FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 14, 2010
Contact: Amy Kay, Public Relations Coordinator
Hanson Professional Services Inc.
(217) 747-9283
akay@hanson-inc.com
Hanson project for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, receives 2010 Best of Engineering Design recognition
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — South Central Construction named the Paducah and Louisville (P&L) Railway bridge design project in Grand Rivers, Ky., as the Best of Engineering Design in its Best of 2010 awards program. Hanson Professional Services Inc. served as the prime engineering consultant for the P&L Railway Bridge relocation project, working in partnership with the project owner, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District. The new bridge is an integral component of the Kentucky Lock addition, and it extends over the Tennessee River to link rail traffic from Paducah to Louisville, Ky.
As the prime engineering consultant, Hanson designed the new 3,094-foot-long railroad bridge and the relocation of 12,500 feet of inland track. The railroad bridge design features 17 approach spans – each 152 feet long supported by single column piers – and a 500-foot main span that crosses the river’s navigational channel. Relocation, design and construction of the railroad bridge required extensive coordination, innovative design and logistical considerations to realign this mainline railroad over a major river crossing.
Since this project began in 1998, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, the P&L Railway, and Hanson have worked together to address the challenges and issues inherent in an engineering project of this magnitude. This project also contains layers of complexity, from the physical geography in which the work was done to the coordination of the project team and stakeholders.
“Some of the most interesting and challenging parts of designing the new bridge were the foundations for the bridge, taking into consideration voids in the bedrock, addressing hydraulics from the spillway, and building the main span without long-term closures to the main channel navigation,” says John Harms, P.E., S.E., senior vice president and Hanson’s project manager.
South Central Construction’s Best of 2010 annual competition recognizes construction and design excellence from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Projects were awarded based on criteria including safety, innovation, contribution to the community or industry, construction quality and craftsmanship, and function and aesthetic quality of design.
Hanson is a national, employee-owned consulting firm providing engineering, architecture, planning and allied services. The firm’s corporate headquarters is located at 1525 S. Sixth St., Springfield, IL 62703. The office may be reached by phone: (217) 788-2450 or fax: (217) 788-2503.
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