2010 Recipient:

The focus of the $152-million Gowanus Expressway Viaduct Rehabilitation project was emergency repairs and interim deck replacement, including removing and replacing 500,000 square feet of 9-inch concrete deck, over more than 4.4 miles of Interstate Route 278 from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Construction began in February 2006 and was completed in December 2009.

The Gowanus Expressway is a vital regional link in I-278, carrying average daily traffic volumes of 200,000 vehicles per day (AADT). It provides a bypass around New York City for the high volume of trucks from Long Island, New Jersey and locations south that use it daily. Rush hour brings in heavy commuter traffic from the Belt Parkway and Prospect Expressway, with the viaduct’s High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane serving on average, 1,200 vehicles hourly that carry 11,000 people, or 9.1 persons per vehicle an hour during the morning rush.

Heavy commercial and passenger traffic and harsh weather had taken their toll on the Gowanus Expressway through the years. Repairs and deck replacement were thus essential to keeping the Expressway open and operational, and to maintaining its integral role in the local and northeastern U.S. regional transportation network. NYSDOT responded with this rehabilitation project, which mitigates the deficiencies and provides operational and safety improvements that address congestion and safety concerns, and concerns for the structural integrity of the elevated roadway.

Most of the project involved the bridge deck and consisted of emergency repairs and interim deck replacement, including full- and partial-depth concrete repairs and steel repairs. Some 500,000 square feet of concrete were demolished and replaced. Because of the imperative to maintain traffic throughout construction, an innovative concrete mix designed for fast strength gain and the means to monitor its strength development were employed.

• The Field Automated Communication System (FACS) facilitated communications by enabling information to be shared among all project personnel in real time. In addition, all contract documents, plans, specifications and manuals were available to the inspector via a Panasonic Toughbook Computer. Finally, FACS reduced the use of paper, thus reducing the carbon footprint.
• Limited work space on the viaduct led the contractor into creative approaches for handling demolition debris, delivering concrete to the deck, and maximizing the work window within permit restrictions. The contractor maximized available time by staging equipment not on the viaduct, but on the street below, which allowed demolition and concrete placement operations to proceed into more extended work windows. The end result turned what would have been 4 hours or less of work on the viaduct into 8 hours of productivity.
• Operating the Expressway's High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane while adhering to the New York City work permit required critical scheduling and work staging to efficiently advance the work.
• The REI team assured strict adherence to the contract plans and specifications, which was essential to quality construction. Quality was exemplified by the virtual lack of cracking in the deck concrete placed adjacent to live traffic.
• Measures of client satisfaction that resulted from partnering among all stakeholders are in the delivery of high quality construction, ahead of schedule, within budget and with no contractor claims.
• Another measure is in the performance rating of nine out of a possible 10 the REI team received on the project. With successful project completion, the Gowanus Expressway Viaduct remains viable and continues to serve New York and the region as a key and safe component of the regional interstate transportation system.

Past Recipients: