KANSAS CITY, MO. – Gainesville’s SW 9th Street at Innovation Square Project was recently named a 2015 Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA). The APWA Public Works Projects of the Year awards are presented annually to promote excellence in the management and administration of public works projects, recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, contractor, consultant and their cooperative achievements. The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), as the managing agency; Oelrich Construction, Inc., as the primary contractor; and JBrown Professional Group, as the primary consultant; will all be presented with the award during APWA’s 2015 International Public Works Congress & Exposition Awards Ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona during August 30 – September 2, 2015.
APWA selected Projects of the Year in five categories: Disaster/Emergency, Environment, Historical Restoration, Structures and Transportation, and Gainesville’s SW 9th Street at Innovation Square Project was awarded as the APWA Project of the Year in the Transportation category at a cost less than $5 million.
After demolition of a hospital, a 16-acre hole in Gainesville’s urban core located between the University of Florida’s main campus and Downtown Gainesville created an economic opportunity for the region. The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), the University of Florida, and City of Gainesville collaborated to create a shared vision for the property, known as Innovation Square, a modern “live-work-play” development that would capitalize on the university’s robust research base, enterprising technology entrepreneurs, and talented workforce.
The Gainesville CRA led the design of SW 9th Street and SW 3rd Avenue—two roadways that have laid the groundwork for Innovation Square’s utility grid and public access transportation. The streets, which run north-south and east-west, bisect the former hospital superblock and have created pedestrian-friendly, walkable streets. A total of 1,471 linear feet of new streets, utility infrastructure, and greenspace was installed.
The streets were designed to transform the superblock into a human-scaled, walkable place and to plan for future development on Innovation Square by installing robust public infrastructure beneath the streets, enabling developers to “plug and play” their buildings into the ready-to-go system.
Another goal for the project was to demonstrate sustainable approaches to public infrastructure, with emphasis on stormwater management within a state-designated impaired drainage basin.
It was important that stormwater management solutions provided the needed treatment without subtracting from developable land reserved for the buildout of Innovation Square. The design team was challenged to think through maintenance regimes and life cycles of materials, ensuring that solutions took into account all aspects of sustainability including environmental, economic, and social viewpoints. The team performed a life-cycle analysis of material choices to help inform decisions, understand long-term maintenance impacts, replacement costs, and general quality of life impacts.
SW 9th Street was designed as the district’s signature corridor. Careful attention was paid to the creation of a comfortable pedestrian and vehicular realm above ground and the installation of a highly-capable infrastructure grid below ground. The final design features a concrete roadway with a 50-year+ lifespan, LED lighting, bio-retention cells to manage stormwater runoff, silva cells to encourage healthy street tree growth to combat urban heat island effect, a pervious and ADA-compliant “slate-gravel” park, and native vegetation. Also, the stormwater infrastructure in the area was aged, undersized, and the conveyance system crossed several parcels preventing redevelopment from occurring. A 72” stormwater bypass pipe was designed to collect stormwater from the sub-region and deliver it to a treatment basin, solving capacity issues and flooding, and eliminating hurdles to redevelopment in the area.
The project also successfully improved public safety, renewed infrastructure, enhanced pedestrian and bike access, and improved aesthetic appeal in the community. The final project was completed ahead of schedule, and used an engineering project development process that has drawn as much praise as the project itself. Many community members and organizations contributed time and resources to making Innovation Square roadways a reality, including: the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), University of Florida, UF Health, UF Development Corporation, Gainesville Council for Economic Outreach, City of Gainesville’s Public Works Department, Gainesville Regional Utilities, Oelrich Construction, Perkins + Will, John Searcy and Associates, JBrown Professional Group, CHW, Brentwood, CRA board, College Park/University Heights advisory board and more private-public partners.
For more information on the APWA 2015 Projects of the Year, contact APWA Media Relations/Communications Manager, Laura Bynum, [email protected], or call 202.218.6736.
About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 28,500 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has an office in Washington, D.C. and 63 chapters in North America.