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The NTTA Has Won One International Award and Two Statewide Awards in Recent Weeks The Texas awards were for the “Best Public Works Project of the Year – Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair”; and for “Best Public Works Project of the Year – Transportation Project $2-10 million”.
A spectacular gasoline tanker fire occurred last December 10 on the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) in Richardson. No one was hurt, but the intense heat destroyed one lane of roadway and reduced the 18-wheeler to a small heap of melted and charred material.
NTTA staff and contractors responded quickly, replacing hundreds of feet of traffic lane and paved shoulder as well as huge quantities of fuel-contaminated soil under and along the roadway.
All of that was accomplished in less than two weeks, thanks to round-the-clock efforts by NTTA staff, contractors and consultants.
Landscaping on the PGBT earned the award for “Transportation Project in the $2-10 Million” category.
Picture a typical urban golf course of 110-120 acres, designed, constructed and maintained by experts who run golf courses. Now picture similar landscaping feats by experts who run tollways and you will understand how the NTTA won this award:
Landscaping on the PGBT has:
- Over 125 acres in 30 focus areas.
- 92 acres of planting beds and 33 acres of turf.
- 2,656 trees (including understory trees)
- 308,277 shrubs, vines and ornamental grasses.
- Eight miles of concrete mow curbs.
- There are over 750 irrigation control zones operated by 33
- Controllers linked to a centralized system via fiber-optic lines.
- The area of bed preparation covers almost 70 football fields.
- Compost used would fill one football field to a depth of 17 feet.
- All the plants installed in a single row at the planned spacing would stretch a distance of 150 miles.
- The irrigation system piping would stretch for 200 miles.
And our customers think the landscaping looks great!
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