The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project has been honored with two prestigious national awards: the 2006 Globe Award from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) and the 2006 Person of the Year Award from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA)--two organizations esteemed for excellence in the transportation industry.
Being recognized are an innovative environmental project that was a key part of the project's ongoing environmental mitigation work, as well as superb construction management that ensured the project stay on time and on budget.
Jim Ruddell, P.E., construction manager for the Wilson Bridge Project since 2000, is being recognized as the CMAA's Person of the Year and will receive his award at the group's national conference in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 16th. With almost 30 years experience in construction management, Ruddell is a vice president at Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services. He oversees a 170-man construction inspection and management team with responsibilities extending as wide as the 7.5 miles of the project itself.
The Wilson Bridge Project's Fish Passage Program has been honored with the 2006 Globe Award by ARTBA-TDF. The annual competition recognizes environmental achievements and aims to highlight examples for others in the transportation and construction industries. The award was presented to the project's environmental mitigation monitoring manager, Joy Jones, at an awards luncheon in San Diego on Sep. 27.
Beginning in the spring of 2003, the Wilson Bridge Project worked to remove 23 blockages on Rock Creek, Indian Creek, Little Paint Branch, Sligo Creek and the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. Removing these blockages allowed the Metro area to host thousands of long-absent species of migratory fish that for generations had been blocked from reaching their natural spawning habitat by man-made obstacles such as sewer and gas lines. Using innovative strategies, this initiative returned 17 miles of river to spawning habitat thus increasing the size of fisheries for commercial and sport fishing, food and for attracting other wildlife.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration and the District of Columbia Department of Transportation.
