ATLANTA (July 6, 2011) – The Georgia Department of Transportation has hired HNTB Corporation to continue its role as the prime consultant for the department's Innovative Program Delivery Technical Support Services initiative.

"With the award of this five-year contract, GDOT accelerates implementation of a statewide managed lane system, bringing delivering connectivity and mobility to the state of Georgia. We're excited to help take the state's public-private partnership and design-build programs to the next level," said Tim Heilmeier, PE, HNTB vice president and program manager.

GDOT's Office of Innovative Program Delivery, along with its P3 Division, serve as an incubation center of emerging best practices in alternative project delivery and finance, importing proven design-build and public-private partnership methodologies from across the globe. Other key firms within the team include Jeffrey A. Parker & Associates Inc. and Halcrow Inc.

The team will provide management, technical support, and policy and advisory services on all alternative delivery/finance projects, including toll and managed lane projects and other emerging initiatives in the state, such as transit-oriented investments including the Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal.

HNTB has served as GDOT's P3 technical adviser and program manager since 2004, working with the IPD and the P3 Division to develop a pipeline of candidate P3 projects. The resulting P3 project screening and prioritization process now serves as a national model. HNTB services also have included partnering with the Office of Planning and the IPD in the development of the award-winning Atlanta Regional Managed Lanes System Plan, one of the nation’s first comprehensive systemwide evaluations of urban-area managed lanes.

HNTB will also continue its support of the GDOT design-build program. Through a deliberate strategic planning process, the department will embrace emerging industry best practices to maximize the benefit of design-build delivery.

"HNTB is committed to helping our clients find creative solutions to today's infrastructure delivery and finance challenges by using a full suite of services, personnel and expertise," said Heilmeier.

The firm is the preeminent provider of toll services to agencies across the United States, serving as the general engineering consultant to 24 agencies. In Georgia, HNTB employs 79 professionals in two offices; other current transportation project work includes the West by Northwest Project in Atlanta.

HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving federal, state, municipal, military and private clients. With nearly a century of service, HNTB has the insight to understand the life cycle of infrastructure and the perspective to solve the most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals nationwide provide award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management services. For more information, visit www.hntb.com.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on the award-winning Atlanta Regional Managed Lanes System Plan, see the project profile from issue 94 of HNTB's Designer magazine.