“The project director will be responsible for keeping the New NY Bridge on schedule and within budget, and Peter Sanderson is an outstanding choice for this role because he has extensive experience and a proven track record,” said Thruway chairman Howard Milstein.
Sanderson was project manager for the design-build contract to replace the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed in 2007. The new bridge was opened to traffic just 11 months after the tragedy and three months ahead of an already accelerated 14-month schedule. He was also principal-in-charge for the Sagadahoc Bridge, which was Maine Department of Transportation’s first design-build project, as well as the Clark Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge in St Louis, Missouri, that was completed ahead of schedule.
“Peter Sanderson was a tremendous project manager for the new I-35W bridge at a very critical time in Minnesota’s history,” said Tom Sorel, who was Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner when the bridge was being constructed and is currently president and CEO of the American Automobile Association in Minneapolis. “Not only did he lead the delivery of the project in an exceptional manner, he realised that the building of the new bridge represented a healing process for an entire community and did all he could to rebuild public trust and confidence in the transportation industry.”
“Given the scale of the New NY Bridge project, hiring a project director is a proven method to control costs and keep a project on schedule, and has been used effectively on many major transportation infrastructure projects around the country in recent years,” said American Road and Transportation Builders Association president and CEO Dr Peter Ruane. “The project director will play a vitally important role not only with the design-build team, but also with the community and other stakeholders. This project has worldwide importance and I commend New York State for recognizing the need for experienced, professional management.”
Project reports
Project director named for Tappan Zee Bridge replacement
New York State Thruway Authority has appointed Peter Sanderson as project director for the US$3.1bn New NY Bridge, which will replace the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Sanderson will be responsible for leading a team of state employees and private sector design and construction experts to complete the new structure. He has more than 40 years of experience working on cable-stayed and other large and complex bridges throughout North America and around the world, including design-build infrastructure projects.
The New NY Bridge is the largest transportation design-build project to date in the United States and the largest single construction contract in New York State history. A Fluor-led team was awarded the US3.142bn design and build contract in December. The team for the new bridge over the Hudson River consists of Fluor Enterprises, American Bridge, Granite Construction Northeast and Traylor Bros.
