Urban Engineers (Urban) is thrilled to announce that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s (PTC) $102 million Lehigh and Pohopoco Bridges Replacement Project has received an Award of Merit in Engineering News-Record (ENR) Mid-Atlantic’s Best Projects contest. The award recognizes the PTC, and entire project team’s efforts in delivering this monumental project.

The project was a runner-up in the Highways/Bridges Category to the S.R. 29 All Electronic Toll Interchange Project, in which Urban’s Construction Services Division played a significant role as well. These projects will be featured in the December issue of ENR Mid-Atlantic and honored during the awards event on December 17, 2013 in Baltimore, MD.

More about the project:
Part of the PTC’s Capital Improvement Plan, the Lehigh and Pohopoco Bridges Replacement Project was an effort to construct four new bridges across the Lehigh River and Pohopoco Creek on the heavily traveled Northeast Extension (Interstate–476) in Carbon County, PA. The crumbling, original structures were a stark contrast to the new bridges now providing safer transportation for 30,000 vehicles per day and enhancing the region’s economic competitiveness.

Urban led the construction management and inspection (CM/CI) effort. During the design, Urban provided a multitude of services, including constructability reviews, cost estimates, and developing preliminary construction schedules. Once the project was awarded, Urban’s role was twofold: as construction inspector, Urban was tasked with quality control of all aspects of construction and documenting daily work operations; as construction manager, Urban reviewed the contractor’s design submittals, including structure alternatives and value engineering, monitored the construction schedule, and documented issues via meetings and written correspondence.

“Communication, teamwork, and 100 percent cooperation among the PTC and the entire project team was paramount to address and successfully resolve any issues brought to our attention by property owners, municipal and state officials, along with the business community,” said the PTC’s Construction Engineering Manager. “The Project Team tackled this project with complete professionalism and an unequaled work ethic to complete the construction project on time and within budget. Urban Engineers have set the highest professional standard for all future contracts with the PTC by providing outstanding service at a reasonable price.”

Related videos:

“Just in Time: Four New Bridges Replace Structurally Deficient Bridges on PA Turnpike”
“Implosion of Old PA Turnpike Bridge”
“Steel Truss Bridge Demolition”