CHA Bridge Project Wins Prestigious National Best Bridge Award

Posted February 23, 2021

CHA’s work on the CR 661 Blackhall Road over Rum Creek project in Georgia continues to receive recognition. Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has selected this innovative Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) for a 2021 PCI Design Award: Best Bridge with a Main Span From 76-149 Feet.

Blackhall Road at Rum Creek

The project on Blackhall Road over Rum Creek in Jonesboro, Georgia, involved replacing a structurally deficient bridge carrying a county road over a creek. The road was bounded by a residential subdivision to its east and a large man-made lake to the west. The replacement bridge was originally planned to be constructed using a 9-month road closure and temporary detour. As an outcome of public meetings, the project requirements were revised to reduce the road closure to just 60 days using ABC. This technique allowed the bridge superstructure to be constructed before closing the road and significantly reduced the road closure duration. Once the roadway was closed, the existing bridge was demolished, and the new permanent bridge foundations and substructures were constructed. The deck girders were then transported and erected on the permanent bridge substructures using an 800-ton capacity crane.


Congratulations to the entire team for their work on this exceptional project illustrating CHA’s leadership in the industry. In addition to the award, CR 661 Blackhall Road over Rum Creek was featured in the latest issue of ASPIRE, a quarterly magazine published by PCI in cooperation with the associations of the National Concrete Bridge Council. CHA’s Senior Project Managers, Jim Aitken, PE, and Kevin Kahle, PE, provided their insights into the design and construction of this unique and innovative bridge.

Check out the full article detailing the traffic maintenance challenges and Accelerated Bridge Construction solutions in the February 2021 issue of ASPIRE.