NYSDOT Wins Engineering Award for Hurricane Cleanup

ALBANY, NY (03/26/2012)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald recently attended and served as the Master of Ceremonies at the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala and accepted the Award of Merit for the Department's extraordinary response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee late last summer. The ceremony was held on Saturday, March 24, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

"It is a pleasure to be honored by the leading engineering organization in New York State, both for the hard work we performed following devastating late summer storms, and for the work of our consultants on important infrastructure projects across the State," Commissioner McDonald said. "When storms cut off transportation access for thousands of New Yorkers, NYSDOT crews were on the scene clearing debris, making repairs and restoring mobility. I am proud of our response to the storms and thank ACEC New York for their recognition."

NYSDOT received the Award of Merit for its outstanding response to massive flooding spawned by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in August and September 2011. The flooding destroyed more than 400 bridges and segments of road across New York State. The Department worked quickly to repair and reconstruct the transportation infrastructure in order to re-establish safety and mobility for residents. Nearly all of those segments were reopened to traffic within 10 days following the storms, with the final and most badly damaged section, which included rebuilding six miles of road and two bridges, reopening in February.

As part of the honor, ACEC New York awarded a $5,000 scholarship to CUNY third-year engineering student Benjamin Conable on NYSDOT's behalf.

In addition to NYSDOT's award, several engineering firms were recognized for excellence on Department projects. Those projects and firms include:

• Route 219, Section 5 Construction – Parsons Brinckerhoff of NYC: The highway extension in the towns of Concord and Ashford, Erie and Cattaraugus counties, was opened to traffic in November 2010. The $126 million project included bridging Cattaraugus Creek and the Zoar Valley Gorge and created a safe facility that would encourage economic development in the Southern Tier and along the Route 219 corridor.

• LIE/Route 110 Interchange – L.K. McLean Associates, P.C. of Brookhaven, Suffolk County: The $27.9 million Route 110-Long Island Expressway (LIE/I-495) bridge reconstruction and mobility improvement project in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, improved safety and reduced traffic congestion in the heart of Long Island's business corridor. Vertical clearance of the twin Route 110 bridges over the LIE was improved and the entrance/exit ramps and intersections were reconfigured to help assure continued economic health in this vital corridor.

• Route 252, Jefferson Road, Reconstruction – LaBella Associates, P.C. of Rochester: This $16.5 million project involved reconstructing a segment of Route 252, Jefferson Road, in Henrietta, Monroe County. The road was widened and intersections were upgraded in order to improve safety and congestion along the corridor. The project was completed in November 2011.

• Manhattan Bridge Biennial Inspection in New York City – HAKS Engineers, Architects and Land Surveyors, P.C. of NYC: NYSDOT is responsible for inspecting all bridges in the state, at least once every two years. The Manhattan Bridge, a one-mile suspension bridge over the East River, consists of seven vehicle lanes, four subway tracks and a pedestrian walkway. The in-depth inspection took seven months to complete and required the use of various specialty equipments, including man-lifts and moving and rolling platforms. During the inspection, a total of 117 structural and safety flags were issued and then addressed by bridge-owner New York City DOT.

• Engineering and Design for the Interstate 490 Corridor – Erdman Anthony of Rochester: The $36 million I-490 Western Gateway project rehabilitated a 3.5-mile section of the six-lane highway in the City of Rochester, Monroe County. The project was completed in the fall of 2010 and included replacement of the I-490 bridges over Mount Read Boulevard and repair of 11 other structures.

• Reconstruction of Interstate 287, Phase 3 – Boswell Engineering of Albany: The $178 million project included reconstructing nearly two miles of I-287 Cross Westchester Expressway in the City of White Plains and the Town of Harrison, Westchester County. It also involved the replacement or rehabilitation of 10 bridges. The new infrastructure was opened to traffic in early 2011.

ACEC New York is the state's premier organization for consulting engineering firms, representing 280 companies and more than 20,000 employees in New York. The organization's mission is to further the business interests of its members through advocacy, networking, education and business services.