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Allegheny College, PennDOT Team Up for Eco-Art Project

By: Jennifer Rupp

Click to enlarge photo.

The latest Crawford County highway project is receiving the same = attention=20 from Allegheny College that the SR 6/19/322 area has been getting since = the=20 1990s. The goal: to create an "Eco-Art" project that merges Earth art = with best=20 management practices in the environmental mitigation of stormwater = runoff.

The concept for "In Praise of Land & Water" integrates aesthetic=20 solutions with targeted environmental remediation of stormwater issues = inherent=20 at the project site. All of the stormwater from I-79 and the surrounding = topography passes through the cloverleafs, and empties directly into Van = Horne=20 Creek, eventually making its way into the French Creek watershed. The = initial=20 concept for "In Praise of Land & Water" had its germination in = Professor=20 Amara Geffen's environmental art courses at Allegheny College in = Meadville.

In April 2008, an interdisciplinary team was assembled to move = preliminary=20 concepts forward into design and engineering development. The team = consisted of=20 Geffen; Chris Brown, landscape architect of Derck & Edison Inc.; = Steve Halmi=20 of Diess & Halmi Engineering; Angelo Cioui, environmental artist; = and Artist=20 Jackie Brookner, who helped with the early phases of design = development.

The designs include a series of sculptural check dams, infiltration = pools and=20 earth mounds. The check dams are being constructed out of crushed = concrete from=20 the demolished bridges. This natural stormwater retention and = infiltration=20 scheme will protect vegetation and feature native plantings.

The PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) highway = project=20 involves the reconstruction of the Meadville interchange on I-79. Work = includes=20 replacement of approximately 1.25 mi. (2 km) of I-79 pavement, the = interchange=20 ramps, and widening of Route 6 in the vicinity of I-79. The I-79 = structures over=20 Route 6 will be replaced with two 222 ft. (67.7 m) single span bridges. = Other=20 work includes drainage, signing, guide rails, pavement markings, highway = lighting and landscaping. The reconstruction will take two years to=20 complete.

Joseph B. Fay Company of Russellton, Pa., was awarded the contract = for=20 $26,278,207.20. The company began work in April 2008 with the southbound = lanes.=20 Fay was contracted for excavation, bridge demolition, site prep and=20 drainage.

Approximately 75,000 cu. yds. (57,375 cu m) of earth will be moved, = some of=20 which will be used at the ramp in-fill areas for the Eco-Art = project.

Funding for the project is 90 percent federal and 10 percent = state.

Amelie Construction & Supply LLC, of Saxonburg, Pa., is = furnishing and=20 erecting the 7.5 ft. (2.3 m) steel girder beams. IA Construction = Corporation of=20 Zelienople, Pa., is providing paving services, using 106,000 tons = (96,142 t) of=20 asphalt.

Strongstown's B&K Enterprises Inc. of Strongstown, Pa., is = providing=20 overhead signs, temporary concrete barriers and signage. The contract = for=20 lighting was assigned to Bruce & Merrilees Electric Company of New = Castle,=20 Pa.

The southbound portion of the job ran from April to October 2008. = During=20 construction, southbound off-ramps to Route 6 in the east and west = directions=20 were temporarily closed. Traffic was detoured at the Saegertown = interchange via=20 routes 198, 98 and 6. Northbound ramps remained open during this phase = of=20 construction.

"The only major challenge [we faced] involved opening a closed ramp = five=20 months ahead of original schedule," explained Jannetti. The construction = was=20 sped up due to concerns relating to emergency response time and access = for the=20 local emergency responders.

PennDOT partnered with Joseph B. Fay Co. to "double shift" the ramp = work.

Several meetings regarding project change were held between PennDOT, = EMS=20 responders, local businesses and Vernon Township.

Work on the northbound lanes began at the end of March 2009 and is = scheduled=20 to be complete in November 2009. Bridge demolition began on April 8. The = same=20 detour pattern will be repeated for the northbound reconstruction.

"There will be two ramp detours," said Reggie Jannetti, project = manager of=20 PennDOT. "The detour routes are nearby and will only add a couple extra = minutes=20 driving time for the few additional miles." Overall, the project called = for=20 three Komatsu excavators, a Caterpillar D6 dozer, a Caterpillar D3 dozer, a = Caterpillar=20 IT28 wheel loader, a Volvo backhoe, a 50-ton (45.4 t) crane, a caisson = drill rig, a=20 crawler crane with pile-driving rig, milling machines and asphalt = pavers.

Gregory T. Fried Construction of Harrisburg, Pa., is adding a stain = to the=20 stone concrete finish poured by Joseph B. Fay using special form liners = for the=20 bridge abutments.

"The Eco-Art in the infields will definitely be more pleasing to the = eye,"=20 said Jannetti. =C2=B3The wildflowers and warm-season grasses will = enhance the=20 interchange area. Additionally, the colored stone on the bridge = abutments will=20 make the bridge tie-in better with the rural setting.

Region: = Northeast=20 Edition | StoryID: 12653 | Published On: 5/13/2009

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