Michael Baker International and Joint Venture Team Awarded Construction Management Association of America National Project of the Year Award

The team has been recognized for completing upgrades to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, N.Y., on time and under budget

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Michael Baker International

Oct 25, 2018, 12:36 ET

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, and joint venture partners, APTIM and Gannett Fleming, have been awarded the National Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Project of the Year award in addition to the National Project Achievement Award in the category Water/Wastewater: Construction Value Greater Than $50 Million, for its work upgrading the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, N.Y. Among 13 projects recognized during the CMAA National Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas, the Newtown Creek Plant Upgrade was awarded the top award of the night, Project of the Year.

Michael Baker and JV partners completed construction management services for four projects valued at approximately $1.1 billion as part of the final phase of the upgrade of the Newtown Creek Plant to provide a secondary treatment facility for residents of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. The upgrade increased the plant's wet weather processing capacity from 310 to 720 million gallons per day. The team not only delivered the four projects on time, but they achieved all consent order milestones, allowing $71.1 million to be returned to the city. The Newtown Creek Plant is located on a 53-acre site and is the largest of the 14 wastewater treatment facilities in New York City.

"Michael Baker has performed construction management and design services for New York City for over 30 years, including work on the North River, Coney Island and Hunts Point wastewater treatment plants," said Iris Giboyeaux, project manager in Michael Baker's New York office. "This was one of the largest construction management projects ever released by this client, and we are honored to receive both of these national awards."

The team incorporated 4D building information modeling (BIM) to address construction challenges, meet milestones and finish ahead of consent decree deadlines. This approach allowed the NYCDEP to identify potential program implementation conflicts early in construction; allowed plant staff to visualize complex start-up sequencing; and presented construction planning and sequencing to project stakeholders, including outside agencies.

Additional social, economic and environmental value to the community included new technology that significantly reduces hydrogen sulfide emissions and, consequently, odor and air pollution, an expanded playground and waterfront development resulting from the decommissioned East River loading dock.

Tom Zagorski, P.E., Michael Baker National Practice Leader for Construction Services and JV Chairman notes, "Michael Baker is extremely proud of the accomplishments of the Construction Management (CM) JV and partner firms on this state-of-the-art wastewater treatment modernization construction program. We have exceeded our client's expectations of on-time, under-budget project delivery with no claims. We are proud of these accomplishments, which supported the selection of this project team for such prestigious national awards from CMAA."

Michael Baker's innovative work on the Newtown Creek Wastewater project also was awarded Project of the Year by their local NY/NJ CMAA Chapter, ENR NY/NJ Best of the Best Project of the Year, Diamond Award by the New York chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) as well as an Engineering Excellence Honor Award by ACEC National.

"These awards are a testament to the tremendous collaborative efforts that made this high-profile construction project a stellar success," said Nat J. Federici, P.E., Deputy Portfolio Manager for the Bureau of Engineering Design & Construction for New York City Environmental Protection. "Congratulations to the CM Team, and many thanks for the dedication, hard work, ingenuity, innovation and resourcefulness of the team's leadership and staff that resulted in the overwhelming success of this project."

About Michael Baker International
Michael Baker International is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services, including design, planning, architectural, environmental, construction and program management. The company provides its comprehensive range of services and solutions to support U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, foreign allied governments, and a wide range of commercial clients. Michael Baker's more than 3,000 employees across nearly 100 locations are committed to a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement to help solve challenges for clients and communities throughout the country. To learn more, visit www.mbakerintl.com.

Contact: Brian Peiritsch
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SOURCE Michael Baker International