(April 3, 2002—Frankfort, KY) This year’s highest award for engineering excellence – the Grand Conceptor Award – goes to Quest Engineers, Inc., an engineering consulting firm located in Lexington, Kentucky. The firm’s Floyds Fork Wastewater Plant Project was completed for the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District.
ABOUT THE FLOYDS FORK WASTEWATER PLANT PROJECT:
The client, Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), sought to eliminate 11 small wastewater treatment plants within its service area that were prone to mechanical failure and produced poorly treated wastewater. The objective was to replace them with a regional treatment plant located on Floyds Fork. Because Floyds Fork is the highest quality stream remaining in Jefferson County, there was a strong commitment to prevent its degradation. In addition to environmental considerations, the owner identified several challenging goals for the facility including operational flexibility, energy efficiency, schedule/budget compliance, and minority/women business enterprise (M/WBE) participation.
From the beginning, MSD made it clear that the Floyds Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant (FFWTP) was not to be "just another sewage plant," but a model facility and environmental resource for the community. Clearly, delivering such a project would require an approach that was fundamentally different.
Quest Engineers, Inc. teamed with Judy Construction Company to assist MSD in designing and constructing the $15.7 million Floyds Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant Project...... a solution which features the following accomplishments:
• First municipally-owned design/build (D/B) wastewater treatment plant in Kentucky.
• Ecology Learning Center for 5th grade students.
• Constructed on time and within budget with no change orders initiated by the D/B team.
• Geothermal system that reduces heating/cooling costs by 50%.
• Remote operations capability which substantially reduces labor costs.
• Exceeded M/WBE participation goals.
• Wheelchair accessibility throughout the plant.
• Erosion prevention sediment control techniques which serve as a teaching model.
2002 GRAND Awards went to four projects:
· American Engineers, Inc., headquartered in Glasgow, was awarded a GRAND Award for its project: “Glasgow Airport Runway Extension”, completed for the City of Glasgow and the Glasgow Airport Board.
· Commonwealth Technology, Inc., headquartered in Lexington, was awarded a GRAND Award for its Hardin County project, the Hardin County Landfill Expansion, for the client, the Hardin County Fiscal Court.
· PEH Engineers, Inc., of Lexington, was awarded a GRAND Award for its West Hickman Trunk Sewer System Hydraulic Model project in Lexington completed for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
· Skees Engineering, Inc, of Louisville, was awarded a GRAND Award for its I-65 Split Lanes Phasing Concept project in Bowling Green for their client, Johnson, Depp & Quisenberry and the owner, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
2002 HONOR Awards went to three projects:
· GRW, Inc., of Lexington, was awarded an HONOR Award for its project of the Tim Horton Children's Camp located at Green River Lake State Park in Taylor County, Kentucky for the Tim Horton Children's Foundation.
· Woolpert, LLP, of Ashland, was awarded an HONOR Award for its I-64 Weekend Project in Louisville completed for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
· Woolpert, LLP, of Ashland, was awarded a second HONOR Award for its I-275 Pavement Rehabilitation Project in Boone and Kenton Counties of Kentucky, also for their client, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
KCEC’s EEA program is open to any firm engaged in the private practice of consulting engineering or surveying. To be eligible for the 2002 awards projects must have been substantially completed during 2000 or 2001. In addition to project descriptions and documentation, firms also submit a 30”x30” photographic panel, which provides a visual depiction of the project. A select panel of judges using the following criteria judges projects:
A) Original or Innovative Application of New or Existing Techniques;
B) Technical Value to the Engineering Profession;
C) Social/Economic Considerations;
D) Complexity; and
E) Meeting and Exceeding Owner’s/Client’s Needs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact George M. Binder, Executive Director of KCEC, 160 Democrat Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601; Email: george@kyengcenter.org; phone: 502.695.5680 or 800.455.5583.
Early in 1990, American Engineers, Inc. was retained by the Glasgow Airport Board to investigate ways to upgrade their airport from a B-II category to a C-II. The Board had received requests from several corporations in the Glasgow and Barren County area to improve the existing runway. Specifically, their insurance carriers would not allow corporate jets to use the Glasgow Airport because of insufficient runway length and the reduced safety area associated with the B-II airport.
This project spanned approximately eleven years from conception to completion, requiring many things from AEI. One of the key traits AEI brought to the table was perseverance. Over the eleven year period, each federal grant allocation and construction phase required AEI to prepare plans and specifications to utilize all available funds, bid the project, receive final allocations from FAA, modify plans to keep the project within the FAA budget, monitor construction and continue to modify plans to balance available dollars with change orders and other unforeseen events.
AEI designed an 8 x 5 feet rock core drain to move 25,000 gallons per minute of spring drainage through an 80 feet deep fill. In order to obtain 1,300,000 yards of borrowed material, AEI mapped bottom land areas and created an on site rock quarry, saving the project $2 Million dollars. They also developed an acceptable relocation plan for the Stone Bank Barn, a historic building built in the late 1700's.
In the end the project was complete and the following goals were met; a longer and wider runway, creation of safety areas along the ends and sides of the runway to meet more stringent safety guidelines and the installation of a completely new storm sewer system.
The governing body of Hardin County, Kentucky, embarked on the permitting and construction of a new, state-of-the-art, regional solid waste landfill. Commonwealth Technology, Inc., (CTI), designed a multiphase landfill - fitting the challenging site and meeting the multi-faceted requirements of a regulatory program acknowledged to be among the toughest in the nation.
While the 60-foot layer of shale beneath the valley made it an ideal landfill site, the surface features posed formidable challenges. The narrow valleys had steep side slopes that were thinly covered with colluvial soils clinging precariously to the underlying shale and siltstone formations. Seepage from the rock formations presented a threat to the future stability of constructed features. Water control was key, as was the ability of the landfill to remain operational during the Phase 2A construction process.
This project resulted in several firsts in a modem-era Kentucky landfill, including the first permitted use of a geosynthetic clay liner, the first use of a leachate storage lagoon, and the first interchange off a controlled access parkway - specifically constructed by the landfill owner to serve the landfill. While these firsts are noteworthy, the greatest technical value in this project lies in the demonstration that creative engineering can be applied to design a successful project in a challenging site. The final design enhanced constructability, overcame the obstacle of site stability, and maximized the availability of the end product - airspace.
Following the completion of its Revised Wastewater Facilities Plan in 1998, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) initiated a series of watershed improvement projects for their sanitary trunk sewer system. A total of seven (7) watersheds were identified for field investigation, study, and rehabilitation. PEH Engineers was awarded the first engineering contract for the West Hickman watershed. Hydraulic modeling was an integral and challenging component of the overall project; and was key to formulating an effective rehabilitation strategy for the watershed.
The hydraulic modeling and data collection procedures developed by PEH established the standard for use throughout the system. All consultants subsequently applied these procedures for similar studies conducted in Fayette County's six remaining watersheds.
A unique and innovative feature of the project was the creation of an active link between LFUCG's existing GIS database and the hydraulic model through an interface program developed by the PEH Team. Such integration facilitated the development of the geometric model. The geometric model, calibrated with actual monitored flows, was used to simulate dry and wet weather flows in the system, under existing and future scenarios. The model was also used to identify hydraulic inadequacies in the sewer system, particularly during wet weather conditions. The model served as an effective planning tool in evaluating improvement alternatives. It addresses key sewer system management issues, including capital improvements planning, wet-weather wastewater management, and long term system rehabilitation.
I-65 near Bowling Green, Kentucky required widening from four to six lanes to accommodate significant increases in traffic. Four lanes of I-65 traffic needed to be maintained during construction at all peak travel times along with access to the KY 446 interchange ramps. Limited lateral clearance and uneven super elevated bridge decks prevented the traditional method of placing four lanes of traffic simultaneously into the former median area, upon completion of the first construction phase.
Skees Engineering, Inc., developed an innovative maintenance of traffic concept whereby one lane of two lanes of same-direction traffic was placed on each side of the central concrete barrier wall. This Split Lanes Concept operates in a manner similar to the operation of a collector-distributor roadway arrangement. Traffic is separated upstream of the project beginning, using a gore area with crash cushion, customized signing, striping to discourage lane changing, tubular markers in advance of the crash cushion, asphalt indented rumble strips, and temporary lighting for enhanced nighttime visibility. Advance signing, with heavy use of variable message signs, guided motorists into and through the construction zone. Advantages of the Split Lanes Concept are --1) much wider temporary shoulders for enhanced driver comfort, emergency refuge, and emergency vehicle access; 2) elimination of accidents caused by lane shifting; 3) reduced potential for closure of the entire directional roadway in the event of an accident; and 4) driver attention is reduced to focusing on one lane only.
GRW, Inc. was hired as a sub-consultant to provide all Surveying, Civil, Landscape, Sanitary, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical and Fire Protection design services for a Tim Horton Children's Foundation Camp, Camp Kentahten, (Iroquois for "Land of tomorrow"), located on a 50-acre site on the banks of Green River Lake in Green River Lake State Park, in Taylor County.
Tim Horton's store owners work in conjunction with community churches, schools, clubs and local agencies, to select appropriate children aged nine to 12 who might otherwise not have the opportunity to take part in a camp experience. Campers are given the added thrill of being sent to a camp outside their immediate province, state or region, with the Children's Foundation covering all costs for each child, including transportation, food and lodging. A Tracking Program brings back past participants, aged 13 to 18, for an opportunity to further develop their leadership skills and self-confidence.
The Foundation presently operates additional camps in: Ontario; Nova Scotia; Alberta; and Quebec.
The Local community of Campbellsville, KY will benefit with the location of the camp in Kentucky with the added employment associated with this project. Service type industry-providers will be drawn to this facility providing services and goods, which will generate monies into the local economy.
Many state and private entities participated with ideas and funding efforts to make this project a reality. GRW, Inc. participated in coordinating many of these efforts.
Over 100,000 vehicles traverse the lanes of Interstate 64 in Louisville, Ky., on any given day. The heavy traffic flow demanded a non-disruptive rehabilitation program. And seven weeks ahead of schedule, the project team delivered the completed project.
Woolpert LLP was the prime consultant and provided design and construction plans; Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Divisions of Design, Construction, Traffic, Pre-Construction, Operations, and Public Affairs provided administration, engineering, and construction management; Federal Highway Administration provided funding, programming, engineering, and inspection assistance; Vaughn & Melton provided rehabilitation plans for the Cochran Tunnels; and Creative Alliance developed the media campaign.
The project team applied techniques like context-sensitive design, traffic management, expansion of the Intelligent Transportation System, and tunnel rehabilitation engineering to the project. The practices and results of the project added value to the engineering profession by creating incentive/disincentive provisions, involving construction personnel in all aspects of the project, and using multidisciplinary rehabilitation and rapid pavement construction techniques.
By completing the project quickly and with close attention to the nature of the parkland design, the project team satisfied the community and government with minimal traffic disruptions and the preservation of the highway boundaries. The complex project involved a large traffic flow, multiple disciplines, public involvement, and challenging engineering feats.
This project exceeded the client's needs through the early completion of construction, seven weeks ahead of schedule. This quick completion saved time and money, and was achieved through successful traffic management, practical design plans, a creative public relations program, and harmony between practical and aesthetic project needs.
Woolpert, LLP - I-275 Pavement Rehabilitation Project
Heavy traffic had made it a rough road to drive on. This describes the "Circle Freeway" around the Covington-Cincinnati metropolitan area, also know as Interstate 275. The Kentucky Department of Highways undertook a pavement rehabilitation project for I-275, and completed the project six months early. The project contained two major firsts for the state of Kentucky: pavement designs were bid as both concrete and asphalt; and the pavement designs were warranted against failure.
Woolpert LLP, lead consultant, designed and prepared construction plans for section B of 1-275 and summary plans for the entire 1-275 project. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Divisions of Design, Construction, Traffic, Pre-Construction, Operations, and Public Affairs provided administration, engineering, and construction management. The Federal Highway Administration granted funding, programming, engineering, and inspection assistance. WMB, Inc., Consulting Engineers, designed and prepared construction plans for section A of 1-275.
The project team was the first in the state to use alternate pavement design bids and to require a 10-year pavement warranty. The team concentrated its work efforts during night and weekend hours, used innovative subsurface drainage systems, and utilized an Intelligent Transportation System. Early completion incentives and lane closure disincentives, rapid pavement construction techniques, and non-disruptive traffic control techniques brought value to the engineering profession.
The project team catered to the public by minimizing traffic disruptions. The project experiences, an 80,000 vehicle per day traffic flow, multidiscipline project team, unique bidding format, public relations effort, and structural engineering tasks - made the early completion very rewarding for travelers, the Kentucky Department of Highways, as well as the project team.
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