State Highway 173 in Bandera County won an award from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. TxDOT representatives accepted the award during a ceremony at the National Center for Asphalt Technology.

Perpetual Pavement Award Winners

TxDOT received a Perpetual Pavement Award on May 18. Jack Lettiere, Jr., 2005 President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, presented the award during a ceremony at the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance sponsors the award program. Pictured from left are Larry O'Donnell and Luke Stango, co-chairmen of the APA; David Kopp, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Harold Mullen and Gary Dolph, Texas Asphalt Pavement Association; and Jack Lettiere, AASHTO.

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance recently announced the winners of its 2004 Perpetual Pavement Awards. The award is given to owners of asphalt pavements that are at least 35 years old and have never had a structural failure. The road must demonstrate the qualities expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction and value to the traveling public.

The 2004 winners, as determined by the National Center for Asphalt Technology included a total of ten projects in seven other states and Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation won an award for a section of State Highway 173 in Bandera County.

The awards were presented at ceremony in May at the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University. Winner received an engraved crystal obelisk and a plaque. The winners' names and project information will be on permanent display at NCAT.

Nominations for the Perpetual Pavement Award were evaluated by engineers at NCAT and the winners were validated by a panel of industry experts.

"Even though each of these pavements has been punished by more than 35 years of heavy use, motorists are still using the original pavement structures. The only maintenance has been periodic replacement of the surface," said Larry O'Donnell, APA co-chairman. "The extraordinary performance of these pavements is worthy of attention."

Luke Stango, APA co-chairman, said long life, durability and exceptional performance are hallmarks of hot-mix asphalt. "These pavements are testimonies to high-performance asphalt as a marriage of excellent design and quality construction," Stango said.

Austin Wins AIA Green Award

The American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment recently selected eight examples of architectural and "green" design solutions that protect and enhance the environment in honor of Earth Day 2005. The projects were honored in April at the National Building Museum in Wash. D.C., and in May at the AIA 2005 National Convention and Design Exposition in Las Vegas.

The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless was among the winning projects. LZT Architects Inc. and Journeyman Construction LP, both of Austin, designed and built the structure. The project was also featured in Texas Construction's December 2004 Best of Awards.

The 2005 COTE Green Project Awards address significant environmental challenges with designs that integrate architecture, technology, and natural systems. They make a positive contribution to their community, improve comfort for building occupants, and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as: reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality. Several of the projects reclaim former brown-field sites.

SpawGlass Wins Eagle Awards

SpawGlass was the recipient of two Associated Builders and Contractors Eagle Awards for National Excellence in Construction.

An award was presented to the team for the Austin Police Department Forensics Facility and Central East Substation in the Institutional $10 to $25 Million category. SpawGlass served as the general contractor, the City of Austin as the owner and TAG International LLP as the architect for the project.

Another award was presented to the team for the LakeHouse Spa and Pool Barn in the Commercial $5 to $10 Million category. SpawGlass served as the general contractor, Lake Austin Spa Resort as the owner and Robert Jackson & Michael McElhaney Architects as the architect for the project.

Both projects were also featured in Texas Construction's December 2004 Best of Awards.

SpawGlass has won a total of nine Eagle Awards.

ABC's awards program is designed to recognize publicly the quality and innovation of merit shop construction and to honor all the members of the construction team, including the contractor, the owner and the design team responsible for the project.

The winning projects were selected from entries submitted from across the country and were judged on complexity, safety, attractiveness, unusual challenges, completion time, workmanship, innovation and budget.