Jim Zusy named AGC Project Manager of the Year

May 26, 2017

Jim Zusy named AGC Project Manager of the Year

Seattle, WA - Atkinson received multiple AGC Build Washington Awards at the annual awards program on May 25, 2017. The Build Washington award recognizes the outstanding performance of general-contractor members.

Project of the Year - Highway and Transportation Projects $15 million-$50 million:

SR 167 Puyallup River Bridge: This WSDOT design-build project replaced the existing historic landmark—a 1925 Warren Truss bridge—with a new wider northbound bridge that meets today's design standards. To maintain traffic and minimize construction impacts, Atkinson rolled the truss bridge to the east onto temporary piers to serve as the northbound detour and built a 3-span, 557-ft-long steel girder bridge within its original footprint. This design change eliminated a proposed southbound widening, retaining wall, utility relocation, ground improvement, and signalized intersection work. The steel bridge also eliminated the in-water pier and fish window constraints, provides flexibility for future master plan construction and will accommodate the future levee widening. The bridge included large diameter drilled shafts designed to withstand the liquefiable soils and artesian water conditions. Once complete, crews removed the historic Warren Truss bridge intact and stored it northwest of the project site for WSDOT's future use.

Project Manager of the Year: Jim Zusy on the SR 167 Puyallup River Bridge project

Jim led Atkinson's reuse existing alignment design in collaboration with lead designer Jacobs Engineering Group. Working adjacent to the Puyallup River, Jim championed an exemplary environmental compliance program and received 93.3% of the available environmental incentive for exceeding contract requirements. To safely move the Warren Truss, Jim collaborated with Jacobs and WSDOT design and construction experts during frequent meetings to vet six separate plans and develop the right solution for moving the bridge—a plan that reduced risk and maintained the integrity of the truss. During a 56-hour weekend closure of SR 167, Jim’s crews moved the truss using a jack and skid system and dollies and opened SR 167 to traffic at 4:00 PM on Sunday, August 10—thirteen hours ahead of schedule. Throughout construction, Jim and his crews planned and executed the work to maintain access and accommodate the needs of adjacent businesses, trails, and residents and reduce impacts to the community’s quality of life.

Civil Contractor: Safety Over 100,000 hours

Atkinson communicates clear expectations, measures performance, and follows up with feedback and recognition for the work completed. Atkinson asks each job site to conduct weekly safety audits, weekly safety meetings, and daily pre-task meetings to ensure safety performance.