MDOT - US 90/St. Louis Bay Bridge
Design-Build Project

Mississippi







Client:
Mississippi Department of Transportation

RS&H Role/Responsibility:
Design Partner



Project Description:

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Bay Saint Louis Bridge, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) awarded the state’s first design-build project to the construction joint venture team of Granite/Archer Western. As the major design consultant, RS&H provided design and post-design services for the eastbound portion of the new bridge, a four-lane, pre-stressed concrete girder bridge set well above the storm surge levels.

The project’s aggressive schedule required that the design team complete the majority of the contract plans in only four months, a process that traditionally takes a year. In May 2007, the new bridge was opened to traffic, setting a record for the largest, fastest, continuously sustained bridge reconstruction project in the United States.  The timely and innovative design-build approach developed by this team earned the project distinction of American Association of State Highway Officials “America’s Transportation Awards 2009 Large Project of the Year.”