 remained when the project was finished .   To save time and money , innovative construction methods were employed : The original plans called for the segments of the long ramps and spans ( used to direct @-@ connect roads ) to be made of steel , but because building with steel would interfere with heavy traffic flow during construction , cast @-@ in @-@ place segmental concrete was substituted in the plans . However , Zachry decided to use precast concrete segmental bridges , rather than casting the bridge elements in place , and used a unique machine , designed and constructed by Deal S.R.L. of Italy and costing about $ 1 million , to move the pieces into place .   During the construction , 2 @.@ 2 million cubic yards of earthwork was used , 350 @,@ 000 cubic yards of concrete was mixed on site , and 300 @,@ 000 square feet of retaining walls were built . Additionally , 40 @,@ 000 feet of drilled shafts and 75 @,@ 000 linear feet of drainage pipe were completed . In addition to the construction of 43 permanent bridges , six temporary bridges were built , resulting in 2 @.@ 3 million square feet of bridge deck .   The project was designed by the HNTB Corporation who provided professional engineering consultation throughout the construction , which had begun in 2002 and was completed in December 2005 , more than 13 months sooner than planned .   = = Awards = =   In 2006 , the American Public Works Association named the High Five " Public Works Project of the Year " for its massive size , its innovative design , the complexity and rapidity of its construction and the need it fulfilled for the community . TxDOT as the managing agency , Zachry Construction Corporation as the primary contractor , and HNTB Corporation as the primary consultant received the award in recognition of their cooperative alliance in completing the project .   = Tim Richmond =   Tim Richmond ( June 7 , 1955 – August 13 , 1989 ) was an American race car driver from Ashland , Ohio . He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR 's Winston Cup Series ( now Sprint Cup Series ) . Richmond was one of the first drivers to change from open wheel racing to NASCAR stock cars full @-@ time , which has since become an industry trend . He won the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award and had 13 victories during eight NASCAR seasons .   Richmond achieved his top NASCAR season in 1986 when he finished third in points . He won seven races that season , more than any other driver on the tour . When he missed the season @-@ opening Daytona 500 in February 1987 , media reported that he had pneumonia . The infection most likely resulted from his compromised immune system , which was weakened by AIDS . Despite the state of his health , Richmond competed in eight races in 1987 , winning two events and one pole position before his final race in August of that year . He attempted a comeback in 1988 before NASCAR I banned him for testing positive for excessive OTC ( over the counter ) drugs , Ibuprofen and Pseudoephedrine ; NASCAR later announced they gave Tim Richmond a new test and tested negative . Tim Richmond filed a lawsuit against NASCAR after NASCAR insisted they wanted access to his entire medical record before they would reinstate him , after losing the lawsuit , Richmond withdrew from racing . NASCAR later stated their original test was a " Bad Test . "   Richmond grew up in a wealthy family and lived a freewheeling lifestyle , earning him the nickname " Hollywood " . In describing Richmond 's influence in racing , Charlotte Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler said : " We 've never had a race driver like Tim in stock car racing . He was almost a James Dean @-@ like character . " When Richmond was cast for a bit part in the 1983 movie Stroker Ace , " He fell right in with the group working on the film , " said director Hal Needham . Cole Trickle , the main character in the movie Days of Thunder , played by Tom Cruise , was loosely based on Richmond and his interaction with Harry Hyde and Rick Hendrick .   = = Early life = =   Richmond grew up in Ashland , Ohio . His parents , Al and Evelyn ( née Warner ) Richmond , met in the course of their work . Al was a welder for pipe construction companies and Evelyn was a field office manager . Noticing that highway crews had to dig up the entire highway to lay pipe , Al designed a machine to bore underneath the highway . To market this invention , he founded Richmond Manufacturing , which eventually exported machines worldwide .   Tim 's driving days started as a toddler when he was given a go @-@ kart that he often drove inside buildings and across his lawn . He later raced the kart at tracks in Moreland and New Pittsburg . Richmond grew up in a well @-@ to @-@ do family , and was sometimes therefore treated differently by his classmates , so his parents enrolled him in Miami Military Academy in Miami , Florida . During his years
Ġremained Ġwhen Ġthe Ġproject Ġwas Ġfinished Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠTo Ġsave Ġtime Ġand Ġmoney Ġ, Ġinnovative Ġconstruction Ġmethods Ġwere Ġemployed Ġ: ĠThe Ġoriginal Ġplans Ġcalled Ġfor Ġthe Ġsegments Ġof Ġthe Ġlong Ġramps Ġand Ġspans Ġ( Ġused Ġto Ġdirect Ġ@ - @ Ġconnect Ġroads Ġ) Ġto Ġbe Ġmade Ġof Ġsteel Ġ, Ġbut Ġbecause Ġbuilding Ġwith Ġsteel Ġwould Ġinterfere Ġwith Ġheavy Ġtraffic Ġflow Ġduring Ġconstruction Ġ, Ġcast Ġ@ - @ Ġin Ġ@ - @ Ġplace Ġsegment al Ġconcrete Ġwas Ġsubstituted Ġin Ġthe Ġplans Ġ. ĠHowever Ġ, ĠZach ry Ġdecided Ġto Ġuse Ġpre cast Ġconcrete Ġsegment al Ġbridges Ġ, Ġrather Ġthan Ġcasting Ġthe Ġbridge Ġelements Ġin Ġplace Ġ, Ġand Ġused Ġa Ġunique Ġmachine Ġ, Ġdesigned Ġand Ġconstructed Ġby ĠDeal ĠS . R . L . Ġof ĠItaly Ġand Ġcosting Ġabout Ġ$ Ġ1 Ġmillion Ġ, Ġto Ġmove Ġthe Ġpieces Ġinto Ġplace Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠDuring Ġthe Ġconstruction Ġ, Ġ2 Ġ@ . @ Ġ2 Ġmillion Ġcubic Ġyards Ġof Ġearth work Ġwas Ġused Ġ, Ġ350 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġcubic Ġyards Ġof Ġconcrete Ġwas Ġmixed Ġon Ġsite Ġ, Ġand Ġ300 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġsquare Ġfeet Ġof Ġretaining Ġwalls Ġwere Ġbuilt Ġ. ĠAdditionally Ġ, Ġ40 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġfeet Ġof Ġdrilled Ġshaft s Ġand Ġ75 Ġ@ , @ Ġ000 Ġlinear Ġfeet Ġof Ġdrainage Ġpipe Ġwere Ġcompleted Ġ. ĠIn Ġaddition Ġto Ġthe Ġconstruction Ġof Ġ43 Ġpermanent Ġbridges Ġ, Ġsix Ġtemporary Ġbridges Ġwere Ġbuilt Ġ, Ġresulting Ġin Ġ2 Ġ@ . @ Ġ3 Ġmillion Ġsquare Ġfeet Ġof Ġbridge Ġdeck Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġproject Ġwas Ġdesigned Ġby Ġthe ĠH NT B ĠCorporation Ġwho Ġprovided Ġprofessional Ġengineering Ġconsultation Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġconstruction Ġ, Ġwhich Ġhad Ġbegun Ġin Ġ2002 Ġand Ġwas Ġcompleted Ġin ĠDecember Ġ2005 Ġ, Ġmore Ġthan Ġ13 Ġmonths Ġsooner Ġthan Ġplanned Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠAwards Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠIn Ġ2006 Ġ, Ġthe ĠAmerican ĠPublic ĠWorks ĠAssociation Ġnamed Ġthe ĠHigh ĠFive Ġ" ĠPublic ĠWorks ĠProject Ġof Ġthe ĠYear Ġ" Ġfor Ġits Ġmassive Ġsize Ġ, Ġits Ġinnovative Ġdesign Ġ, Ġthe Ġcomplexity Ġand Ġrapid ity Ġof Ġits Ġconstruction Ġand Ġthe Ġneed Ġit Ġfulfilled Ġfor Ġthe Ġcommunity Ġ. ĠT x D OT Ġas Ġthe Ġmanaging Ġagency Ġ, ĠZach ry ĠConstruction ĠCorporation Ġas Ġthe Ġprimary Ġcontractor Ġ, Ġand ĠH NT B ĠCorporation Ġas Ġthe Ġprimary Ġconsultant Ġreceived Ġthe Ġaward Ġin Ġrecognition Ġof Ġtheir Ġcooperative Ġalliance Ġin Ġcompleting Ġthe Ġproject Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= ĠTim ĠRichmond Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠTim ĠRichmond Ġ( ĠJune Ġ7 Ġ, Ġ1955 ĠâĢĵ ĠAugust Ġ13 Ġ, Ġ1989 Ġ) Ġwas Ġan ĠAmerican Ġrace Ġcar Ġdriver Ġfrom ĠAsh land Ġ, ĠOhio Ġ. ĠHe Ġcompeted Ġin ĠIndy Car Ġracing Ġbefore Ġtransferring Ġto ĠNASCAR Ġ' s ĠWinston ĠCup ĠSeries Ġ( Ġnow ĠSprint ĠCup ĠSeries Ġ) Ġ. ĠRichmond Ġwas Ġone Ġof Ġthe Ġfirst Ġdrivers Ġto Ġchange Ġfrom Ġopen Ġwheel Ġracing Ġto ĠNASCAR Ġstock Ġcars Ġfull Ġ@ - @ Ġtime Ġ, Ġwhich Ġhas Ġsince Ġbecome Ġan Ġindustry Ġtrend Ġ. ĠHe Ġwon Ġthe Ġ1980 ĠIndianapolis Ġ500 ĠRookie Ġof Ġthe ĠYear Ġaward Ġand Ġhad Ġ13 Ġvictories Ġduring Ġeight ĠNASCAR Ġseasons Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠRichmond Ġachieved Ġhis Ġtop ĠNASCAR Ġseason Ġin Ġ1986 Ġwhen Ġhe Ġfinished Ġthird Ġin Ġpoints Ġ. ĠHe Ġwon Ġseven Ġraces Ġthat Ġseason Ġ, Ġmore Ġthan Ġany Ġother Ġdriver Ġon Ġthe Ġtour Ġ. ĠWhen Ġhe Ġmissed Ġthe Ġseason Ġ@ - @ Ġopening ĠDaytona Ġ500 Ġin ĠFebruary Ġ1987 Ġ, Ġmedia Ġreported Ġthat Ġhe Ġhad Ġpneumonia Ġ. ĠThe Ġinfection Ġmost Ġlikely Ġresulted Ġfrom Ġhis Ġcompromised Ġimmune Ġsystem Ġ, Ġwhich Ġwas Ġweakened Ġby ĠAIDS Ġ. ĠDespite Ġthe Ġstate Ġof Ġhis Ġhealth Ġ, ĠRichmond Ġcompeted Ġin Ġeight Ġraces Ġin Ġ1987 Ġ, Ġwinning Ġtwo Ġevents Ġand Ġone Ġpole Ġposition Ġbefore Ġhis Ġfinal Ġrace Ġin ĠAugust Ġof Ġthat Ġyear Ġ. ĠHe Ġattempted Ġa Ġcomeback Ġin Ġ1988 Ġbefore ĠNASCAR ĠI Ġbanned Ġhim Ġfor Ġtesting Ġpositive Ġfor Ġexcessive ĠO TC Ġ( Ġover Ġthe Ġcounter Ġ) Ġdrugs Ġ, ĠIb up ro fen Ġand ĠPse udo ep hed rine Ġ; ĠNASCAR Ġlater Ġannounced Ġthey Ġgave ĠTim ĠRichmond Ġa Ġnew Ġtest Ġand Ġtested Ġnegative Ġ. ĠTim ĠRichmond Ġfiled Ġa Ġlawsuit Ġagainst ĠNASCAR Ġafter ĠNASCAR Ġinsisted Ġthey Ġwanted Ġaccess Ġto Ġhis Ġentire Ġmedical Ġrecord Ġbefore Ġthey Ġwould Ġrein state Ġhim Ġ, Ġafter Ġlosing Ġthe Ġlawsuit Ġ, ĠRichmond Ġwithdrew Ġfrom Ġracing Ġ. ĠNASCAR Ġlater Ġstated Ġtheir Ġoriginal Ġtest Ġwas Ġa Ġ" ĠBad ĠTest Ġ. Ġ" Ġ Ġ ĠRichmond Ġgrew Ġup Ġin Ġa Ġwealthy Ġfamily Ġand Ġlived Ġa Ġfre ew he eling Ġlifestyle Ġ, Ġearning Ġhim Ġthe Ġnickname Ġ" ĠHollywood Ġ" Ġ. ĠIn Ġdescribing ĠRichmond Ġ' s Ġinfluence Ġin Ġracing Ġ, ĠCharlotte ĠMotor ĠSpeedway Ġpresident ĠH umpy ĠWheeler Ġsaid Ġ: Ġ" ĠWe Ġ' ve Ġnever Ġhad Ġa Ġrace Ġdriver Ġlike ĠTim Ġin Ġstock Ġcar Ġracing Ġ. ĠHe Ġwas Ġalmost Ġa ĠJames ĠDean Ġ@ - @ Ġlike Ġcharacter Ġ. Ġ" ĠWhen ĠRichmond Ġwas Ġcast Ġfor Ġa Ġbit Ġpart Ġin Ġthe Ġ1983 Ġmovie ĠStro ker ĠAce Ġ, Ġ" ĠHe Ġfell Ġright Ġin Ġwith Ġthe Ġgroup Ġworking Ġon Ġthe Ġfilm Ġ, Ġ" Ġsaid Ġdirector ĠHal ĠNeed ham Ġ. ĠCole ĠTrick le Ġ, Ġthe Ġmain Ġcharacter Ġin Ġthe Ġmovie ĠDays Ġof ĠThunder Ġ, Ġplayed Ġby ĠTom ĠCruise Ġ, Ġwas Ġloosely Ġbased Ġon ĠRichmond Ġand Ġhis Ġinteraction Ġwith ĠHarry ĠHyde Ġand ĠRick ĠHend rick Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠEarly Ġlife Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠRichmond Ġgrew Ġup Ġin ĠAsh land Ġ, ĠOhio Ġ. ĠHis Ġparents Ġ, ĠAl Ġand ĠEve lyn Ġ( Ġn Ã©e ĠWarner Ġ) ĠRichmond Ġ, Ġmet Ġin Ġthe Ġcourse Ġof Ġtheir Ġwork Ġ. ĠAl Ġwas Ġa Ġwe lder Ġfor Ġpipe Ġconstruction Ġcompanies Ġand ĠEve lyn Ġwas Ġa Ġfield Ġoffice Ġmanager Ġ. ĠNot icing Ġthat Ġhighway Ġcrews Ġhad Ġto Ġdig Ġup Ġthe Ġentire Ġhighway Ġto Ġlay Ġpipe Ġ, ĠAl Ġdesigned Ġa Ġmachine Ġto Ġbore Ġunderneath Ġthe Ġhighway Ġ. ĠTo Ġmarket Ġthis Ġinvention Ġ, Ġhe Ġfounded ĠRichmond ĠManufacturing Ġ, Ġwhich Ġeventually Ġexported Ġmachines Ġworldwide Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠTim Ġ' s Ġdriving Ġdays Ġstarted Ġas Ġa Ġtoddler Ġwhen Ġhe Ġwas Ġgiven Ġa Ġgo Ġ@ - @ Ġk art Ġthat Ġhe Ġoften Ġdrove Ġinside Ġbuildings Ġand Ġacross Ġhis Ġlawn Ġ. ĠHe Ġlater Ġraced Ġthe Ġk art Ġat Ġtracks Ġin ĠMore land Ġand ĠNew ĠPitt sburg Ġ. ĠRichmond Ġgrew Ġup Ġin Ġa Ġwell Ġ@ - @ Ġto Ġ@ - @ Ġdo Ġfamily Ġ, Ġand Ġwas Ġsometimes Ġtherefore Ġtreated Ġdifferently Ġby Ġhis Ġclassmates Ġ, Ġso Ġhis Ġparents Ġenrolled Ġhim Ġin ĠMiami ĠMilitary ĠAcademy Ġin ĠMiami Ġ, ĠFlorida Ġ. ĠDuring Ġhis Ġyears