PASADENA, CA (October 12, 2016) – Parsons is pleased to announce that it has been honored by the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) with the 2016 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award – Outstanding Project in the new bridges or transportation structure category. Recognizing the corporation’s work on the Hastings Bridge, this award honors the best examples of structural ingenuity throughout the world. Projects are judged on innovative design, engineering achievement, and creativity.

“It is gratifying to be recognized by the NCSEA for the innovation we bring to our customers,” said Michael Johnson, Parsons Group President. “The Hastings Bridge is a prime example of our steadfast commitment to sustainability and leading-edge engineering and design.”

Parsons was the lead designer to the Hastings Bridge design-build joint venture and also provided engineering management and bridge erection engineering services.

The new Hastings Bridge in the scenic recreation area of Hastings, MN, is a 1,938-ft-long, freestanding tied-arch bridge. It carries Trunk Highway 61 over the Mississippi River and is the longest freestanding arch bridge in North America. With a 100-year service life, the bridge features a steel box arch rib with a post-tensioned concrete tie girder and a network hanger system, plus a load-path-redundant steel-grid floor system to meet rigorous redundancy requirements. Representing one of the heaviest bridge moves in the United States, the 3,300-ton, 545-ft-long main span was erected on land, transferred onto barges using self-propelled modular transporters, guided downriver by tugboats, slid into position using a hydraulic skid system, and lifted 55 ft into place with strand jacks.

Parsons’ work on the Hastings Bridge has been recognized with numerous awards, including: