Thursday, April 28, 2011

Arkansas Young Engineer of the Year

Transportation structural engineer Fred Harper, PE has been named Young Engineer of the Year by the Arkansas Society of Professional Engineers. Fred won the state-level award after receiving the central chapter award earlier this year.

The 35-and-under award is based on numerous criteria, including professional and technical society involvement and leadership, engineering achievements, and civic and humanitarian activities.

Fred is the state director for the ASPE central chapter, serving as a communications director between state and chapter leaders.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

New Conway Airport Breaks Ground

Conway, Arkansas broke ground last Friday on its new $25 million municipal airport. Aided by flags marking the future runway's centerline and two Garver-designed displays, federal and local representatives stood in an open field and imagined how the airport may look in a few years.

"The Federal Aviation Administration is extremely pleased to be your partner for this critical investment for your community," said FAA Division Manager Ed Agnew. "Congratulations for reaching this important milestone. We look forward to the day you will open our newest airport in the national system."

Conway's current airport, Cantrell Field, is too small to accommodate larger jet traffic, and its short runways have been a safety issue. The new airport will feature a 5,500-foot-long runway, full instrument approaches, full-length parallel taxiway, terminal, fueling facility, and T-hangars. A future phase will expand the runway to its ultimate 7,000-foot length.

Conway Mayor Tab Townsell thanked various team members during his speech, including Garver for "all that they are doing for us as our partner in this process."

Garver's services include property acquisition, design, bidding, and construction administration and observation. Garver's design includes employing several green features to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. These include shorter haul distances for earthwork, LED airfield lighting, and landside LEED structural aspects.

U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin said that the new airport will provide more than a safer airport. "If you're looking at the future of Arkansas, Conway is a big part of that. And this new airport will be a big part of making Conway that player, that significant player, in Arkansas' future. At the end of the day, this is going to be an economic engine and a job creator."

Various TV and newspaper media attended the event, and more news coverage is available below:

Log Cabin Democrat - Conway Breaks Ground for New Airport
KATV - New Conway Groundbreaking (Video)
FOX16 - Conway Airport Groundbreaking (Video)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Runway Improvements at Addison Airport


Addison Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in Texas and the United States, has kicked off construction on a Garver-designed airfield project. The $10.1 million construction project will improve the airfield's runway pavement, lighting, Runway Safety Area, and drainage. Work began April 11, and the first phase involves runway milling, shown above.

Runway construction includes more than 20,000 square yards of pavement reconstruction. Because of the airport's high number of operations, the work will be performed in phases to keep the single runway open, and closures will be limited to select weekends. In addition, the project will include an airport-owned precision approach path indicator on both ends of the runway, new high-intensity runway edge lights, a new runway end identifier light on the Runway 33 end, and new in-pavement light bars for the medium-intensity approach lighting system with runway alignment indicator lights on Runway 15.

Drainage improvements include replacing the current system with aircraft-rated drainage structures and enclosing an open air drainage ditch with two 66-inch reinforced concrete pipes to stop erosion beneath an adjacent apron.

For runway construction updates and progress reports, please visit the Addison Airport blog.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Construction to Begin on I-244 Multimodal Bridge



The new westbound Interstate 244 bridge across the Arkansas River has made its transition from “Garver design” to “under construction.”

Transportation officials kicked off construction on the high-profile multimodal bridge last week with a groundbreaking in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The project is the second-largest single project ever awarded by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. (The first was the Interstate 244 Inner Dispersal Loop reconstruction project, which was also designed in part by Garver.) The new bridge will be a two-level structure that combines highway, rail, and pedestrian traffic, and the estimated total construction cost is $78 million.

During the ceremony, Ivan Marrero, assistant division administrator with the Federal Highway Administration, said he appreciated Garver's design work and dedication to completing the work in rapid fashion. Garver's design team worked long hours and weekends to complete the design in exactly one year, from the day the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant was awarded to the day the winning construction bid was approved.

Garver's design responsibilities included preparing conceptual design plans, preliminary engineering plans, and final design plans.

Tulsa World covered the groundbreaking and published the following articles:
I-244 Bridge Project Kicks Off
Officials Laud Project to Replace the Westbound I-244 Bridge

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Garver Selected to Design Broadway Bridge Replacement

The Arkansas Highway Commission has selected Garver to provide design services for the Broadway Bridge replacement project across the Arkansas River in Pulaski County.

Working in association with HNTB and Grubbs Hoskyn Barton & Wyatt, Garver's services include designing the replacement bridge and related roadway approaches. Anticipated work includes a bridge type selection study, design, and construction plans and specifications. Approximately 24,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day, and Garver will also be responsible for a maintenance of traffic plan to reroute vehicles to nearby river bridges.

After the selection meeting on Wednesday, Frank Vozel, deputy director and chief engineer with the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette several reasons why Garver was selected for the work. The newspaper summed up Vozel's thoughts as, "the company's understanding of the work to be done, the firm's proposed schedule to build the bridge, and its past experience working with other agencies, including the Highway Department."

First opened in 1923, the bridge is structurally deficient, and officials have determined that it will cost too much to renovate. The bridge will be demolished, and a new bridge connecting Little Rock and North Little Rock will be built in its place. The structure is anticipated to be a four-lane bridge on existing alignment with bicycle lanes and sidewalks. The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department estimates that the project will cost $45 million, and construction is anticipated to start in 2013.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Garver Architecture

Garver has received its corporate certificate of authority to provide architectural services in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, and we are pursuing licensing opportunities to expand into surrounding states.

Greg Archer, AIA, LEED AP is Garver's director of architecture. Greg has more than 20 years of architecture experience, including designs for medical office buildings, university facilities, corporate office buildings, multi-family housing, mixed-use facilities, and commercial structures.

"Adding architecture to Garver's list of services provides our clients with a more seamless product," Greg said. "Engineering and architecture are now under one corporate roof, and we have more control over the design process. Instead of hiring a consultant to facilitate building design, we can offer architectural services in-house, which makes the interaction and communication between project teams more efficient."

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