Big John Monahan Project

West Palm Beach, FL – Wantman Group, Inc. (WGI) is pleased to announce it won the Design-Build Institute of America – Florida Region’s Transportation Award for the Big John Monahan Reconstruction project in western Martin County, part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 4. WGI can credit its win tomany elements of the complex, high-profile project, most notably a unique and strategic land purchase that allowed a bridge shortening of nearly 1000 feet, resulting in approximately $15 million in taxpayer savings. The Team also provided innovation and significant cost savings by relocating the ponds from underneath the fixed-span, high-level bridge, where it is difficult to maintain turf.

The Design-Build Team of Cone & Graham and WGI set newly approved 84-foot Florida I Beams (FIBs) spanning 185 feet – the longest FIBs ever set in the state. The Team also received a perfect Contractor’s Past Performance Rating of 110 on a large-scale design-build contract and completed the project an impressive 104 days ahead of schedule.

“The Big John Monahan Project faced many interesting challenges,” said David Wantman, PE, president of WGI. “The Department of Transportation deemed the bridge functionally obsolete, yet it was a primary hurricane evacuation route and part of the Strategic Intermodal System. A single bridge constructed in 1965 had to be replaced with twin bridges.”

In addition to the technical challenges of building the new bridge and maintaining traffic along a busy route, the structure spans the St. Lucie Canal/Okeechobee Waterway, a jurisdictional riverine wetland. The Big John Monahan Bridge is also within close proximity to the Seaboard Airline Railway/CSX Railroad Swing Bridge and the Potter House. Both of these structures are potentially eligible for listing in the National Register, and mitigating vibration was vital.

“Special lifting devices were designed, and two large 750-ton hydraulic cranes were used to set the Florida I Beams. The Cone & Graham and WGI Design-Build Team, along with subconsultants and subcontractors, worked seamlessly together with all the involved stakeholders. We are extremely proud of the outcome, and of the recognition of a job well done.”

As a multidisciplinary consulting firm, WGI has seven offices throughout Florida and is comprised of eight separate divisions devoted to the following disciplines: Civil/Municipal Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Surveying and Mapping, Subsurface Utility Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Environmental, Planning and Creative Services. Most recently, WGI debuted on ENR’s list of the Top 500 Design Firms, and is ranked number 14 in ENR’s Top Southeast Design Firms. Also in 2015, ZweigWhite ranked WGI #39 on the “Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies” list and placed WGI on the “Best Firms to Work For” list. WGI also ranked number 6 on the “Top 25 Engineering Firms in South Florida” list by The South Florida Business Journal. In 2014, WGI ranked #3767 on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America and is among the 437 private growth companies that were Hire Power Awards honorees for 2013, featured in the 2nd annual edition of Inc. Hire Power Awards, recognizing the private businesses that have generated the most jobs since 2012. For more information, please go to www.WantmanGroup.com.