PBS&J's submittal of the Dallas North Tollway project won the gold medal in the surveying and mapping technology category for large firms.

Warren Andres of Andres Construction Services is the new chair of QUOIN's board of directors.

Dallas North Tollway Wins CEC Engineering Excellence Award

The Texas Council of Engineering Companies recently named the North Texas Tollway Authority's Dallas North Tollway As-Built High Definition Survey Project a gold medal award winner during the 2005 Texas CEC Engineering Excellence Awards. PBS&J's submittal won the gold medal in the surveying and mapping technology category for large firms. PBS&J is a leading provider of engineering, environmental, construction management and program management services.

In preparation for the widening of the tollway, the NTTA tapped PBS&J to capture as-built data on the heavily traveled facility. To provide added value to NTTA, PBS&J used laser scanning to capture the as-built data. PBS&J performed this service with no lane closures, during normal working hours, and at the same cost as traditional surveying services. Laser scanning provided more survey detail for use by engineers in the design effort than traditional survey methods can capture.

HDS, otherwise known as 3D laser scanning, is a non-intrusive method of rapidly collecting highly detailed and accurate as-built data on difficult-to-measure structures. PBS&J's use of this new technology on NTTA's DNT project demonstrates the benefits of using advanced technology to provide a number of benefits including improved surveying application, socioeconomic advantages, better efficiencies and cost savings.

The key advantages of using this technology for the DNT widening were simple. PBS&J used a Leica HDS-2500 3D laser scanner to capture more than 45 million points of data on an average of .5-in. spacing without a single lane closure and without sending any personnel into the stream of traffic. That was essential as the one-mi. stretch included an 11-lane toll plaza. The work was performed within the original budget established for a traditional survey approach. Most importantly, NTTA did not have to alter the normal tolling traffic patterns and conducted "business as usual" for their customers.

The Engineering Excellence Awards Competition has been held by the Texas CEC since its inception in 1975 to honor and recognize outstanding achievements within the engineering community. The distinguished panel of judges from around the state selected 12 gold medal and 11 silver medal winning projects from a broad field based on uniqueness, originality, technical, value to the engineering profession, complexity, and how successfully the project met the needs of the client.

QUOIN Announces New Leadership Team

QUOIN, the local chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America supporting North and East Texas, has announced the officers of its 2005 board of directors. They are:

Board Chair: Warren Andres of Dallas-based Andres Construction Services; Chair Elect: Wally Bryce of Fort Worth-based Coronado Builders Ltd.; Vice President: Buddie Barnes of Dallas-based Dee Brown Inc.; and Secretary: Paul Johnson, Dallas-based The Beck Group.

Texan one of ABC 2005 Craft Instructor of Year Finalists

The Associated Builders and Contractors recently announced five finalists for its Craft Instructor of the Year competition. Harold "Hal" Heintz was nominated for the Carpentry Instructor category by the ABC South Texas Chapter in San Antonio.

"The construction craft instructor sets the standard for excellence for the next generation of construction craft professionals, and we are pleased to honor the five finalists in ABC's 2005 Craft Instructor of the Year competition," said Gary Roden, 2005 ABC national chairman and executive vice president and COO of Dallas-based AGUIRRE Corp. "The finalist awards and the national Craft Instructor of the Year award are given to those who best embody the ideals of a merit shop construction craft instructor and who are recognized for their excellence in training skilled craft professionals in the construction industry."