Highway/Bridge: Award of Merit and Excellence in Safety, Award of Merit: Grand Avenue Bridge

Grand Avenue Bridge
Glenwood Springs, Colo.
Award of Merit

Owner: Colorado Dept. of Transportation
Lead Design Firm: Tsiouvaras Simmons Holderness Inc. (TSH)
General Contractor: Granite/RLW Joint Venture
Structural/Mechanical Engineer: Jacobs
Environmental Design: Amec Foster Wheeler

Replacing the obsolete 1950s-era Grand Avenue Bridge required shifting the highway alignment through the historic downtown area. It also involved complex utility coordination, working in a cramped site, traversing a mainline railroad and spanning the Colorado River. During a 95-day bridge construction and detour, the team completed the crossing 10 days early and reopened Highway 82 well ahead of schedule.

Safety is a corporate value for the joint venture contractors. Safety processes involved company leadership at every level. Training began on the first day and continued throughout the job. Moreover, the contractors’ Speak Up/Listen Up program empowered employees to address safety concerns. Included were blue hard hats for new employees. Newcomers had to check in after 30 days to evaluate job-specific knowledge and their understanding of safety and health processes. The project finished with zero lost-time accidents.