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Reconstruction of Runway 3L/21R and Associated Taxiways at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Earns Envision Gold

15-November-2019

The ongoing reconstruction of Runway 3L/21R and associated taxiways at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) received the Envision Gold award for sustainable infrastructure. Previously, the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) achieved Envision Silver for another major airfield project—the reconstruction of DTW’s Runway 4L/22R and associated taxiways—in 2016. The project team built on past successes and lessons learned to expand the sustainability objectives and initiatives throughout the recent Runway 3L design and construction.

This $180 million project is reconstructing Runway 3L/21R and parallel Taxiway M and partial parallel Taxiway P. These facilities were originally constructed in the 1950’s and had deteriorated to a point where full reconstruction was necessary. As part of this project, decommissioned pavement is being removed, geometry is being updated to current design standards, bypass taxiways are being added, and Taxiway P is being extended. These measures are expected to improve safety by reducing acute angle intersections, adding shoulder pavement, and improving the operational flow throughout the completed area.

“Incorporating sustainable measures into two large runway projects, including the reconstruction of our primary runways, has been a fulfilling experience for the Airport Authority,” said Deputy Director Theresa Samosiuk, the WCAA project manager for both the 4L and 3L runway projects. “While reconstructing Runway 3L/21R and its associated taxiways, we will maintain nearly all materials on site. We are also reducing future maintenance through LED lighting and other measures, contributing to the Airport Authority’s overall sustainability goals – which includes a target for 100% LED airfield lighting at DTW. It’s exciting to have a direct and positive impact on how we deliver infrastructure projects across the airports.”

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LaGuardia Airport Central Terminal Building Replacement Project Earns Envision Platinum

22-August-2019

The LaGuardia Airport CTB Replacement Project is the first project to earn Envision recognition under Envision v3 – the latest iteration of the Envision sustainable infrastructure framework developed and managed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. Owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the LaGuardia Airport CTB Replacement Project earned Envision Platinum, indicating the project delivered a heightened range of social, environmental, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities.

The LaGuardia Airport is vital to the regional economy. It employs approximately 10,000 people on-airport and contributes more than $13 billion in economic activity to the region, generating an additional 100,000 jobs and nearly $5 billion in annual wages and salaries. The airport is located on 680 acres in the New York City Borough of Queens. It is a large commercial airport hub that primarily serves domestic markets. Located only a few minutes from Manhattan, LaGuardia Airport serves more than 19 million people.

PANYNJ embarked on an innovative Public-Private Partnership (P3) to replace the aging and outdated Central Terminal Building (CTB) at the LaGuardia Airport which has been operational since its dedication in 1964. It was most recently modernized and expanded in the 1990s. This is the most ambitious P3 ever undertaken in the region and is the largest P3 ever in the United States. Under the P3, LaGuardia Gateway Partners will design, build, operate, and maintain a new Central Terminal Building (New CTB) facility. The P3 contract includes taking over the operations of the existing CTB and designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the New CTB through 2050. The project will be financed using equity, debt, passenger facility charges, retail, and airline revenues.

Learn more about this project and why it earned Envision Platinum.

Westside Subway Extension (Purple Line), Section 1

20-August-2019

Rendering of the Wilshire/La Brea Station currently under construction [rendering courtesy of Skanska]

LA Metro’sWestside Subway Extension (Purple Line), Section 1 in Los Angeles received the Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure. To reach Platinum status, a project must demonstrate that it delivers a heightened range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities.

Section 1 of the Westside Subway Extension, also known as the Purple Line Extension, is one of the most significant infrastructure programs in the region. The 3.92-mile segment, comprised of twin bore tunnels, will add three new stations to LA Metro’s rail system. The three additional stations will be located at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cinega. The project will extend the current Purple Line from Koreatown through Miracle Mile and is expected to be operational in 2023.

Located beneath some of Los Angeles’ most heavily traveled boulevards, this $1.6 billion subway line extension will provide a high-capacity, high-speed, and dependable transportation alternative for commuters to alleviate congested roadways. This project will also deliver significant economic and environmental benefits to the area.

Learn more about the project.

Hope Mills Dam in North Carolina Earns Envision Bronze for Sustainability

7-August-2019

The Hope Mills Dam in North Carolina is the recent recipient of the Envision® Bronze award for sustainable infrastructure. This is the first dam project to earn an Envision award, and the second project in the state to earn recognition from ISI for sustainability.

The Town of Hope Mills is located in western Cumberland County south of Fayetteville in North Carolina.  Hope Mills Lake is the centerpiece of the town, one of the main reasons for the town’s existence and a crucial element included in the planned revitalization of the town’s historic downtown district.

The Schnabel/ASI design-build team worked in close partnership with the Town of Hope Mills to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.  Construction of this new dam began April 2016 and was completed in 2018.

Key factors contributing to the Hope Mills Dam project earning an Envision Bronze award include:

  • Collaboration and stakeholder engagement
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Reducing noise and vibrations

Learn more by visiting the PROJECT PAGE.

Alliant Energy’s Upland Prairie and English Farms Wind Farms Earn Envision Platinum

22-July-2019

Two of Alliant Energy’s Wind Farms – Upland Prairie and English Farms – located in Everly and Montezuma, Iowa respectively are the recent recipients of the Envision® Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure.

Alliant Energy, a Midwest energy company engaged in electric generation and the distribution of electricity and natural gas, expects to increase its renewable energy capacity from 20% in 2018 to 33% by 2024. Completion of the Upland Prairie and English Farms Wind Farms with the projected combined energy capacity of 470 megawatts, is a significant contributor to meeting this goal. The electricity generated by these two wind farms will be enough to power approximately 168,000 Iowa homes per year.

“These two projects are part of a larger expansion of wind energy for our customers. We’re using advanced wind turbine technology to provide emission-free and cost-effective energy for our customers for decades,” said Terry Kouba, President of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company. “We are continuing to transition our generating fleet to cleaner, more cost-effective sources, which will promote a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050.”

Alliant Energy worked in close collaboration with General Electric Renewable Energy, Black & Veatch and White Construction to deliver these award-winning sustainable projects. Alliant Energy previously earned Envision awards for their Marshalltown Generating Station and Dubuque Solar projects.

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Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program Earns Envision Silver

16-July-2019

The Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ or PA) is the most recent recipient of the Envision Silver award for sustainability.

The Port Authority worked in close collaboration with the design joint venture (HDR and Parsons Brinkerhoff/WSP, with AECOM as the sustainability consultant) and the construction joint venture (Skanska and Kiewit) to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.

The Bayonne Bridge is the fourth-longest steel arch bridge in the world and was the longest in the world at the time of its completion in 1931. This historic engineering landmark, designed by American-Swiss structural engineer (and former Port Authority Chief Engineer) Othmar H. Ammann, spans the Kill Van Kull tidal strait, the narrow water body that connects New York Harbor to four of the Port Authority’s five major container terminals.

Built prior to the era of containerized freight, the bridge was originally constructed 151 feet above water. As a result of the bridge’s limited height, in recent years shippers had been forced to use smaller, less-efficient and less environmentally-preferable ships to bring goods into the region.  To solve this problem, in 2010, the PANYNJ announced its decision preserve the Bayonne Bridge while raising its roadway deck to 215 feet to permit the passage of larger, more efficient vessels.

In addition to preserving a landmark structure, this project benefits the New York-New Jersey region in many ways. Critically, larger, more efficient ships calling on PA ports yields better air quality for the region.  The project also includes wider lanes, shoulders, and median dividers, which together make the bridge safer for drivers, and features a new bikeway and an ADA-compliant walkway.  The bridge was also designed not to preclude future mass transit service.

Learn more by visiting the PROJECT PAGE.

Saudi Aramco’s Ajyal Community Development Project is First in Middle East to Earn Envision Award

30-May-2019

Saudi Aramco’s Ajyal Community of Excellence project located in South Dhahran, Saudi Arabia is the first infrastructure project in the Middle East to earn an Envision award for sustainable infrastructure. This project is the recent recipient of the Envision Silver award—an award that signifies the project delivers a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities.

The Ajyal Community of Excellence project, known locally as the South Dhahran Home Ownership Program, includes site planning, selection, preparation, environmental monitoring; and design and construction of the infrastructure for the new Ajyal community.

The overall goals of the Ajyal Community Development project include:

  • Promoting a high quality of life by including pedestrian and bicycle paths, attractive landscaping, and public open spaces for residents;
  • Demonstrating leadership in environmental design by optimizing land use and balancing economic, social, and environmental considerations;
  • Smartly locating and constructing utilities and infrastructure to serve the needs of the community today, while also planning for future growth;
  • Creating opportunities for significant commercial and residential development in an area that was previously barren; and
  • Utilizing resources efficiently—including energy, water and materials—during construction and over the operational life of the project.

Saudi Aramco worked in close collaboration with Nesma & Partners, HOK and IBI to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.

Visit the PROJECT PAGE to learn more.

OC Streetcar

21-May-2019

The OC Streetcar project, managed by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), recently earned an Envision Silver rating for sustainable infrastructure. This is the 15th Envision-verified project in the state, and the first modern streetcar project in California to receive Envision recognition.

The project helps OCTA and the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove reach their goals to increase transportation options and improve transit connectivity. The $407.7 million project, which is expected to begin operation in 2022, will operate along a 4.15-mile route that connects the bustling Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC) — providing regional rail, OCTA bus, and intercity and international bus services — to a new multimodal hub at Harbor Boulevard/Westminster Avenue in Garden Grove.

Learn more about the project by visiting the PROJECT PAGE.

Eagle Creek Airpark Taxiway B

2-May-2019

The Eagle Creek Airpark Taxiway B project in Indianapolis, Indiana is the recent recipient of the Envision Bronze award for sustainable infrastructure. This project involves the rehabilitation, widening and relocation of Taxiway B at Eagle Creek Airpark, a General Aviation airport owned by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The main objectives of the project are to meet the Federal Aviation Administration’s design standards, improve the condition of the pavement, and achieve required separation standards. The project also involves the replacement of existing lighting with LEDs.

The project design was led by Woolpert with C&S Engineers, Inc., serving as Envision Administrator.  The team worked in close collaboration with the IAA to deliver this award-winning, sustainable project.

To learn more about this project, visit the PROJECT PAGE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

British Columbia Institute of Technology’s North Campus Infrastructure Project Earns Envision Gold

30-April-2019

The North Campus Infrastructure Project at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Burnaby, British Columbia is the recent recipient of the Envision®Gold award for sustainable infrastructure.

“The continuous community engagement throughout the North Campus Infrastructure Project has allowed BCIT to fully understand the needs of its community and to guide development and renewal opportunities that provide long-term benefits. This award further recognizes BCIT for its strong commitment and leadership in sustainability,” said Kathy Kinloch, President of BCIT.

Funded by the Province of British Columbia, the Government of Canada Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, and BCIT, the North Campus Infrastructure project provides a critical upgrade to the campus’ electrical infrastructure. Electrical power at the Burnaby Campus is currently provided through two on-campus high-voltage (HV) receiving stations called Goard Way and Canada Way, which are connected to the 12.5 kV HV service provided by BC Hydro.

BCIT worked in close collaboration with Stantec, PCL Constructors Westcoast, R.F. Binnie & Associates, and PFS Studio to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this project.