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Atkins’ designers help improve highway interchange at I-75 and SR 70 in Manatee County, Florida - June 8, 2012

Tampa, FL — Atkins, one of the world’s leading design and engineering consultancies, has begun the engineering and design work needed to reconstruct and expand the Interstate 75/State Road 70 interchange in the developing area of Manatee County, near the city of Bradenton, Florida.

The Atkins design calls for reconstructing several miles of I-75 at the SR 70 interchange, making sure the new interchange is expandable from an interim six-lane configuration to ten lanes at some time in the future. Atkins is overseeing the design of the interim configuration, which is comprised of three general-use lanes and one auxiliary lane in each direction, for a total distance of more than seven miles.

The project specifies several additional miles of interstate widening to create auxiliary lanes on I-75, as well as more than a mile of widening on SR 70. In addition, the project calls for extensive work on several I-75 bridges, including replacing the bridges over SR 70 (along with their entrance and exit ramps) and widening the Foley Creek and Braden River bridges.

Consultants competing for the engineering and design contract were invited to propose design alternatives that were different from the options recommended in the Interstate 75 Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study that was completed in 2010. The Atkins team, led by project manager Kayleen Mueller, PE—an engineer and project leader with more than 15 years of experience—performed an extensive interchange analysis that examined the advantages and disadvantages of more than 20 possible alternative configurations.

Atkins’ winning interchange design is a single loop with a bypass lane—an innovative yet practical and cost-effective design that has the capability of extending the acceptable service level of the interchange beyond the year 2050.

“Atkins has a long history of designing successful projects in the Manatee County area,” noted Mueller, “and we’re delighted to be selected for this project as well. The impressive growth of Manatee County has resulted in greatly increased travel demand, and this project should ultimately result in a more efficient travel experience for users of the I-75/SR 70 interchange.”

Ends

For more information:

Carol Hobbs
Communications Director

Tel: +1 407.806.4139
carol.hobbs@atkinsglobal.com

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Notes to Editors

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's leading engineering and design consultancies*, employing some 17,700 people across the UK, North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Europe. It has the breadth and depth of expertise to plan, design, and enable some of the world's most technically challenging and time critical infrastructure projects.

*It is the largest engineering consultancy in the UK (New Civil Engineer Consultants File 2011) and the 13th largest international design firm (Engineering News-Record 2011).

Recent projects include:

  • Critical program management of storm protection works in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Southern Louisiana, providing expertise in coastal restoration, engineering, environmental and GIS support to rebuild defenses and protect habitats.
  • Architectural and construction phase services for the new Tyndall Air Force Base Fitness Center, meeting LEED Platinum standards without impact to project cost.
  • Equal partner in a joint venture that is providing full-service program/project management support for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a $7.8-billion project encompassing ecological restoration, water storage, flood control, and recreation.
  • Key transit projects – member of joint venture providing general engineering consultant team for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and project management oversight contractor for the Federal Transit Administration for major transit projects throughout the US.
  • Lead firm on the Ascend, Joint Venture, LLC team, which is designing the $1.2-billion Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. International Terminal roadway system at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
  • Meeting stringent nutrient removal requirements for wastewater treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay area through design of upgrades to Howard County, Maryland’s Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission’s Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant, and design and construction of enhanced nutrient removal facilities at Anne Arundel County’s Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant.
  • Multi-year architecture-engineering construction management services for the National Park Service in the USA, including projects such as rehabilitation of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center and Administrative Complex at California’s Death Valley to meet the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification standards.

The current Interstate 75/State Route 70 interchange in Manatee County, Florida, looking south on I-75. Atkins is designing the expansion and reconstruction of the Interstate highway, the bridges over SR 70, and a section of SR 70.
Click to enlarge