Granite Construction Joint Venture Project Wins Project of the Year Award by the American Public Works Association

WATSONVILLE, Calif., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GraniteConstruction Incorporated (NYSE: GVA) is pleased to announce that the RenoTransportation Rail Access Corridor (ReTRAC) was named a Public Works Projectof the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA).

The City of Reno, Nevada, the project owner, along with GraniteConstruction Company, the primary design-build contractor and Jacobs Civil,Inc., the project management consultant were presented with the award duringAPWA’s International Public Works Congress and Exposition in San Antonio,Texas earlier this month. Design efforts on the project were led by ParsonsTransportation Group.

Michael F. Donnino, Senior Vice President, Granite East Manager, said "Weare honored to receive such a prestigious award. It was a huge success forall of the stakeholders. This is a perfect example of how the Heavy and BranchDivisions have worked well together in the past and how we intend to executethese types of projects in both Granite East and Granite West in the future".

APWA Project of the Year awards are presented annually to promotemanagement and administration excellence of public works projects byrecognizing alliances between managing agencies, contractors, consultants andtheir cooperative achievements. This year APWA selected 18 projects in fivecategories: Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair, Environment, HistoricalRestoration/Preservation, Structures and Transportation.

The ReTRAC project was awarded in the Transportation category for projectsmore than $100 million. ReTRAC is the largest public works project everundertaken in northern Nevada. It includes the design and construction of a2.1-mile-long section of the Union Pacific Railroad line currently runningthrough the downtown Reno area that eliminates traffic congestion, improvessafety and enhances downtown aesthetics. The project’s impact on the regionwill be felt for many years to come.

    Project highlights include:    *  Construction of two mainline tracks with a maximum design speed of 60       miles per hour and an access road adjacent to the tracks.    *  Construction of 11 street and one pedestrian bridge across the top of       the trench.    *  Construction of a three-mile temporary (shoofly) rail bed and track       system prior to removal of the existing mainline railroad. The shoofly       was constructed along a route parallel to the trench while using       existing Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and city streets and       alleys.    *  9.2 miles of track.    *  Demolition of nine buildings and two bridges.    *  Soundproofing of 11 existing buildings.    *  Excavation of more than 700,000 cubic yards of soil.    *  Installation of 70,000 cubic yards of structural concrete.    *  Installation of 50,000 tons of AC.    *  Installation of nine million pounds of reinforcing steel.

The downtown railroad corridor also includes resurfaced streets, enhancedlandscaping, special lighting standards and stamped sidewalks/crosswalksconsistent with the City of Reno’s Master Landscape Planning Program. Inaddition, the trench incorporates many elements of public art includingspecial fencing, bridge pilasters and artist-designed public seating.

About Granite

Granite Construction Incorporated is a member of the S&P 400 Midcap Index,the Domini 400 Social Index and the Russell 2000. Granite ConstructionCompany, a wholly owned subsidiary, is one of the nation’s largest diversifiedheavy civil contractors and construction materials producers. GraniteConstruction Company serves public and private sector clients through itsoffices and subsidiaries nationwide. For the 4th straight year, Granite wasnamed to FORTUNE’S List of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For moreinformation about Granite, please visit their website athttp://www.graniteconstruction.com.

SOURCE Granite Construction Incorporated