PLANNING AND ENGINEERING STUDIES
Most design projects begin with some investigation of various alternatives that might solve the problem at hand. Whether the issue is location of a new highway, size of a water treatment plant or development of a tract of land to most effectively address its intended purpose, some study of the issue and some preliminary planning are normally required. At the very least, this stage of a project defines its scope but a study may, on occasion, even show an anticipated project to be unwarranted or that it should be redirected. The Florence & Hutcheson staff tries to be very precise in understanding the client’s goal for a project but is not averse to advising a client that they believe a project is misdirected or that the problem can best be solved in another manner. The Florence & Hutcheson staff also does many studies, such as traffic or environmental studies, where the end result may be study findings rather than a prelude to design.
SURVEYING
Florence &Hutcheson takes pride in the quality of our surveying. We believe the survey is the foundation of a successful design project and we are always more comfortable with a project for which we have control of the survey. Three of our senior party chiefs have 32, 30 and 24 years experience, all with Florence & Hutcheson. The value in this experience is evident not only in the quality and timeliness of the work the party chiefs themselves produce but also in the procedures and habits they instill in every member of a survey crew. Surveys provided by our crews cover the full range of potential survey requirements including control surveys, route location surveys, topographical surveys, property surveys, drainage surveys, construction staking, as-built surveys and quality control/assurance surveys.
DESIGN
The heaviest application of staff is to project design, including both roadway and bridge design for highway projects; treatment, storage and distribution for water; collection and treatment for wastewater; site and utilities for land development; runway, taxiway and terminal improvements for airports; marinas and ports for river transportation; landfill development and closure for solid waste disposal; and piping, structural or environmental improvements for industry. Florence & Hutcheson staff is organized into many single purpose design units to allow us to take advantage of the specialized capabilities of our staff engineers. With the size and expertise of our staff, few design assignments are presented for which we do not have a vast history of similar experience.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Florence & Hutcheson has been performing subsurface investigations and geotechnical engineering services since 1968. Our experience includes foundation investigations for industrial or commercial buildings, landfill permitting and design, analysis of earth dams, hydrologic studies for wells, environmental investigations and contamination plume mapping, in addition to extensive experience in roadway and bridge projects for several state highway departments. Project locations all across the southeast have exposed Florence & Hutcheson to a wide range of geologic settings and have introduced a variety of subsurface conditions and problems to be solved. Florence & Hutcheson currently is running four full time drill crews, experienced in soil sampling, testing and rock coring. These crews are well adapted to making difficult rig set-ups in rough terrain and are skilled in recovering high quality samples in a variety of soil and rock conditions. Laboratory facilities include a full compliment of testing equipment and experienced technicians who routinely perform testing and analysis in accordance with current AASHTO and ASTM procedures.
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING & PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Florence & Hutcheson is fully staffed and equipped to provide construction phase services for our design projects or those designed by others. We have a strong construction engineering staff steeped in experience covering the full range of civil engineering projects. Our highway and bridge construction experience has, in recent years, included over 100 miles of highway and numerous bridges with construction costs of over $300 million. Florence & Hutcheson inspectors have state of the art field testing equipment as well as proper training in its use and our laboratories are certified by AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Commerce to perform tests in accordance with current AASHTO and ASTM procedures.
DESIGN / BUILD
The use of design/build and public/private partnerships for the implementation of infrastructure projects is becoming more popular and effective. Florence & Hutcheson is experienced in these project delivery methods and has successfully led projects from conception through construction. Our most experienced staff is assigned to design/build projects to ensure that the limited time allotted during the proposal and bidding phase is used effectively. Florence & Hutcheson's most recent design/build project was a $191 million, 16 mile interstate toll road in which F&H was an equity partner with the contractor and the developer. This project was completed in 36 months and was recently opened to traffic. This project and others have been invaluable to the development of F&H staff's expertise in these innovative engineering and construction delivery methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, DOCUMENTATION & PERMITTING
The NEPA compliance stage of project development is often the most critical in maintaining project schedule. Florence & Hutcheson is experienced in all levels of NEPA documentation with various transportation projects ranging from intersection improvements to major interstate projects. The various levels of document experience, along with project specific concerns, have provided Florence & Hutcheson staff with extensive experience in the NEPA ‘umbrella’, including public involvement, interagency coordination, and production of graphical displays. In addition, Florence & Hutcheson’s staff is experienced with the environmental permitting process, specifically Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This experience enables Florence & Hutcheson to effectively and efficiently comply with NEPA regulations and acquire the appropriate permits, which ultimately maintains project schedules.
UTILITY COORDINATION
Utility coordination and relocation is an increasingly critical function of all highway and street design and construction. The effective movement of utilities to ease and/or prevent conflicts with construction efforts grows in importance with every passing year. The technological advances in utility system delivery methods have made highway rights of way the route of choice for every public utility. If not addressed by qualified personnel, these locations and routes can create immense delay difficulties in even small roadway projects when the needs of the public for undisrupted utility services and quick efficient roadway construction come face to face. Florence & Hutcheson has gathered such personnel to address this problem and stands ready to fulfill our client’s needs.
RIGHT-OF-WAY SERVICES
Florence & Hutcheson, Inc has put together an experienced right-of-way team available to handle any right-of-way acquisition needs throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. This includes acquisition and relocation services, as well as property management services. Florence & Hutcheson can also team with its experienced and well respected Surveys, Design Support, and Construction Engineering & Inspection sections to handle even large turnkey projects from the preliminary stage right on through construction, if required.
ROADWAY & TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
BRIDGE & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
WATER RESOURCES
SITE DEVELOPMENT
GENERAL AVIATION
