LANCASTER, Pa. — RETTEW, a comprehensive engineering, planning and environmental consulting firm serving the mid-Atlantic region, along with its client, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), received the 2008 award for outstanding rehabilitated bridge from the Susquehanna Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) at a ceremony held recently in Harrisburg. ABCD recognized RETTEW for preventive maintenance suggestions to repair Hawk Falls Bridge on the Turnpike’s Northeastern Extension (I-476).

“I applaud the Turnpike Commission for their proactive measures to repair the Hawk Falls Bridge,” said Mark P. Lauriello, PE, president, RETTEW. “It was great for RETTEW to be involved with a project that ensures the continued safety of Pennsylvania’s motorists.”

Built in 1955, Hawk Falls Bridge is one of only four deck-truss structures on the Pennsylvania Turnpike similar to Minnesota’s I-35W bridge, which collapsed in August 2007. A 738-foot 5-span deck truss that rises 200 feet over Mud Run in Penn Forest and Kidder Townships in Carbon County, Hawk Falls Bridge was rehabilitated in 1990 to remove leaking deck joints, which caused significant rust damage.

PTC selected RETTEW in 2005 to provide preventive maintenance suggestions for rehabilitating Hawk Falls Bridge, which included a visual inspection of the bridge to verify and locate the deterioration noted in previous inspection reports and load ratings. RETTEW’s recommendations called for repairing holes in the truss bottom chord members by adding new repair plates, addressing the crevice corrosion on the trust built-up sections using a penetrating sealer and coating system and repairing stringer cracks. To minimize impact to Turnpike traffic, the bridge remained open for travel while all inspections, analysis and work were performed.

In addition to the recommendations, RETTEW worked with PTC on the short-term use of a remote structural monitoring system, which tracked service load strains of selected truss chord members as an indicator of bridge performance.

“Thanks to an expert team of consultants, the Hawk Falls Bridge will continue to remain a safe route for our travelers for many years to come,” said Mark F. Raup, PE, project manager, PTC. “RETTEW brought their expertise and capability to the table, helping us make good decisions and solve problems — a quality we need in a good engineering partner.”

The Northeastern Extension makes up 110 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s 537-mile system, which extends from the Delaware River to Ohio.

RETTEW provides engineering, land development, planning, surveying and environmental consulting services to a broad range of clients in the mid-Atlantic region. Beginning in 1969 as a single-person office, today RETTEW has more than 230 employees. Offices are located in Camp Hill, Chambersburg, Chester Springs, Lancaster, Nazareth, and Schuylkill Haven, Pa.; and Liberty and Margaretville, N.Y. For more information on any of RETTEW’s services, please call 1-800-RETTEW-5 or e-mail rettew@rettew.com.

# # #

May 28, 2008