2009 FHWA Excellence in Utility Relocation and Accommodation Awards Leadership Category Winner The 2-day course focuses on those components that are of critical interest to utility company relocation ongratulations to the Nominees and James H. Anspach, J. H. Anspach Consulting personnel and also expands on utility issues within C Winners of the 2009 Excellence in Nicholas M. Zembillas, TBE Group, Inc. the project Right-of-Way plans. Given the ever Utility Relocation and Accommodation changing staffing roles of the utilities, the training Awards Nicholas M. Zembillas and James H. Anspach is considered an effective means of maintaining are recognized leaders in the highway/utilities expertise at the Department of Transportation and This Awards Program is conducted biennially field and are greatly responsible for the growth the utility companies. by the Federal Highway Administration to honor of the Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) outstanding achievement in the utility arena. The practice to its present prominence in the project Award Recipients: goal of this program is to showcase exemplary development arena. Their diligent efforts helped • Ohio Department of Transportation: projects, programs, initiatives, and practices introduce the use of “SUE” to State Department Myra Binns, G. Raymond Lorello, and that successfully integrate the consideration of of Transportations, and they continue to provide Mark Manzo utilities in the planning, design, construction, and technical assistance, make presentations, and use maintenance of transportation facilities. Maryland Route 97. every available avenue to help State Department Teresa Loop of Transportation planners and designers better Puget Sound Energy The 2009 Excellence in Utility Relocation and Project Development Category understand the need for reliable subsurface Accommodation Awards demonstrate achievements Honorable Mention utilities data. Their efforts all feed into improved Teresa Loop demonstrated exceptional team- in the following categories: Project Development, construction and untold millions of dollars in time building skills that helped successfully coordinate Construction Management, Innovation, and Route 17/Essex Street and cost savings on transportation-related projects. utility relocation along an important State Leadership. The award recipients are being Reconstruction highway corridor, and helped change the way honored during the 2009 AASHTO Subcommittee Bergen County, utility companies work together in Skagit County, on Right-of-Way and Utilities annual meeting in Washington. The required utility relocation on Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In this brochure, you Through an extensive project development the State Route 20 project was substantial and will read about innovative projects, programs, process involving collaboration with 14 utility involved teamwork from two other utility companies initiatives, and collaborative efforts from around the companies, $10 million of utility relocations were to relocate five miles of utility poles, equipment, country. accommodated as part of this $40 million project. and service connections. Ms. Loop’s proactive The use of subsurface utility engineering, significant coordination with these other utility companies was Excellence Award Winners pre-construction relocation, incentives/penalties, so successful that Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has and other stakeholder negotiated provisions subsequently initiated a quarterly meeting with other contributed to the success of the project and companies that connect to PSE power poles. Project Development Category Winner enabled the construction schedule to be reduced from 32 to 16 months. Maryland Route 97/Randolph Road 2009 Excellence in Utility Accommodation Award Recipients: and Relocation Awards Judges Montgomery County, Maryland • New Jersey Department of Transportation: Manuel Viteri This complex urban project, which will grade • Taylor Wiseman and Taylor: Thomas Costello, Jim Anspach Nick Zembillas Janis Gramatins, Federal Highway Administration, separate the MD 97/Randolph Road intersection Anthony DiMauro, and Colleen Richwall Washington, DC using a bridge/tunnel, will also impact distribution and transmission facilities for multiple utilities. Leadership Category Honorable Mention Steven R. Mills, Federal Highway Administration, The Maryland State Highway Administration Montgomery, AL implemented Accelerated Construction Technology Ohio Department of Transportation Transfer methodologies to address these numerous Utility Plan Reading Training Class Bimla Rhinehart, California Department of coordination challenges. The project team used Transportation, Sacramento, CA value engineering and quality improvement In response to the Ohio Department of techniques to successfully move utility relocations Transportation’s utility counterparts’ needs, the Chuck Schmidt, New Hampshire Department of off the project schedule’s critical path. This Utility Plan Reading Training Class was designed to Transportation, Concord, NH approach facilitated dramatic reductions in cost, enhance the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the schedule, and impacts to the traveling public and utility relocation process for highway construction surrounding communities. projects and eliminate delays caused by non- New Jersey Route 17 – Essex Street Bridge responsive utility relocation activity. Reconstruction. 4 1 Project Development Category concurrent with the agreement writing, and provide Honorable Mention preliminary design review to quickly obtain permit Innovation Category Honorable Mention acceptance. Additionally, the contractor was Ambassador Caffery Parkway Extension required to engage multiple stakeholders on utility Katy Freeway Reconstruction Program Project accommodation policy. The unique collaborative Harris County, Texas Lafayette Parish, Louisiana approach used on this project allowed this critical project to be completed 3 months ahead of This project consisted of the reconstruction of The Ambassador Caffery Parkway Extension schedule. 23 miles of Interstate and involved 33 utility owners Project cost approximately $40 million and included over four separate utility corridors. The use of an $7 million of utility relocation work involving Award Recipients: outsourced utility inspection and coordination team 16 utility companies and six major oil pipelines. • Minnesota Department of Transportation: enabled the Texas Department of Transportation The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Mary Lacho to apply their resources on other activities. The Development’s team diligently employed the “3 C’s” • Flatiron Construction Corporation: “corridor” approach to design and construction (Coordination, Communication, and Cooperation) Matt Semerad Georgia Department of Transportation’s Redline Software. enabled both the Department and the utilities to beginning before final acquisition of Right-of-Way to • TBE Group: Jeff A. Sowers maximize available crews and minimize costs. ensure all the conflicting utilities would be relocated The use of a dedicated project-specific Web site prior to project advertisement. This approach Innovation Category Honorable Mention allowed for quick transmission and review of project identified opportunities for the pipeline companies documents and exceptional coordination between to partner and use a single contractor when their Florida Department of Transportation’s project stakeholders. This project’s processes and crossings were in proximity to each other. Utility Coordination Web Site tracking elements were so successful that they are now used as a model for other large-scale projects Award Recipients: The Florida Department of Transportation’s Utility in the State of Texas. • Louisiana Department of Transportation and Coordination Web site eliminates the boundaries Development: Steven Deville, Trey Jesclard, between design and construction by providing Award Recipients: Randy Richard, and Sandra Woolie information regarding utility conflicts and utility • Texas Department of Transportation: relocation time-lines for all ongoing construction Frances Willison, David Roberts, and projects, allowing each utility agency to allocate Stephen Stakemiller its resources in the most efficient manner. This • Parsons Brinckerhoff: Ken Stayer I-35W Bridge Replacement. Web site also helps the contractor fully realize their impact on the utility industry if they desire to change the sequence of a particular construction activity. Innovation Category Winner Award Recipient: Georgia Department of Transportation’s • Florida Department of Transportation, Utility “Redline” Project Johnny Blakeney

Georgia Department of Transportation’s Utility Redline Software greatly facilitates the transmittal Ambassador Caffery Parkway Utility Relocation. of utility plan markups in electronic format for construction projects, thereby better facilitating Construction Management Category project utility coordination efforts; significantly Winner increasing plan quality; and further reducing both the Agency’s and utility owner’s printing costs. The Interstate 35W Bridge over the Mississippi software also aids in the implementation of GIS- River based application; and is considered a monumental Hennepin County, Minnesota step in the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Katy Freeway Duct Bank Relocation. ongoing mission to minimize project delivery The speed at which the Minnesota Department schedules. of Transportation had to replace the fallen I-35W Johnny Blakeney, Florida Department of bridge over the Mississippi River posed a significant Award Recipients: Transportation. utility relocation challenge. The contractor was • Georgia Department of Transportation: required to hold a time-critical utility kick-off Jun Birnkammer, Glenn Robertson, and meeting, create preliminary and final designs Glenn Williams 2 3