The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) announced the East Kingston, N.H. 107A Bridge rehabilitation project has been awarded the 2018 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award.
This award is given annually by the American Society of Civil Engineers — New Hampshire Section (ASCE-NH) to an engineering project "that demonstrates excellence in engineering skills and represents a significant contribution to mankind and engineering progress."
The $1.5M rehabilitation of the bridge along NH 107A, originally constructed in 1937, was completed in just 25 days. The work included replacing the superstructure, roadway approaches, bridge rail replacement and asbestos abatement.
The NHDOT utilized two new methods of construction to accomplish this feat, Prefabricated Bridge Units (PBU) and Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) with steel fiber reinforcement. CPM Constructors Inc. of Freeport, Maine, was the general contractor for the project.
According to ASCE-NH, several aspects were considered for the award: uniqueness and pioneering aspects in design and/or construction; environmental considerations and compatibility; and unusual aspects. The project was completed early and under budget. Extensive planning was needed in order limit the bridge closure to four weeks to avoid conflicts with local school schedules, emergency vehicles, and daily train traffic.
The award was presented at the ASCE-NH annual dinner on May 23, 2019, in Manchester, N.H.
