The Associated General Contractors of Washington honored the 2008 Build Washington Award winners in a gala event recently at the Seattle Art Museum.
Build Washington Awards for Construction Excellence were presented to 12 contractors for their 13 projects.
Tacoma Narrows Constructors, a joint venture of Kiewit Pacific Co. and Bechtel Construction, received the Grand Award for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The new Tacoma Narrows Bridge is one of the most ambitious and publicly scrutinized construction projects the state has ever seen. It is famous as the longest suspension span built in the U.S. in four decades, and it stands amid the hallowed ruins of its infamous ancestor, "Galloping Gertie."
Paula Hammond, Secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation, presented the Grand Award for Construction to TNC, in recognition of the significance of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to the state's highway system and the complexity of building a suspension span that stretches more than a mile.
Guy F. Atkinson Construction LLC, of Renton, won the Environmental category for the BNSF Cedar River Bridge replacement in Renton. Environmental sensitivity was a hallmark of this project, which occurred during several salmon runs in the Cedar River.
Mountain Construction Inc., of Tacoma, won the Green Building category for the Washington Public Utility Districts Association Headquarters in Olympia, the first new LEED Platinum building in Washington.
Advanced American Construction Inc., of Portland, won the Heavy/Industrial category for the Clover Island Marina in Kennewick, WA. A key element of the Port of Kennewick's redevelopment plans, the new marina has revitalized the whole island.
Active Construction Inc., of Puyallup, WA, won the Municipal and Utilities category for its RW Johnson Boulevard and 21st Avenue project in Olympia. Among the challenges the contractor faced was record rainfall, for which Active implemented extra environmental controls.
BNBuilders Inc., of Seattle, won the Public Building Under $5 Million category for the Snoqualmie Library. Efficiency and consistency were the keys to constructing this unique civic place within a fast-track schedule.
The Seattle office Turner Construction Co. won the Public Building Over $5 Million category for the Seattle Aquarium SEAS Exhibit. Working over Elliot Bay, Turner constructed a 120,000-gallon exhibit tank and a 7,500-gallon open wave tank.
John Korsmo Construction Inc., of Tacoma, won the Private Building Under $5 Million category for the Associated Petroleum Products renovation in Tacoma. Korsmo implemented value engineering strategies netting cost savings, of which $10,000 was donated to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Foundation.
Lease Crutcher Lewis, of Seattle, won the Private Building Over $5 Million category for The Lodge at Suncadia in Roslyn, WA. The contractor overcame extreme weather to complete the 223-unit, 380,000-square-foot, remotely located condominium hotel.
J.R. Abbott Construction Inc., of Seattle, won the Tenant Improvement Under $5 Million category for the Muckleshoot Casino improvements in Auburn, WA. The casino was able to continue operations through the 20 phases of the project due to J.R. Abbott's aggressive approach to planning and scheduling.
Pease Construction Inc., of Lakewood, WA, was one of two winners in the Tenant Improvement Over $5 Million category for the renovation of Tingelstad Hall at Pacific Lutheran University. The contractor completed major renovations, including seismic upgrades and asbestos abatement, in a short time frame.
Lease Crutcher Lewis of Seattle was the other winner in the Tenant Improvement Over $5 Million category for the Lincoln High School renovation and addition in Tacoma. The contractor completed the complex historic renovation and addition well ahead of schedule.
Global Diving and Salvage Inc., of Seattle, won a special Judges Honorable Mention Award for the SS Catala remediation and removal project in Ocean Shores, WA. The contractor removed the 88-year-old vessel and its fuel tanks, which had been buried 26 feet deep in the tidelands.
AGC Safety Awards
Winners of Build Washington Awards for Safety Excellence (and their categories) are as follows.
BNBuilders Inc., Seattle (Grand Safety Award; category of General Contractor 150,001 — 400,000 Hours). BNBuilders' Grand Award for Safety was presented by Judy Schurke, director of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. The contractor logged more than 150,000 employee-hours worked last year with no lost work days.Aecon Buildings Inc., Lynnwood, WA (Judges Achievement Award; category of General Contractor under 75,000 hours)Northwest Construction Inc., Bellevue, WA (General Contractor Over 400,000 Hours)Emerick Construction Co., Portland (General Contractor 75,001 to 150,000 Hours)Andgar Corporation, Ferndale, WA (Subcontractor over 100,000 hours)J. Harper Contractors Inc., Maple Valley, WA (Subcontractor under 50,000 hours)
Superintendent of the Year honors went to P. J. O'Brien of John Korsmo Construction Inc., Tacoma. O'Brien was recognized for his leadership on construction safety issues.
"The AGC Build Washington Awards program is always a great celebration of the innovation, quality and safety expertise of our contractors," said AGC President Steve Barger. "They have crafted more efficient transportation projects and state-of-the-art green buildings, conducted essential environmental remediation, and built vital and appealing community spaces. In short, these contractors, their subs, design teams and other project members worked with public and private owners to improve our quality of life."
Grant Goodeve, host of KING-TV's Northwest Backroads show, emceed the event.
Judges for the construction awards were Marco Foster, engineering manager, Washington State Department of Transportation; Carl Molesworth, editor, Pacific Builder and Engineer; Todd Hess, Todd Hess Building Co. and 2008 president of AGC Oregon-Columbia Chapter; Jennifer Wedderman Hay, McGranahan Architects; and Dr. Carrie Dossick, assistant professor, University of Washington Graduate Program in Construction Management.
Safety award judges were Adam Gerson, Occupational Safety and Health manager, OSHA Region 10; Rick Gleason, lecturer, University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences; and Roby Robinson, assistant professor, Safety and Health Management, Central Washington University.
