February 3, 2022

MAYSVILLE, NC – Balfour Beatty and joint venture partner, Branch Civil, were honored by the Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) with its prestigious Pinnacle Award for the successful delivery of North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) US 17 Maysville Bypass project in Maysville, North Carolina. The project was named the 2020-2021 Best Heavy-Highway Project as part of its Pinnacle Awards, the most prestigious recognition program in the Carolinas construction industry according to CAGC.

The CAGC’s Pinnacle Award honors the work of general contractors and key project partners in North Carolina and South Carolina. Project entries are judged by a panel of CAGC members on unique aspects and challenges, special values, project management, budget, schedule and safety performance. The US 17 Maysville Bypass was among the recipients of the Best Heavy-Highway Project category and was awarded at CAGC's 101st Annual Convention in Charleston, SC in January. 
 
The $143 million US 17 Maysville Bypass project features the delivery of 16 miles of highway – 12 miles on a new alignment and four miles which widens the existing US 17 northbound bridge from two-lanes to four. Twenty-six new bridges were built, including five dual sets over crossroads, four dual sets over wetlands and one dual set to accommodate a wildlife crossing. Additionally, four crossroad bridges were constructed over the new alignment and one single-lane ramp bridge. 

The project team was recognized for its ability to overcome challenges associated with safely transporting nearly five million cubic yards of earthmoving borrow from off-site sources, eliminating 107,000 truckloads that otherwise would have occupied local roadways. Although the impacts of Hurricane Florence left portions of the project site under 15 feet of water for several weeks, the team successfully navigated this challenge and even completed the project seven months ahead of schedule. 

“We are honored to be recognized by the Carolinas AGC for our team’s work on the US 17 Maysville Bypass project for the North Carolina Department of Transportation,” said Mark Johnnie, vice president and Southeast region manager for Balfour Beatty’s U.S. civils operations. “The project team’s ability to work through unique challenges to successfully deliver the project under budget and seven months ahead of schedule is a testament of our hard work and perseverance on this project.”
 
The joint venture team focused on partnering with the local community to help reduce impact on the towns of Maysville and Pollocksville. Balfour Beatty and Branch Civil also sponsored the local Volunteer Fire Departments’ annual fundraising and prioritized repairs to a major roadway damaged during Hurricane Florence. 

US 17 Maysville Bypass improves mobility throughout the growing eastern Carolina communities, making a safer and more pedestrian-friendly roadway.