Two weeks after Hurricane Helene destroyed two eastern Tennessee highway bridges, the state's Department of Transportation (TDOT) awarded its inaugural progressive design-build (PDB) contract to expedite their reconstruction on Oct. 11.
The innovative project will focus on rebuilding the Nolichucky River bridges along Tennessee Highway 107 in Greene County and Tenn. 81 in Washington County, with the goal of opening both structures to vehicle traffic in June 2025.
Contractors were invited to submit proposals on the bridge rebuilds on the afternoon of Sept. 30, within 72 hours of Helene's rampage through the region. Two days later, Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. was awarded the contract to replace the bridge on Tenn. 107 and Tenn. 81.
Made possible by the Transportation Modernization Act, the PDB approach is a contracting method where a design-build team, made up of a contractor and designer, is brought in at the beginning of a project's development to foster collaboration, allow for acceleration through overlapping and concurrent activities, and promote improved project risk management and cost control, TDOT said.
"We passed the Transportation Modernization Act in partnership with the General Assembly to ensure TDOT could effectively meet Tennessee's transportation needs without new taxes or debt," said Gov. Bill Lee in a statement. "I'm proud that we have the resources available to swiftly respond to the urgent needs of communities severely impacted by Hurricane Helene."
Project construction cost estimates are identified, developed and refined as the design progresses, and the PDB approach also reduces the risk of project overruns and schedule delays. The very same construction method was used by the Florida Department of Transportation to rebuild the Sanibel Causeway Bridge after it was destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Replacement of the two Eastern Tennessee road bridges over the Nolichucky River is critical to Greene and Washington County residents as they provide connectivity between the Greeneville, Jonesborough and Erwin communities, the agency said.
TDOT added in a news release that the designs are proactively being developed in close concert with the contractor who is providing feedback on decisions as they are made.
Utilizing the collaborative approach allows for faster decision-making and greater clarity of any schedule, cost or risk impact.
As a result, Kiewit is already beginning to prepare multiple work packages that will allow for early project site cleanup, removal of remaining bridge pieces, site preparation for construction and acquisition of long lead items, such as bridge beams — all of which aid in accelerating the work schedule.
In addition, survey and design work is actively under way, and additional safety measures are being installed.
The main construction is expected to begin in January, with a target date to reopen both bridges to traffic tentatively set for June 23, 2025. The project's final completion is slated for next August, TDOT noted.
"This has been a challenging time for many, with entire communities cut off from essential resources," said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. "We are working diligently to keep them connected and are thankful for the authority to utilize this alternative method to accelerate recovery efforts. TDOT is committed to helping citizens return to normalcy as quickly as possible following the devastation caused by the hurricane."
Memphis Area Hospital to Make More Than $10 Million Expansion
At the other end of Tennessee, in the eastern Memphis suburb of Collierville, construction will shortly get under way on a $10 million project at Baptist Memorial Hospital to expand both its current intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency room (ER).
Baptist Memorial Health Care, the hospital's operator, made the announcement Sept. 30.
When finished, the work will double the capacity of Baptist Collierville's ICU from seven to 14 beds, increasing the care unit's footprint to 17,000 sq. ft. Plans call for the new ICU to be moved from the hospital's first floor to its second, where it will replace former shelled space and unused rooms.
Once the ICU renovations are complete, building crews will then turn their attention to constructing a larger ER designed to fill the old ICU space on the hospital's first floor. Once it is complete, the new ER will grow by 4,732 sq. ft.
"We are excited to begin the expansion of Baptist Collierville's ICU and ER," explained Lindsay Stencel, administrator and CEO of Baptist Collierville. "Thanks to a Tennessee Department of Health [TDH] grant, we have the funding we need to increase our service offerings and enlarge critical areas to help us proactively meet the needs our community."
Baptist Collierville's expansion project is largely funded through a $5.5 million grant from the TDH's Healthcare Resiliency Program.
Construction on the hospital's ICU is scheduled to last approximately 12 months and should be completed in the fall of 2025. If all goes well, hospital officials said, the ER expansion will be completed only a few months later.
The updated facilities were designed by Earl Swensson Associates (Esa), a Nashville architectural firm, while Flintco Construction in Memphis is in charge of the project's construction management and services.
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville first opened its doors in May 1999. With all the amenities of home, the full-service medical center sits on a 75-acre, park-like campus and features extra-large patient rooms and a walking trail.
Its medical services include a full-service emergency room, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient surgery, a step-down unit and a seven-bed intensive care unit. Additionally, it provides inpatient and outpatient diagnostics, maintains a Baptist Sleep Disorders Center, offers outpatient women's services and has 81 acute care beds.
It also is one of only 40 hospitals in the United States to have earned Joint Commission accreditation for advanced hip and knee replacement.
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