ADOT recognized for enviromentally friendly reconstruction of San Pedro bridge

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) was recently recognized for its environmental protection efforts during the rebuilding of the San Pedro Bridge through a complex conservation area on State Route 90 east of Sierra Vista.

“ADOT worked to be good stewards of the environment from the planning all the way through the construction of the new San Pedro Bridge,” Safford District Engineer Bill Harmon said. “This environmental award demonstrates ADOT can preserve nature while improving the area’s transportation system.”

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s annual Globe Awards in April honored ADOT’s work to protect the environment during nearly two years of reconstruction. The Globe Award recognizes transportation agencies that do an exceptional job protecting the environment in the planning, design and construction of infrastructure projects.

ADOT’s recognition was in the category of bridges costing less than $10 million. For the project, ADOT hired a biologist to monitor construction impact on the river and the area’s more than 200 animal and 250 bird species. Measures taken to protect the environment during construction included a pause in work during the migratory bird season, a containment plan to prevent debris from contaminating the San Pedro, and the use of lead paint abatement before the old bridge was demolished.