| January
19, 2005
 (New York, N.Y.) The replacement of the Belt
Parkway Bridge over Ocean Parkway has received a Silver
Award from the American Council
of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC/NY) in the 2005 Engineering
Excellence Awards Competition. In addition, this project was a finalist
at the ACEC National competition. Gannett Fleming, an international
planning, design, and construction management firm, served as lead
design consultant for the Granite Halmar Design/Build Team completing
the project.
A regional corridor traveled by 166,000 vehicles daily, the Belt
Parkway Bridge was rapidly deteriorating and nearing its capacity
based on traffic studies. The New York City Department of Transportation
needed to replace the bridge and reconstruct the interchange ramps
quickly, with minimal disruption to the community in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Gannett Fleming overcame several challenges to complete this Design/Build
project. To meet an ambitious timeframe, the project team specified
extensive use of precast elements. The precasting took place in upstate
New York, saving the community from the noise and disturbance inherent
to a cast in place approach.
Designated as a New York City scenic landmark, the setting also
required substantial agency coordination to protect bridge architecture
and landscaping components. The resulting Belt Parkway Project added
capacity and a long lifespan for the bridge, while maintaining the
integrity of the parkway as a streetscape with a park-like image.
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