| April
15,
2005
 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) The Cranberry Connector, which was designed by
Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction
management firm, has received an Honor Award in the Transportation
Category in the American Council of Engineering
Companies of Pennsylvania’s
(ACEC/PA) 2005 Diamond Awards for Engineering
Excellence Competition.
In addition, this project was a finalist at the ACEC National competition.
Gannett Fleming designed the Connector for the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
(PTC). The Connector, located in Cranberry Township, Pa., provides
the much-needed link between Interstate 79 (I-79) and the Pennsylvania
Turnpike, integrating the diverse transportation networks of PennDOT
and the PTC. The result was a tremendous increase in traffic mobility
and passenger safety.
Cranberry Township grew by more than 37 percent between 1990 and
2000, while U.S. Route 19 and Route 228 experienced rapid retail
and commercial growth. Prior to the Connector, drivers wishing to
travel between I-79 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike had to use Routes
19 and 228. The Connector reduced traffic from 85,000 to 57,000 average
daily traffic along the Route 19 Corridor, as well as cut truck traffic
on local roads by 75 percent.
Funding shortfalls delayed the project in the mid-1990s until value
engineering was used in 1997 to trim $16 million off of the project’s
overall cost. The most significant outcome of this effort led to
the use of the existing I-79 southbound lanes as the collector-distributor
roadway, the first in western Pa. The effort saved three miles of
roadway reconstruction and limited access ramp reconstruction, as
well as minimized the need for right-of-way acquisition. In addition,
this effort significantly reduced the project footprint and associated
environmental impact.
The consideration of numerous alternatives and challenges led to
the development of a phased construction plan, as well as project
completion one month ahead of schedule at a cost that was $1 million
under budget. The innovative construction plan ensured traffic was
maintained on major and secondary routes throughout construction
and allowed the project to move forward while necessary tolling studies
were completed. In order to provide for free flow traffic conditions
between I-79 and the Turnpike, mainline and electronic tolling was
implemented.
Throughout design and construction, Gannett Fleming coordinated with
PennDOT and the PTC, both of which have significant responsibilities
for design, construction, and maintenance of transportation infrastructure.
The Cranberry Connector formed a unique partnership between these
two organizations that offers insight into advancing a major project
between two distinct agencies and has set a high standard for similar
future projects.
|
