Engineering Inc. - Spring 2020 - 46

STATEORGANIZATIONPROFILE
"A number of municipalities were famous for opting out of
every contract. It just became a standard procedure with their
local governing entities," Smith says. ACEC/NC and the coalition was able to package the legislation within a larger bill that
set up design-build contracting in North Carolina.
"We were able to get buy-in from all the disparate entities
who really wanted design-build and were willing to give up that
loophole of the QBS opt-out in exchange," Smith adds.
ACEC/NC has also been instrumental in getting several state bills passed
In 1999, ACEC/NC
to increase transportation funding.
firms collaborated
to safely move
The organization was part of a broadthe Cape Hatteras
based state chamber-led coalition in
Light Station and
six accompanying
2016 that helped establish the base
structures from
for the motor fuels tax and increased
their original
location where they
DMV fees.
stood since 1870.
"This effort probably ended up
increasing funding to transportation
infrastructure by nearly $1 billion
every two-year cycle," Smith says.
In 2017, the coalition helped pass a
$2 billion vertical infrastructure bill,
called Connect NC, that focused on
new building construction around the
state. In 2018, the state passed the
Build NC Bond Act, a 10-year, $3
billion program to maintain accelerated project delivery.
MILESTONE PROJECTS

ACEC/NC Member Firms have been
involved in many milestone projects
that showcase innovative engineering practices.
The Linn Cove Viaduct, a 1,243-foot concrete segmental
bridge that snakes around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain
in North Carolina connecting to the Blue Ridge Parkway, is
considered one of the state's most challenging bridge constructions in terms of complexity and environmental concerns.
The viaduct was built to minimize damage that a traditional
cut-and-fill road would have caused to Grandfather Mountain. Supported by seven massive pillars, the cantilever viaduct
does not disturb the land below. To eliminate damage to the
environment, no access roads were built for transporting heavy
equipment on the ground. The bridge's segments were precast at
an indoor facility and transported to the bridge site, where each

section was lowered into place by a custom crane placed on both
edges of the existing structure.
ACEC/NC awarded its Grand Conceptor Award to WK
Dickson for its USDA Raw Water Main Project in Boone-the
largest public infrastructure project in the town's history. The
project expands the town's existing water treatment plant from
3.0 MGD to 4.5 MGD and the project's infiltration gallery is
the first and only one of its kind east of the Mississippi River.
Several state historic landmarks
have also benefited from ACEC/NC
Member Firm ingenuity.
In 1999, the Cape Hatteras Light
Station, a nearly 5,000-ton, nearly
19-story tall lighthouse along with six
accompanying historic structures, was
successfully relocated about a halfmile from the spot on which it had
stood since 1870 to escape an eroding
shoreline. The entire light station was
safely moved to a new site where the
historic buildings and cisterns were
placed exactly as they had been at the
original site.
ACEC/NC firms were instrumental
in plans to move the lighthouse to
safety without damaging the structures
and ensuring that the new location
could support it.
"That was some incredible
engineering design work provided by
our Member Firms," Clyburn says. "It
took very sophisticated geotechnical
engineering, structural engineering, and forensic engineering to
be able to move this lighthouse. It is not something that other
firms in the nation have pulled off."
NORTH CAROLINA'S ENGINEERING MARKET

When it comes to describing the business climate for engineers in the state, "healthy, but very competitive" is the overall
sentiment.
"There are a lot of infrastructure needs and firms expanding
into the North Carolina market, which is increasing competition, but there are plenty of opportunities out there," says Gary
Hartong, president of The Wooten Co. and national director of
ACEC/NC.

"When it comes to economic development in North Carolina,
consulting engineering companies are at the foundation of it,
with ACEC/NC at its center."
DEREK CLYBURN
PRESIDENT
ACEC/NC
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES
46

ENGINEERING INC.

SPRING 2020

Engineering Inc. - Spring 2020

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