March 18, 2019

WILMINGTON, NC – The Carolinas AGC (CAGC) recently honored Balfour Beatty with its prestigious Pinnacle Award for the successful delivery of the Wilmington Bypass Segment B project for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in Wilmington, N.C. The most prestigious recognition in the Carolinas construction industry according to CAGC, the Pinnacle Award honors the work of general contractors and their projects' key partners. Pinnacle entries are judged on unique aspects and challenges, special values, project management, budget and schedule, and safety performance.   

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the Carolinas AGC for our team’s work on the Wilmington Bypass Segment B for the North Carolina Department of Transportation,” said Mark Johnnie, vice president and Southeast region manager for Balfour Beatty’s U.S. civil operations. “We take great pride in our ability to overcome unique challenges and I’m proud of how our team innovated to reduce wetland impacts by 50 percent compared with conventional methods, successfully delivering the project without a single lost-time injury in more than four years of construction.”

This $124 million, three-mile bridge and roadway project north of Wilmington represented the culmination of a 15-year plan to reduce traffic congestion in New Hanover County and improve accessibility to Brunswick County to the south. The project represents a successful collaboration between NCDOT, Balfour Beatty, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, CSX Transportation, Duke Energy, and a strong network of subcontractors.

As part of the project, Balfour Beatty drove the largest precast pile in southeastern North Carolina and constructed one of the longest post-tensioned spans in the state. The project team preserved the integrity of the untouched wetlands and delivered the three-mile bridge and roadway project on time.

The project is featured on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers promotional poster as a successful example of a new highway and bridge project built without damage to aquatic resources and won accolades from ENR Southeast and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials.