(l-r) Allan Gillespie, NRCS; Dean Audet, Fuss & O’Neill; Kevin McGee, town of Coventry; Bob Joyal, town of Coventry; Sean Arruda, Fuss & O’Neill; Stu Harris, Fuss & O’Neill
Boston – Fuss & O’Neill, a Boston engineering firm, has received the National American Public Works Association (APWA) award for Disaster/Emergency Construction Repair for the Pawtuxet River Flood Resiliency project in Coventry, R.I.
Severe flooding caused a failure in the Laurel Avenue Bridge and the surrounding river walls of the Pawtuxet River in 2010. Fuss & O’Neill was brought in to design and restore the in-river infrastructure in order to protect two historic buildings in Coventry: Concordia Fibers and Anthony Mills, and improve their resiliency to future flooding.
Funding came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the town of Coventry, and adjacent private property owners as part of a public-private partnership. NRCS agreed to cover 90% of the restoration costs and helped develop the sustainable plan that came to be.
Awards will be presented at the APWA Awards Recognition Ceremony in conjunction with the 2017 PWX Convention in Orlando, Florida on August 28.
