Kiewit of Omaha, Nebraska and Sundt Construction of Tempe, Arizona Win Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Award for Rebuilding Five-Mile Stretch of Urban Highway
Omaha, Nebraska-based Kiewit Construction and Tempe, Arizona-based Sundt Construction were honored today for their work rebuilding a key stretch of Interstate 10 in Tucson. The project was one of just three to receive the 2009 Associated General Contractors of America's (AGC) Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Award.
"These awards acknowledge and encourage the fact that great builders must also be clear communicators and strong coordinators," said Doug Pruitt, the association's president. "Finesse, patience and planning are as essential as concrete and steel for converting plans into reality."
Originally designed as a 10-year construction effort to be completed in three sections, the companies were able to compress the schedule to less than three years by closing all exit and entrance ramps. Closing a vital section of highway in downtown Tucson required enormous coordination and extensive public outreach. Thanks to Kiewit's and Sundt's efforts, the community supported their innovative approach and the project was finished six months ahead of the accelerated schedule.
"Commitment to project goals, communication, teamwork and collaborative problem solving were the cornerstones of the successful partnership built on this project," said Ben Carnazzo, Area Manager for Kiewit. "Our partners, including the Arizona Department of Transportation, the City of Tucson and the local community, were the measure of true excellence and this award would not have been possible without their commitment."
Pruitt noted that the other two 2009 Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Award winners are Newport Beach-based McCarthy Building Companies for its work building a new patient care tower for Mission Hospital; and Granite Construction of Arizona for its work on the Silverbell Road Sanitary Interceptor Project.
In addition to the three main award winners, Pruitt said the following companies received special recognition awards for their partnering efforts: Consigli Construction of Milford, Massachusetts for its work building the Lt. Murphy Combat Training Pool in Newport, Rhode Island; Atlanta, Georgia's Ruby-Collins, Hoboken, Georgia's Environmental Pipeline Rehabilitation Inc. and Orleans, Indiana's Reynolds Inc. for their work on Atlanta's Greensferry Basin Sewer Separation Project; Gilbane Building Company of Vienna, Virginia for the new Dickinson School of Law in State College, Pennsylvania; Colorado's MWH Constructors for its work on the Cape Coral, Florida Utilities Extension Program; San Francisco's Swinerton Builders for its work on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Flight Projects Center in Pasadena, California; and Longmont, Colorado's Flatiron for its work on the Lenihan Dam Outlet modifications in Los Gatos, California.
View photos of the winning projects.
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