Salem Creek Connector
Best highway project over
$5 million: Salem Creek
Connector, Winston-Salem, NC
General contractor: Blythe Con-
struction, Inc.
The Salem Creek Connector pro-
ject aimed to maintain and improve
connectivity between the Research
Triangle Corridor and Downtown
Winston Salem. The project in-
cluded a new four-lane boulevard
with a diverging-diamond inter-
change at U.S. 52.
Blythe created a temporary track
to ensure that Winston-Salem
Southbound Railroad’s train, which
ran daily across two bridges that
were to be replaced, could operate
without interruption.
The railroad bridge over U.S. 52
offered other challenges, such as
coordinating its construction with
the phasing of the U.S. 52 roadway.
Traffic flow had to be maintained,
requiring multiple traffic shifts and
temporarily diverting all south
bound traffic onto the new ramp
alignment. The project included twin new
arches over U.S. 52 to reflect the
community’s Moravian heritage.
Extensive community consulta-
tions included frequent outreach
events with North Carolina Depart-
ment of Transportation (NCDOT),
local staff and Happy Hills neigh-
bourhood community members.
Wilmington Bypass Segment B,
Wilmington, N.C.
General contractor: Balfour Beatty
This $124 million, three-mile
bridge and roadway project – US-17
from State Road 1430 to West of
US-421 North of Wilmington, repre-
sented the culmination of a 15-year
plan to reduce traffic congestion in
New Hanover County and improve
accessibility to Brunswick County to
the south.
The project represents a suc-
cessful collaboration between
NCDOT, Balfour Beatty, the US
Army Corps of Engineers, US Coast
Guard, CSX Transportation, Duke
Energy and a strong subcontractors
network. Among many challenges, the an-
nual Toomer Creek fish moratorium
prohibited bottom-disturbing work
from February to mid-June. Balfour
Beatty strategically allocated re-
sources to “in-water work” for
seven months so that the restriction
would not derail progress. However,
when the team began pile driving to
install the trestle and begin the
bridge foundation, challenging
ground conditions quadrupled the
time required to drive each pile to
its minimum tip elevation.
Consequently, all employees and
subcontractors committed to an ag-
gressive 24-hour schedule through
the holiday season to drive all 184
Wilmington Bypass Segment B
6 — Summer 2018 — The North Carolina Construction News
piles before the February fish mora-
torium started.
Balfour Beatty drove the largest
precast pile in southeastern North
Carolina and constructed one of the
longest post-tensioned spans in the
state. Placing the post-tensioned
girder section required careful engi-
neering and detailed coordination.
The project team preserved the in-
tegrity of the untouched wetlands
and delivered the three-mile bridge
and roadway project on time.
Individual “Build with the Best”
Pinnacle Award: Vaughn Wicker,
International Code Council
(retired) Vaughn Wicker
The Build with the Best award
honors someone who is not a con-
tractor but has contributed to the
construction industry’s betterment
and the Carolinas’ overall economic
welfare. Vaughn Wicker worked for the In-
ternational Code Council (ICC) for
23 years before he retired in May,
2017. He served as the council’s
representative covering the South-
east, including North Carolina and
South Carolina.
Over the years, his experience as
a code official made him an excel-
lent member advocate, and he al-
ways provided great service and
support to the construction indus-
try. The award citation says CAGC’s
Leslie Clark often called upon
Wicker anytime she had questions
regarding codes — and he was al-
ways eager to help. He would also
dedicate time to sharing the impact
that proposed building code bills
would have on the construction in-
dustry.
Construction Excellence Awards
CAGC also presented Construc-
tion Excellence Awards to five con-
tractors for their work on what the
Pinnacle Award judges deemed to
be projects of distinction.
Cool Springs Volunteer Fire De-
partment, Statesville, NC:
D. R. Reynolds Company
The 24,000 sq. ft. structure
houses local fire, EMS, sheriff, and
rescue services. The project’s
unique and sustainable features in-
clude full height block and brick, 6
inch metal studs, LED lighting, and
mechanical units operating with
high efficiency 3-phase power.
complete renovation of 19 re-
strooms, door hardware replace-
ment/additions, and a new sprinkler
system including a new fire line to
the 135,000 sq. ft. project. Batson-
Cook shortened the original sched-
ule from two summers (with an
optional third summer) to just one
summer. Novant Health Charlotte Ortho-
pedic Hospital, Charlotte, NC:
Vannoy Construction
The project included a new
three-story, 90,000 sq. ft. tower ad-
dition with renovations to the exist-
ing hospital. The project’s three
major phases included relocation of
the main hospital entrance, con-
struction of the new hospital bed
tower addition, and renovation of
multiple departments on\existing
hospital’s three floors. The project
was performed within very tight
working conditions and limited con-
struction laydown in the urban
Charlotte location.
Express Design-Build Replace-
ment of Bridge #262 over Mill
Pond, Granite Falls, NC: R. E.
Burns & Sons Company, Inc.
The existing 400 ft. bridge, built
in 1949 using timber piles and short
spans to cross Old Mill Pond/Gun-
powder Creek in Granite Falls, was
in dire need of replacement. To de-
liver the project early, R. E. Burns
doubled the crews, extended work
hours and worked weekends. Set-
backs included flooding and a tor-
nado. The contractor completed
the project on time, within budget
and without lost time incidents.
Construction & Surety Lawyers
Cary/Apex Raw Water Pump Sta-
tion and Intake Improvements,
Apex, NC: Crowder Construction
Company The pump station provides drink-
ing water to more than 250,000
people in the greater Triangle area.
All components were upgraded.
This project had with its share of
challenges, including site con-
straints, low-to-no lake water visibil-
ity, and a very aggressive schedule.
For Every Step of Your Critical Path.
Applied Technology Center –
Package B, Rock Hill, SC:
Batson-Cook Company
Work on the three-building, sin-
gle-story Applied Technology Cen-
ter included heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning replacement,
acoustical ceiling tile replacement,
Every day, the construction and
surety lawyers at Lewis & Roberts
help their clients manage commercial
construction risk through careful
contract drafting, thoughtful project
counseling and zealous claims
919.981.0191 resolution. Contact Jim Roberts,
3700 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 410
Matt Bouchard and Ben Buskirk
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
today, and allow our knowledge, ex-
www.lewis-roberts.com perience and sound judgment guide
mattbouchard@lewis-roberts.com you at every step
of your critical path.
Serving all of North Carolina
For more, visit Matt ‘s blog, “N.C. Construction Law, Policy & News,”
at www.nc-construction-law.com
The North Carolina Construction News — February – March 2019 — 7