| July
19, 2004
 (Harrisburg, Pa.) The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s
(PENNDOT) Danville-Riverside Bridge dedication
ceremony received
a first-place PRIDE Award in the community relations category from
the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).
The PRIDE Awards honor “excellence in community relations and
public education that enhance the image of the U.S. transportation
construction industry.”
Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction
management firm, assisted PENNDOT in preparing for the bridge’s
dedication ceremony. PENNDOT spent 16 years planning for the new
bridge and consulting with the public; therefore, having the community
involved in the dedication ceremony was of particular importance
to PENNDOT.
The extensive community relations program involved several components.
It included weekly news releases and a project Web site to keep the
community informed about the progress of the project. At the dedication,
more than 1,000 community members were in attendance; each person
had the opportunity to sign a large poster of the new bridge and
the bridge it replaced. Crayola® Crayons donated commemorative
crayons for the historic event.
The Danville-Riverside Bridge allows traffic to pass through Danville’s
Historic District without disrupting the surrounding community. The
members of the Danville and Riverside communities were extremely pleased
with the new bridge, as evidenced by their support at the dedication.
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