Two projects from Thomas & Hutton were finalists for the Georgia Partnership for Transportation Quality (GPTQ) Preconstruction Design Awards: Rogers Bridge (Category 5 – Bridge/Structural Design, partnered with CHA Consulting, Inc., Edwards Pitman Environmental, and United Consulting), and the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway Extension & Interchange (Category 7 – Highway Design – Large Project, partnered with VHB). Rogers Bridge was awarded in Category 5, and the Jimmy Deloach Parkway Extension & Interchange is moving on as a finalist at the ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards in the Transportation Category.

Rogers Bridge is a perfect example of how infrastructure brings people together. The existing structure was closed in the 1970’s and removed from GDOT’s inventory due to it no longer being capable of supporting traffic. The new replica truss is a regionally significant transportation connection between cities, counties, and trail networks. It literally “bridges” the gap between communities and will allow free flow of cyclists and pedestrians to and from north Fulton County, south Forsyth County, and western Gwinnett County. This project is within the 40-mile Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which begins at Buford Dam and is the site of one of three remaining steel truss bridges that cross the Chattahoochee River.

This simple link across the Chattahoochee River will have a positive impact on the surrounding communities and citizens of the area by fostering community identity and cultural awareness. These communities and citizens will be able to share parks, river access, access to amenities in other cities (town centers and greens), access to the Western Gwinnett Bikeway, and a host of other options.

The Jimmy DeLoach Parkway Extension from I-16 to US 80 and the Jimmy Deloach Parkway Interchange at US 80 were constructed to provide a safe, high-speed corridor from the Georgia Ports area to I-16. The four-lane, divided highway is projected to accommodate over 35,000 vehicles per day by 2040, including 6,000 trucks. The combined projects included twin bridges over the Little Ogeechee River, the Georgia Central Railway, and US 80. The limited-access roadway has integrated into the surrounding industrial, commercial, and residential land use, and has already spurred the development and construction of logistics warehouse facilities, and residential and commercial developments.

The GPTQ Preconstruction Design Awards recognize engineering teams and firms for exemplary work, innovation and ingenuity in transportation and infrastructure projects across the state of Georgia. GPTQ is a longstanding partnership between ACEC Georgia, GDOT and the Georgia Highway Contractors Association. Its mission is to strengthen the working relationships between the parties that are responsible for designing, building, operating, and maintaining Georgia's transportation infrastructure, with the overarching goal of making Georgia's transportation system the best that it can be.