridge now features
two traffic lanes, two shoulder/bike lanes, and a sidewalk, along with
an improved approach roadway. The aesthetics are equally important:
To provide a rustic and historical look, the bridge's concrete retaining
walls, abutments, and piers were designed with selected form liner and
architectural coloring to resemble random ashtar stone masonry.
Contact: Bernard J. Jahn, Hennepin County
Public Works, 763-745-7680.
|
Grays Bay Bridge |
Category 4—Environmental Protection and Enhancements
First Creek Fish Passage, Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT)
For 50 years, Kokanee salmon and rainbow trout swimming upstream in
Washington State's First Creek encountered two insurmountable obstacles:
large corrugated culverts under the roadway near the lake. To restore
fish passage to historic spawning habitat in First Creek's upper reaches,
the WSDOT built short span bridges to replace the impassable culverts.
Today, the area's environment has been enhanced and Kokanee salmon are
beginning to migrate up First Creek again.
Contact: Rod Erickson, WSDOT, 509-667-2870.
|
First Creek Fish Passage |
Category 5—Historic Preservation
Route 66/Stony Kill Bridge, NYSDOT
Not every bridge rehabilitation depends upon
postcards. To rehabilitate
the Route 66 bridge over the Stony Kill in the Village of Chatham, New
York, which was built in 1886, designers turned to postcards of the
bridge from 1909. Looking at the postcards, the bridge designers were
able to determine what features of the bridge were original and important
to preserve or replicate and what had been added during a 1920 modification.
Contact: Phillips C. Crocker, NYSDOT,
845-431-5848.
|
Route 66/Stony Kill Bridge |
Category 6—Highway Related Projects
Broadway (Diamondback) Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge, City of Tucson
Department of Transportation
The Broadway (Diamondback) Bridge provides a critical link in the overall
bicycle/pedestrian system in Tucson. The bridge depicts a Diamond rattlesnake,
creating a landmark in the downtown area. The bridge plans marked the
first time the Tucson Department of Transportation accepted an artist
concept before engineers designed the project.
Contact: Craig Saltzman, City of Tucson
Department of Transportation, 520-791-4414.
|
Broadway Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge |
Category 7—Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
City of Tucson: ITS Public-Private Partnership, City of Tucson Department
of
Transportation and METRONetworks-Tucson
The City of Tucson has developed a public/private contract where a
single business entity has sole and exclusive rights to the traffic
and transit data received at the Tucson Regional Transportation Control
Center. Benefits realized by the City have included $106,000 returned
in revenue annually in exchange for the operation rights.
Contact: Richard B. Nassi, City of Tucson
Department of Transportation, 520-791-4259 or Allen Kath, METRONetworks-Tucson,
520-573-0713.
|
City of Tucson: ITS Public-Private Partnership |
Category 8—Intermodal Transportation Facilities
Natchez Visitor Reception and Intermodal Transportation Center, Mississippi
Department of Transportation (MDOT)
A focal point for all those entering Natchez, Mississippi, is the new
Natchez Visitor Reception and Intermodal Transportation Center. The
center both provides information about Natchez and facilitates access
to the city's historical areas.
Contact: Amy Hornback, MDOT, 601-359-7017.
|
Natchez Visitor Reception and Intermodal Transportation
Center |
Category 9-Highway Improvements on Publicly Owned Land
Forest Highway 65, Ozark National Forest, FHWA Eastern Federal Lands
Highway Division
Drivers along Highway 65 in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas encounter
spectacular views of the Forest and the Mulberry River. However, the
road no longer met safety standards and was unable to handle the increase
in recreational vehicles. The project included widening almost 1.47
km (1 mi) of the existing road and designing a natural rock retaining
wall that fit in with the surroundings.
Contact: Gregory Dolson, FHWA, 703-404-6295.
|
Forest Highway 65 |
Merit Award Winners
Category 1
Neil Avenue Improvements, Columbus, Ohio; Evans, Mechwart, Hambleton,
and Tilton, Inc.
In 1998, Evans, Mechwart, Hambleton, and Tilton, Inc., began the design
for a new arena and its surrounding district in downtown Columbus. The
work included improving the Neil Avenue Bridge, which now mimics the
appearance of older designs while using modern high-strength steel and
bolts.
Contact: Lawrence C. Creed, Evans, Mechwart,
Hambleton, and Tilton, Inc., 614-470-9385.
Ft. Washington Way Project, The City of Cincinnati, Ohio
Built in the 1960s to accommodate 75,000 vehicles a day, by 1985
Fort Washington Way was carrying almost double that. The reconstructed
road now provides four lanes in each direction with improved connections
to all adjacent urban expressways.
Contact: Denise Todd at Parsons Brinckerhoff,
513-639-2178.
Highway 96, Ramsey County, Minnesota, Public Works Department
Highway 96 is a major arterial roadway that provides a critical east-west
link for northern Ramsey County. To guide the reconstruction of 13.6
km (8.5 mi) of the highway, the County initiated a comprehensive community
involvement program. The new road has significantly improved safety
and capacity and at the same time provides the look and appeal of a
parkway.
Contact: James E. Tolaas, Ramsey County
Public Works Department, 651-482-5203.
Category 2
State Trunk Highway 21, Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)
This project involved realigning the two-lane State Highway 21 for
2.1 km (1.31 mi). The realignment occurred in an environmentally sensitive
area that includes two pristine lakes, archaelogical sites, and several
Native American burial mounds. Special measures taken to protect the
environment included setting highway grades to enhance the scenic overview
of the lakes.
Contact: Thomas Peronto, WisDOT, 715-421-8087,
or Gil Layton, WisDOT, 715-421-8379.
State Route 87, Sycamore Creek to Sunflower, Arizona Department
of Transportation (ADOT) and Michael Baker Jr., Inc.
Located in the Tonto National Forest, this highway travels some of
the most rugged and beautiful scenery in central Arizona. In widening
the road from two lanes to four lanes, the northbound alignment was
designed to follow the original two-lane roadway while the southbound
roadway was constructed on an entirely new alignment that better fit
the terrain.
Contact: Stephen D. Schwab, Michael Baker
Jr., Inc., 602-279-1234.
North Shore Scenic Drive, Minnesota Department of Transportation
(Mn/DOT)
Minnesota's North Shore Scenic Drive provides magnificent views of the
rivers, forests, and other treasures of this wilderness area. To preserve
the scenic route while improving safety and traffic flow, Mn/DOT used
a context-sensitive design approach.
Contact: Gary M. Mueller, Mn/DOT, 651-296-2303.
Category 3A
Gene Hartzell Memorial Bridge, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
and URS Corporation
This long span truss bridge in east central Pennsylvania has a clean
look while maintaining the familiarity of older bridges. The use of
weathering steel complements the scenic valley, reduced the construction
cost, and will minimize the need for painting.
Contact: John W. Lang, URS Corporation,
610-337-3666, x. 124.
Category 3B
Catskill Region State Route 28, Town of Bovina, NYSDOT
In the summer of 2001, the bridge carrying Route 28 over the Little
Delaware River in the Catskill Region of New York had to be replaced.
The new structure is a prestressed concrete box beam bridge whose arched
facade and buttressed pier columns were designed to resemble the original
structure.
Contact: Kate Zenzel, NYSDOT, 607-721-8118.
Mississippi River Bridge, City of Brainerd, Minnesota, Mn/DOT
Aesthetics were a primary focus in developing the design of the Mississippi
River crossing in the City of Brainerd, Minnesota. At least 12 different
pier forms were explored, for example, in an effort to blend the structure
with its surroundings.
Contact: Kevin Western, Mn/DOT, 651-747-2106.
Category 4
Indian Creek Stormwater Treatment Facility, WSDOT and City of Olympia
This cooperative effort among the WSDOT, City of Olympia, Squaxin Island
Tribe, and the Nisqually Tribe integrates public art with functional
aspects of stormwater treatment and slope stabilization.
Contact: Jerry Alb, WSDOT, 360-705-7482.
Category 5
Strawberry Mansion Bridge, City of Philadelphia Department of Streets
and Lichtenstein Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Built in 1897, the Strawberry Mansion Bridge spans the Schuylkill River
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An innovative rehabilitation included
restoring and repairing the stonework with matching stone to replicate
the original designs as closely as possible.
Contact: Hamid V. Homaee, Lichtenstein
Consulting Engineers, Inc., 215-752-2206.
Regency Suspension Bridge, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
The 1939 Regency Suspension Bridge is one of only two historic suspension
bridges still open to vehicular traffic in Texas. TxDOT's renovation
of the structure replaced the suspension cable anchorages while still
preserving the graceful appearance of the main span.
Contact: Charles Walker, TxDOT, 512-416-2272.
Category 6
High Peaks Welcome Centers, NYSDOT and Dufresne-Henry
The newly renovated I-87 North Hudson and Blue Ridge Rest Areas, now
known as the High Peaks Welcome Centers, provide a safe and inviting
environment for motorists while blending with and accentuating the surrounding
beauty of the Adirondacks.
Contact: James P. Bridges, NYSDOT, 518-474-6285.
Timber Pedestrian Bridge, North Carolina Department of Transportation
(NCDOT)
This new timber pedestrian bridge uses the Burr Truss design to complement
the historic village of Old Salem's Moravian heritage.
Contact: John Frye, NCDOT, 919-250-4049.
Category 8
Frederick Station, Maryland Transit Administration and Rummel, Klepper
& Kahl, LLP
The Frederick Station of Maryland Commuter Rail was designed to enhance
the ambiance of the adjacent Frederick Historic District.
Contact: Earl Leach, Rummel, Klepper
& Kahl, LLP, 410-728-2900, x. 1337.
Martinez Intermodal Rail Station, City of Martinez and California
Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
This intermodal station was designed to increase transit access and
parking for intercity rail passengers and to prepare for possible future
commuter and light rail connections.
Contact: Richard Pearson, City of Martinez,
925-372-3525.
Category 9
U.S. 93, Boulders Section, ADOT and URS Greiner
The project was designed to increase the traffic capacity of U.S. 93
by widening the roadway while preserving the scenic and environmentally
sensitive aspects of the route.
Contact: Sam Elters, ADOT, 928-757-5828.
Honorable Mention
Category 1
Bruce R. Watkins Drive, Missouri Department of Transportation
and HNTB Architects Engineers Planners; U.S. Route 2 (Main St.),
Vermont Agency of Transportation; The "Big I" Interchange,
New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department and URS
Corporation; I-15/40th St. Freeway Project, City of San Diego
and Caltrans
Category 2
Trunk Highway 61 (Schroeder Reconstruction), Mn/DOT
Category 3A
Neuse River Bridge, NCDOT; Smart Road Bridge, Virginia Department
of Transportation and Figg Engineering Group; Crooked River Gorge
Bridge (High Bridge), Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)
Category 3B
MD 146 Bridge (Dulaney Valley Road), Maryland SHA and The Six
M Company, Inc.; Bridge No. 09009, Mn/DOT
Category 4
Wetland Mitigation, Northern Nevada, Nevada Department of Transportation
Category 5
Rocky Creek Bridge, ODOT; Trunk Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue),
Minneapolis Park Board and Mn/DOT; Thread City Crossing, Connecticut
Department of Transportation and Maguire Group
Category 6
North County Trailway, NYSDOT; City of Tucson: Bicycle
and Pedestrian Facilities, City of Tucson, Department of Transportation;
Crabtree Creek Greenway Connector, NCDOT
Category 8
Historic Salem Railroad Station Restoration, ODOT
Category 9
Highway 61, Mn/DOT and the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources; Lakeshore Scenic Drive, FHWA Central Federal Lands
Highway Division and National Park Service.
|
Back to top
..................................................
Articles in this issue:
Maturity Meters: A Concrete Success
A New Approach to Highway Design
A Hydraulics How To
Foamed RAP Makes the Grade in Louisiana
Winners of LTPP Data Analysis Contest Announced
Excellence in Highway Design 2002 — Award Winners
..................................................