The winning project — CR 5813/College Street over Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge Replacement — was an $11-million design-build project in Macon, Georgia, that was completed within budget and on schedule in February 2021. Neel-Schaffer served as the Lead Engineer of Record (EOR), with Wright Brothers Construction Company as prime contractor.
The project replaced a historic brick arch structure over the Norfolk Southern Railway with a shorter single-span bridge that affords greater vertical clearance — a key component of the project.
Rail cars from the Port of Savannah, the nation’s No. 1 port for the export of containerized agricultural goods, pass through Macon on their way to and from Atlanta and other points. The replacement bridge at College Street provided the vertical clearance needed to accommodate double-stack containers on Norfolk Southern’s S-Line, a critical component of Georgia’s statewide freight mobility initiative and an important economic driver for the state.
Neel-Schaffer worked closely with Wright Brothers, GDOT, Norfolk Southern Railroad, and local stakeholders during plan development to engineer solutions for the replacement bridge and associated roadway approach construction. The project was completed within the 180-day roadway closure period stipulated in the contract with GDOT.
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“The teamwork displayed by Neel-Schaffer, Wright Brothers, and the other subconsultants on this project was second to none,” said Craig Hanchey, Executive Vice President for Neel-Schaffer’s East Region. “Completing this project in such a short period of time could not have been accomplished without the team working together cohesively and working closely with the Georgia DOT to ensure all challenges were overcome, all issues were solved, and all milestones were met.”
