On December 2nd, the Southwest Concrete Pavement Association (SWCPA) hosted their Inaugural Outstanding Achievements in Concrete Paving Awards in Seal Beach, California. Ten concrete pavement projects from throughout California and Nevada were recognized for their innovation and excellence. In attendance were the contractors who built the projects, and they shared “war” stories and how they met the challenges of each project, eventually finishing each job with great success and accomplishment.
This aerial view of the completed SR-99 Realignment Project showcases the new concrete pavement on Highway 99 and illustrates the newly cleared High-Speed Rail corridor at the center of the photo.
Granite Construction was recognized first and presented the Outstanding Teamwork Award for their extraordinary partnering with 19 different agencies and companies, including Caltrans, the City of Fresno, and the California High-Speed Rail Authority, on the SR-99 Realignment Project. George Delano and Randy Lucchesi accepted the award for their work on the $290-million project that moved Highway 99 – and much more – to accommodate the future California High-Speed Rail Line.
Nikhil Lakkamraju, Project Manager at Vanguard Construction, accepted the Precise Planning & Execution Award on behalf of his team for their work on the State Route 242 Rehab Project for Caltrans. Though small in value at $10.9 million, the planning and construction teams operated with amazing coordination, efficiency, and skill to minimize any inconvenience to Northern California motorists during the project.
The newly completed I-15 Express Lanes Project.
The Outstanding Innovation Award was presented to Joe Ferndino and Project Manager Abdallah Salama of Security Paving for their novel creation of a conveyor belt system on the $472-million I-15 Express Lanes Project that transported concrete from the batch plant over active freeway lanes to awaiting shuttle trucks in the median. Security performed the concrete paving work for the Joint Venture (JV) of Skanska and Ames, and clients Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), Caltrans, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The AQD JV Team of Ames Construction and Q&D Construction accept their Overcoming Obstacles Awards for the Spaghetti Bowl Xpress Project. Pictured are Scott Routte of Ames, and Tyler Yohey and Justin Morasky of Q&D.
The JV AQD brought together Ames Construction and Q&D Construction on the Spaghetti Bowl Xpress Project – Phase One in Reno. The team successfully battled through numerous, daunting challenges with this $481-million project for the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), and as a result, earned the Overcoming Obstacles Award. Accepting the award were Scott Routte of Ames, and Tyler Yohey and Justin Morasky of Q&D.
“Rebuilding the Busiest Highway in America” is a Herculean undertaking, and OC 405 Partners, a JV of OHLA USA and Astaldi Construction, grandly took up the task in the 405 Improvement Project. Highlighted in the work for this $2.08-billion endeavor were the highway entrance and exit ramps that were paved with concrete, which accounted for more than 133,000 cubic yards of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP). Accepting the Achieving the Impossible Award was Frank Stevenson.
Concrete paving work is pictured here on the new flyovers of The Centennial Bowl.
For creating a new highway network that will provide smooth transport to developing metro areas north and northwest of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Paving Corp.’s work on The Centennial Bowl – Final Phase earned them the Paving for the Future Award. The project value was $155 million, and the clients were NDOT, the Regional Transportation Commission, the City of Las Vegas, and Clark County.
Jon Hamilton, Construction Manager – Concrete Paving at Granite Construction, was presented the Maximizing Sustainability Award for Granite’s above-and-beyond incorporation of new sustainable practices and materials on the Highway 101: Carpinteria Project Phase 4A. This portion of the multi-phased work on Highway 101 is valued at $87 million. Clients include Caltrans, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, and the City of Carpinteria.
The white ribbon of freshly laid concrete pavement by Coffman Specialties highlights the new grade cut into the hillside on this stretch of SR-60 in The Badlands.
The SR-60 Truck Lanes Project in the Badlands of Southern California earned Coffman Specialties and Skanska the Making the Grade, Literally Award for the massive earthwork – along with extensive wildlife habitat preservation work on this $138.4-million project for the RCTC and Caltrans.
Wake Island, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – halfway between Hawaii and The Philippines, was the site of Southwest Concrete Paving Co.’s work on the U.S. Air Force Airfield Project.
Southwest Concrete Paving Co. chartered two vessels, three tugboats, two 380-foot ocean barges, and two 50,000-DWT ships to transport more than 800 containers and 70,000 tons of aggregate to Wake Island for the Wake Island Airfield Project, earning them the Extraordinary Logistics Award. Accepting the award was Southwest Concrete Paving Co.’s Scott Williams for the company’s truly remarkable work on the $33.5-million project for the United States Air Force and AECOM.
Aerial view of the crews at work, expanding the I-5 bridge spans over the San Elijo Lagoon.
The Pioneering CMGC to Rebuild Multimodal Sustainably Award was presented to George Butorovich and Donnie Riese, Jr. of Flatiron for their concrete pavement work on the North Coast Corridor Project Phase 1. This multimodal $650-million project encompasses widening I-5 with Express Lanes, making environmental improvements to San Elijo Lagoon, and double tracking the LOSSAN rail line. Flatiron is teaming with Skanska and Stacy & Witbeck on this 40-year, $6.5-billion North Coast Corridor Program for Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
The Presidio Parkway continues Highway 101 from the Golden Gate Bridge through The Presidio and into San Francisco’s Marina District.
Concluding the Inaugural SWCPA Outstanding Achievements in Concrete Paving Awards was the naming of the first Concrete Pavement Hall of Fame Project, The Presidio Parkway.
The Client and Contractor Project Team in 2015 included Caltrans, C.C. Myers, R & L Brosamer, Flatiron, and Kiewit Infrastructure West.
The groundbreaking CRCP ramps connect The Presidio Parkway with northbound Highway 1 in San Francisco’s Presidio.
The Presidio Parkway Project featured groundbreaking innovations, including being one of the first two Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement Caltrans pilot projects, and the premier Greenroads P3 project.
The exit lanes of the Park Presidio Interchange were groundbreaking innovations in 2015, one of the first two Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) pilot projects with Caltrans. Challenging tradition, the ramps were also paved with CRCP at very difficult angles and slopes. A proven success with the Presidio Parkway Project, CRCP has now become a go-to staple of California highway construction.
The Presidio Parkway was also the premier Greenroads P3 project, with sustainable features of the project focusing on safety while improving access and equity along the corridor. A number of responsible design and construction practices were implemented to reduce environmental impacts, as well as lifecycle costs.