The Sagadahoc Bridge crossing the Kennebec River between the Cit y of Bath and Town of Woolwich in Maine has been recognized with two national honors. The National Council of Structural Engineering Associations (NCSEA) presented Tom Doe of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Tim Cooper of Figg Engineering Group with the NCSEA 2001 Award of Merit for Projects Greater than $25 Million. The Sagadahoc Bridge features a 420-ft. main span — the longest U.S. structure built by the precast balanced cantilever method.

The Design Build Institute of America presented the Design-Build Excellence Award for Civil Projects over $15 Million to Eugene C. Figg, Jr., P.E., president and chief executive officer, Figg Engineering Group, for the Sagadahoc Bridge. Figg and Robert Wellner, P.E., senior vice president, Figg Engineering Group, accepted the award on behalf of bridge contractor Flatiron Structures Co. MDOT was represented by Tom Doe, Bruce VanNote and John Dority; George Poirier of the Maine Division of the Federal Highway Administration was also present. Using the design-build method of delivery for the first time on the Sagadahoc Bridge, MDOT was able to eliminate over a year from the project schedule and preserve federal funding that otherwise would have expired.

The Sagadahoc Bridge is 2,972 ft. long and is designed and constructed from precast segments with weights up to 100 tons. Using one very large two-cell box girder for the bridge deck saved half of the precasting and erection operations that would otherwise have been needed for two smaller parallel box girders. The bridge was designed for durability and minimal maintenance in a harsh environment, project officials report. The design arose in part from input gathered during a one-day design charette led by Gene Figg, which allowed Bath/Woolwich community members to vote for their preferences in the areas of style of deck lighting, aesthetic lighting details, finished color and texture for the piers.

Figg Engineering notes that such community involvement has become a hallmark of its projects; however, solicitation of area residents is unusual for a design-build project. The community has embraced the new bridge, which has resolved traffic delays due to a former lift-span structure.