Mar 20 2013
Carolinas AGC (CAGC) announces the winners of the 2012 Pinnacle Awards—the most prestigious recognition in the Carolinas construction industry. The Pinnacle Awards embody CAGC's mission of advancing the construction industry to enhance the quality of life and deliver a sustainable difference in the Carolinas.
BEST HIGHWAY PROJECT (1 of 2 awards)
The Western Wake Freeway - 12 miles of the I-540 Triangle Express around Raleigh, North Carolina
Contractor: Raleigh-Durham Roadbuilders, a partnership of
Archer Western Contractors and Granite Construction Company.
This design-build project was the largest project in the history of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, with 34 bridges, over six million cubic yards of excavation and embankment, and nearly 900,000 square yards of concrete pavement. Located in three separate municipalities, it crosses 15 local roadways and two major interstates. Many homes that had to be removed were donated to the nonprofit Builders of Hope organization.
And as the first modern toll road in the state, it was also the first in the U.S. to be fully designed as an Open Road Tolling facility, meaning no tollbooths for motorists using electronic billing.
The project also represented a safety first, with North Carolina's first formal partnership between the NC Department of Labor and a contractor on a Turnpike Authority roadway project.
BEST HIGHWAY PROJECT (2 of 2 awards)
The Emergency Bridge on NC 12 at Pea Island, North Carolina
Contractor: Carolina Bridge Company
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Hurricane Irene had breached this major Outer Banks artery, cutting off the only land access to the mainland for all the residents and businesses along 70 miles of NC 12 south of the bridge. Within one day of NCDOT's request, the construction team's emergency mode launched with mobilizing equipment and materials on-site, even calling upon competitors to divert incoming supply trucks. The work continued seven days a week, 24 hours a day, including the dead of night to take advantage of low tides, racing to reopen this critical roadway.
Because of extremely limited project access, the bridge was built incrementally and "launched" across the breach in sections. This intense pace continued without a single lost time injury, including specialty contractors, and in just 40 days a new bridge restored normal life to all of the residents, tourists, and businesses located along the Outer Banks.
BEST BUILDING PROJECT (1 of 2 awards)
Restorations to the Hull of the Battleship North Carolina
Contractor: Taylor Brothers Marine Construction
Wilmington, North Carolina
The historic Battleship North Carolina, the most decorated of World War II, had suffered major external and internal erosion in its berth on the Cape Fear River. This project required replacing 132 feet of 10-foot tall hull plating—while working under the waterline. Tons of materials had to be lifted immediately adjacent to the starboard bow, and Taylor Brothers invented a custom series of lift and transfer plans to ensure that tourists were clear of the danger area.
Divers mapped the exact contours of hull in order to execute a unique cofferdam strategy originated by Taylor Brothers , accommodating major tidal shifts and horizontal water forces while providing workers access to remove and replace hull portions.
Completed within 180 calendar days, the project came in safely, on schedule and within budget, without impacting the public's access to one of North Carolina's top tourist attractions.
BEST BUILDING PROJECT (2 of 2 awards)
The Nature Research Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Contractor: Clancy & Theys Construction Company
Raleigh, North Carolina
The Nature Research Center (NRC) is the new 80,000-square-foot wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
This project's most sweeping differentiator was the use of 3-D Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology. Its virtual advance clash detection allowed the project's signature Daily Planet structure to be constructed offsite in precise spherical detail and subsequently pinned to the corner of the new building, with no structural support beneath it.
Less than a foot separates the overall NRC wing from adjacent buildings being constructed simultaneously on the same urban block. The use of BIM technology again allowed precise tolerance calculations so that multiple cranes could work safely in the same tight area.
Green features include rainwater collection at an 85-foot atrium and rooftop vegetation. The building digitally connects classrooms across North Carolina to the rest of the world, inviting young people to be part of the advancement of science and increase their enthusiasm for our natural world and environment.
BUILD WITH THE BEST
Keith Coltrain, Attorney
Wall Templeton & Haldrup, P.A.
Raleigh, North Carolina
The "Build with the Best" Award honors an individual—either outside the industry or from within CAGC's suppliers/service company membership sector—whose efforts contributed to the betterment of the construction industry and the overall economic welfare of the Carolinas.
In the 2011-12 North Carolina General Assembly, Keith helped lead efforts to craft a compromise concerning double payment legislation that was fair to the entire construction industry. That issue has cost building contractors millions in the past 20 years because of unfairly having to pay twice for the same work or materials through payment bonds. The legislation, approved last July, also provides for greater fairness to specialty contractors, subcontractors and suppliers on bankruptcy issues involving contractors.
See additional Pinnacle Award coverage and photos.
The annual CAGC Pinnacle Awards competition is judged by a panel of member contractors. Awards were presented March 16, 2013, at the 92nd Annual Carolinas AGC Convention in Ft. Myers, FL. The Pinnacle Awards competition is co-sponsored by CPA firm GreerWalker and the law firm of Johnston, Allison & Hord, both based in Charlotte.