| March 15, 2005
 (Valley Forge, Pa.) The Valley Forge office of Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm, was presented with an Engineering Excellence Grand Conceptor Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) and was a finalist at the ACEC National competition. Gannett Fleming received the awards for the Norfolk Southern Railroad Truss project. The bridge was part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s SR0202 Expressway, Section 400 Project, which was necessary to improve overall traffic capacity, safety, and traffic circulation effectiveness of the greatly overburdened expressway network, and to meet the rapidly increasing demands of the region’s largest high-growth corridor.
The newly constructed bridge is located about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia at the confluence of SR0202, I-76, I-276, and US Route 422 in Montgomery County, Pa. This confluence in the region’s expressway network accommodates the highest concentration of traffic in the commonwealth. Several solutions were implemented to overcome project challenges and minimize traffic restrictions including designing a structure with one pier in the gore areas of roadway; removing the existing 600-ton, run-around-PECO bridge with a remote control lift in one three-hour shutdown of I-76; and launching the 740-ton span over I-76 in one 15-minute traffic stoppage. In addition, the bridge was completed ahead of schedule after only one year of construction.
Prior to the improvements brought forth by this project, traffic was extremely congested. Long delays would frustrate commuters and area commerce suffered because of late deliveries of goods and services. With the completion of this project, traffic flow was dramatically improved within the region. Additionally, the project contributes to the regional economic development and this corridor’s importance is well recognized in regional planning analyses and strategies.
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