LAUREL, MD – April 4, 2006 – The Design-build team of Greenhorne & O'Mara (G&O), Cherry Hill Construction, Inc., and the Montgomery County (MD) Department of Public Works and Transportation received the Design-Build Institute of America's (DBIA) National Capital Chapter Excellence Award for the Georgetown Branch Interim Trail and Trestle Bridge project in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Georgetown Branch Interim Trail serves as an important east-west link in Montgomery County's system of bike trails and has historical significance.

Located in Rock Creek Park, MD, the project comprised a bicycle and pedestrian trail with a bridge over Rock Creek. The centerpiece of the trail project was the conversion of the abandoned railroad trestle structure into a pedestrian bridge. Originally built in 1892, the trestle has historic significance and over the years had suffered significant deteriorations – from decay and rot, to fire damage – and other significant destruction from the 1972 Hurricane Agnes. This damage posed a major obstacle to building a safe pedestrian walkway.

This was the first design-build project for the County and utilizing this type of contracting, the project duration was reduced by more than 12 months. Holger Serrano, P.E., Deputy Division Chief, Montgomery County (MD) Department of Public Works and Transportation commented on the honor, "The cooperation and constant communication among the team members was instrumental in bringing this project to completion within budget and to the satisfaction of the citizens of the County."

Cherry Hill Construction served as the design-build entity, with G&O contracted as the Lead Designer and Engineer of Record. "Design-build is a unique method of contracting and project delivery where the project owner, the designer, and the contractor collaborate as a team from the beginning of the design portion of a project. The owner stipulates the specifications for the project, and the design-build team bears the entire responsibility for completing the project as specified, on time and on budget," explained Greg Andricos, P.E., Bridge and Structures Division Manager, Cherry Hill Construction. "This successful and award-winning project validates the benefits of this method of project delivery."

Simon Simon, P.E., G&O Vice President, Corporate Structural Engineering commented on the complexity of the project, "The most challenging task for the team was to develop an innovative solution for the trestle bridge design and construction that would meet the budgetary and time constraints, while providing a structure that complements the site and still maintains the historical appearance of the existing bridge. The prevention of environmental impact to the park was also of prime importance and was a significant factor in the solution."

Greenhorne & O'Mara is a national, full-service engineering consulting firm that has provided solutions in the areas of general civil, transportation, environmental, water resources, and hazard mitigation and security services, for more than 56 years. With 15 offices located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, G&O provides a broad range of services to private industry as well as federal, state, and local government clients.

For more than 30 years, Cherry Hill Construction, Inc. has provided all types of civil construction jobs for public owners and private industry, under competitive bid, negotiated and design-build contract arrangements. Cherry Hill has regional operations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Florida, and the District of Columbia.