Parsons News - April 2009

PASADENA, CA (April 2, 2009) – Parsons is pleased to announce that two highway projects received 2009 transportation innovation awards from the Alberta Ministry of Transportation. The Minister's Award for Technical Innovation was presented for the Northwest Anthony Henday Drive – Systems Interchanges Configuration, and the Minister's Award for Process Innovation was presented for the Northeast Stoney Trail Wetlands Compensation Permit Process.

The Technical Innovation Award recognized a redesign of two major interchanges that improves their constructability, shortens the construction timeline, and decreases project costs by $15 – $20 million (CAD). Northwest Anthony Henday Drive is a 21-kilometer, four- and six-lane portion of the new ring road around Edmonton, Alberta.

"The redesigned interchanges exemplify the benefits of a public-private partnership and design-build approach," said Jim Shappell, Parsons Group President. "The combined experience of engineers and contractors is a major benefit in assessing complex projects, particularly in recognizing and mitigating constructability issues."

The Process Innovation Award recognized a new process developed to expedite approvals of the drainage plan for Northeast Stoney Trail, which is a portion of the ring road around Calgary, Alberta. Like the Edmonton ring road, Northeast Stoney Trail is a 21-kilometer, four- and six-lane portion of highway. Parsons and its partners developed a new method for multiple stakeholders to review and approve the plan, condensing into a few months a process that might have taken several years.

The awards were presented on March 23 at the 12th annual AT-ARHCA-CEA Transportation Conference, hosted by Alberta Transportation, Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, and the Consulting Engineers of Alberta, in Red Deer, Alberta.

Northeast Stoney Trail and Northwest Anthony Henday Drive are public-private partnerships in which a private entity is funding the improvements and will operate and maintain the roadways for 30 years. They are being designed, constructed, operated, and maintained by the consortiums Stoney Trail Group and NorthwestConnect, which are fully owned subsidiaries of Bilfinger Berger Project Investments, Inc.

Parsons, celebrating more than 60 years of setting industry standards, is a leader in many diversified markets such as transportation, water, life sciences, environmental, construction, infrastructure, planning, commercial, industrial manufacturing, communications, healthcare, education and public buildings, critical facilities, nuclear and special materials, and homeland security. Parsons provides technical and management solutions to private industrial customers worldwide, as well as federal, regional, and local government agencies. For more about Parsons, please visit www.parsons.com.