Gannett Fleming Recognized in ACEC/AZ Engineering Excellence Awards Program
December 22, 2008
 (Phoenix, Ariz.) Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm, was recently recognized in the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arizona (ACEC/AZ) 28th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Program for two innovative projects.
The 19th Avenue Over Grand Canal Bridge Retrofit project received an Engineering Excellence Grand Award in the Small Projects Category for the rapid and cost-effective rehabilitation of an aging bridge. This award was one of only nine Grand Awards given out for innovation and engineering excellence. The 19th Avenue Bridge is a three-span continuous concrete slab bridge originally constructed in 1946 that carries an average daily traffic of 30,000 vehicles.
Gannett Fleming joined forces with Truesdell Corporation, Composite Designs Group, and LifeSpan Technologies to rehabilitate the City of Phoenix’s 19th Avenue Bridge. An advanced technology using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) composite materials was selected for the bridge rehabilitation. CFRP composite materials were selected for their superior strength characteristics when compared to traditional bridge building materials and for the rapid and economical installation processes.
The 19th Avenue Bridge is also the first smart structure in the City of Phoenix and first of its kind in the state of Arizona. The bridge was instrumented with a real-time monitoring system, powered with a solar array, for continuous performance monitoring. The project provided the benefits of uninterrupted pedestrian use, limited construction time, minimal traffic disruptions, and no environmental concerns.
ACEC/AZ also recognized Gannett Fleming’s City of Phoenix Pipe Bursting Project with a 2008 Engineering Excellence Honor Award in the Water/Wastewater Category. Faced with rapid population growth and the need to increase wastewater collection system capacity, the City of Phoenix was concerned about the drawbacks of more traditional open cut sewer replacement methods. To address the City of Phoenix’s need for increased capacity and to overcome the disadvantages of traditional open cut methods, Gannett Fleming identified pipe bursting as an appropriate alternative for the project.
Pipe bursting provides tremendous social advantages over traditional open cut repair methods. By utilizing pipe bursting, inconvenience to the public is significantly reduced. This approach to upgrading the City’s wastewater collection system reduced road closures and traffic delays by allowing two-way traffic during much of the construction; removed the need for unnecessary detours; allowed access to homes and businesses; maintained a well-organized construction site; and reduced general disruption during construction.
While prevalent in other areas of the country, pipe bursting is not a technique that has been prominent in the state of Arizona. The planning and design of pipe bursting projects can be very different from one geographic region to another, as each project is specific to the native soils, pipe depth and material, and other location specific conditions of the project. Therefore, the data gained as a result of this project will serve as a benchmark for future pipe bursting projects in the City of Phoenix, the surrounding Phoenix metropolitan area, and communities throughout Arizona.
For more information, please contact John Derr at (602) 553-8817 or
via e-mail.
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