Hawkins Construction Co.

Scope Of Work

When the former Creighton University Medical Center in downtown Omaha was redeveloped into the new Atlas Apartments, NuStyle Development endeavored to connect the community and nearby Gifford Park Neighborhood to Creighton University. 

Hawkins was selected as the Construction Manager / General Contractor (CM/GC) to build a pedestrian bridge across US Highway 75.  The CM/GC process allows the owner, designer and contractor to work together during the design phase to create efficiencies and address project risks during planning.  Because the pedestrian bridge crosses a US highway, the project team worked closely with the Nebraska Department of Transportation to ensure compliance with federal highway regulations.  The City of Omaha Public Works department was involved as well to coordinate local street closures and sewer relocation that was necessary for the project design.

The bridge consists of two 240-foot arched truss spans and one 77-foot truss span with an elevator / stair tower on Creighton’s campus.  The Hawkins team suggested using prefabricated components to accelerate construction, including prefabricated, fiber-reinforced polymer deck panels and prefabricated fencing and roofing for the bridge spans.  These pieces were assembled before the bridge trusses were set, reducing lane closure times which minimized disruptions to the travelling public and increased construction worker safety with less exposure to traffic.  Truss erection took place over two weekends with lane closures and detours, half the time of the originally scheduled four weekends.

Lane restrictions and closures during construction were coordinated with the City of Omaha’s Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) to plan around downtown events including concerts, the NCAA basketball tournament, and the College World Series to maintain adequate traffic flow during the events.

Other considerations included geotechnical borings for environmental contamination sampling due to the project’s location in the Omaha Lead Superfund Site.  Seismic monitoring also occurred due to the project’s proximity to historical properties on the National Register of Historic Places.  Vibration levels were monitored to prevent damage to those historical properties during pile driving for the piers and elevator/stair tower.