The Mid-Atlantic Region of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) recently awarded its Design-Build Merit Award for Transportation to the Richmond Airport Connector Road, a turnkey design-build project. Dewberry, as engineer-of-record, teamed with the contractor, American Infrastructure-VA, Inc. on the design of this roadway leading directly into Richmond International Airport and reducing travel time to the airport by about 10 minutes.

Over the last decade, Richmond International Airport has been one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation. Prior to the construction of the connector road, access to the airport from the south was limited to small country and urban roads. This project was designed to improve traffic flow between Virginia State Route 895, known as Pocahontas 895, and the airport. The 1.6-mile four-lane divided toll road, which includes a trumpet-style interchange, provides motorists with direct access to Richmond International Airport from Pocahontas 895.

Dewberry's design included value engineering and multiple innovative ideas that led to construction cost savings, such as the reduction of 100,000 cubic yards of earthwork, hundreds of feet of guardrail, asphalt curb, and storm sewer systems. Because of the project's proximity to the airport, a bird-resistant stormwater management design was incorporated, decreasing the potential for airplane bird strikes.