GPTQ Preconstruction Design Awards

This award recognizes innovation and emphasizes new design solutions to engineering problems with broad prospects for future application. Such innovation may include the use of new products or functioning components.

Criteria for judging:

• Innovative Approach to Design
• Problem solving methodology
• Teamwork/Communications
• Innovative use of methods or materials
• Quality
• Customer satisfaction
• Sustainability
• Cost effectiveness
• Constructability
• Minimal negative effect on the environment/aesthetics
• Completeness and accuracy of plans

This award recognizes the importance of providing for transit, pedestrians, bicyclists and other forms of mobility for people and freight. Nominations should be made for designs and/or studies that provide for maximum efficiency, enhanced linkage and flexible multi¬use of transportation systems.

Criteria for judging:

• Security and Safety
• Design Features
• Innovation in Use/Reuse of Materials or Methods
• Connectivity/Integration with Other Modes
• Aesthetics
• Maintainability and Durability

Recognizes the value of protecting natural and historic resources and/or aesthetics as elements of Georgia's quality of life. Should demonstrate solutions to transportation needs that embrace these concerns. Nominations should be made for constructed project components. Landscaping, archeological remediation and general enhancement designs are examples for consideration under this category.

Criteria for judging:

• New Application of Existing Techniques/Originality/Innovation
• Value to Advancing the Georgia Quality Initiative
• Social/Environmental Considerations
• Complexity
• Meeting and Exceeding Owners/Clients Needs

This award recognizes the important role the planning process plays in determining the best overall solution. Nomination should be made for processes which not only achieved meaningful public involvement via innovative techniques, but which developed context sensitive transportation solutions.

Criteria for judging:

• Successfully Encouraged Public Participation
• Facilitated Cooperative Input from Reviewing Agencies
• Evidenced Coordinated Planning with Local Interests
• Developed Solutions to Avoid and Minimize Impacts

This award recognizes structures that economically meet the requirements of the site, are aesthetically pleasing and are appropriate for the surrounding environment. Consideration is also given to structures that present innovative and economic solutions to unique design challenges specific to the site or structure. The constructability of the solution is an important consideration for award.

Criteria for judging:

• Economic/Innovative Approach to Design and Construction Challenges
• Constructability
• Innovative Use of Methods or Materials
• Environment/Aesthetics

This award recognizes projects that improve existing roads and intersections to enhance operations and safety for the motoring public and/or pedestrians.

Criteria for judging:

• Successfully Reduced Accidents and Improved Safety
• TSMO (Transportation Systems Management & Operations) strategies focusing on operational improvements to improve mobility, reliability, and accessibility
• Utilized Cost-Effective Techniques
• Effectively maintained Traffic and Local Access During Construction
• Developed Solutions to Avoid and Minimize Impacts, including successful coordination with stakeholders

This award recognizes large projects in densely developed areas that may include a combination of roadway and structural work to fit within an urban environment while handling large volumes of traffic. Projects in this category include those ascribed to an urban area and/or urban characteristic in the functional classification. 

Criteria for judging:

• Encouraged Public Participation
• Facilitated cooperative Input from Reviewing Agencies
• Successfully Integrated into the Surrounding Land Uses
• Developed Solutions to Avoid and Minimize Impacts

This award recognizes projects in rural parts of the state that were sensitive to manmade and natural resources that occur along their routes and/or played a major role in assisting local communities in achieving their economic development objectives. Projects in this category include those ascribed to a rural area and/or rural characteristic in the functional classification. 

Criteria for judging:

• Successfully Encouraged Public Participation
• Facilitated Economic Development
• Evidenced Coordinated Planning with Local Interests
• Developed Solutions to Avoid and Minimize Impacts

This award recognizes the important contributions of the design-build process to improve cost-effectiveness, to shorten the design construction time frame, and to improve innovation of design during construction.  The nomination should be the final design team.

Criteria for judging:

• Successfully Reduce Cost of Design and Construction
• Successfully Reduce the Time for Design and Construction
• Innovative Use of Design with Construction
• Significant Reduction in Negative Impacts on the Public During Construction

This award recognizes projects with significant achievements in the successful acquisition and clearance of all properties and rights necessary for construction purposes.  Projects in this category may include expedited or challenging schedule requirements, dynamic or complex corridors with frequently changing properties and land use, and high relocation projects.  Multiple service classes will be considered in judging the overall award including Appraisal, Appraisal Review, Negotiation, General Office Administrative Review, Consultant Management, Relocation Assistance, Condemnation, Property Management, and Plan Review. 

Criteria for judging:

• Successful Certification of Right of Way
• Expedited Right of Way Acquisition
• Complex Transportation Corridors
• Demonstrated Innovative Solutions to Acquisition