New Year in Atlanta Begins with Opening of Nancy Creek Tunnel
Engineers from Jordan, Jones & Goulding (JJG) recently celebrated withAtlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, members of the Atlanta City Council, Departmentof Watershed Management officials and other invited guests who were marking thecompletion of the Nancy Creek Tunnel.
JJG and the City of Atlanta had many reasons to celebrate the completion ofthe 8.3-mile long tunnel, including meeting the consent decree deadline andcompleting the project under budget.
The Nancy Creek Tunnel was designed and constructed to store and transportwastewater to the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center. As a result, most ofthe sanitary sewer overflows in the Nancy Creek basin will now beeliminated.
Echoing Franklin’s comments, Refik Elibay, JJG project manager,said, “In order to have a great city, we must have great infrastructure.” Elibayadded that personally, he is “proud to be a part of the team and company that ishelping to make Atlanta an even greater city to live in.”
Completing the project on time and under budget were important factors.However, other goals included minimizing environmental impacts duringconstruction, minimizing disturbance of neighborhoods and not restrictingproperty owners’ use of surface land.
“I feel that we have accomplished these goals to the satisfaction of thecommunity, which was equally as important as meeting the consent decree,” Elibaysaid. “For projects such as this one, it takes everyone working together —communities, government and businesses.”
Mike Robison, JJG resident construction manager, credits Ade Abon, the City’sassistant watershed construction manager, with helping to make the project asuccess. “Without his leadership skills, dedication and ability to work closelywith both contractor and engineer, this project could not have been completed ontime or under budget. Only when you have someone like Ade Abon can you expectsuch success on a project of this magnitude.”
Abon reports to Marica Hurd-Wade, the City’s construction management officer,Department of Watershed Management.
Construction of the tunnel began in July 2002. The project was completed withMayor Franklin pushing a ceremonial “red button” to mark the tunnel’s officialopening.
