Public and Private Works Projects Honored by Statewide Engineering Association

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council of Engineering Companies, California (ACEC California) and the ACEC California Scholarship Foundation, in partnership with public sector agencies and private companies, will be celebrating fifteen honor award engineering projects on February 28, 2024  at ACEC California's Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet. These honor award projects are being recognized for demonstrating an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. The winner of the Golden State Award, an honor bestowed for the best overall project, will be announced during the awards event.

"The award-winning projects recognized this year again represent the sort of reliably built infrastructure that Californians deserve," said Brad Diede, Executive Director of ACEC California. "Our member firms are committed to continually building a resilient and better California." 

Photographs of award-winning projects can be found at https://www.acec-ca.org/page/2024EEAWinners

San Diego Region Honor Award Projects:

HDR was contracted by Metrolink for the $21.7 million Cyprus Shores Emergency Stabilization Project which identified the cause of the 2021 landslide, stabilized the railroad track and houses, and prevents future movement. The project team installed more than 20,000 tons of riprap on the ocean side of the track and 110 concrete grade beams with 220 total 133-foot-long tiebacks into the slope, allowing the rail line – critical to the U.S. economy and national defense – to reopen.

Kleinfelder was contracted by the Santa Fe Irrigation District (SFID) for the SFID R.E. Badger Facility Upgrade project. As the prime consultant, Kleinfelder was responsible for the expansion of the water filtration plant's solids mechanical dewatering system, seismic retrofit of the filter washwater tank and clearwell, and concrete refurbishment at the San Dieguito Dam. Innovative solutions like lifting and relocating the washwater tank, constructing a full capacity temporary filter backwash system, and sequential clearwell excavation expedited construction and ensured uninterrupted water service to nearly 60,000 residents. Cutting-edge mechanical dewatering techniques enhance operational reliability, sustainable water management, and reduce long-term operating costs. Demonstrating a holistic approach to environmental, social, and economic design considerations, the project preserved sensitive habitats, minimized disruption to residents, and achieved long-term economic sustainability through reduced operational costs and FEMA/CalOES funding.

Michael Baker International was contracted by San Elijo Joint Powers Authority (SEJPA) to prepare and implement a Work Plan to use an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) at the San Elijo and Encina Ocean Outfalls to collect data to track the location and movement of any potential discharge plume. The Michael Baker team developed and executed the work plan, analyzed all data and prepared the corresponding reports, that fulfilled the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB) requirements. Throughout the data collection they gathered over 60,000 data points per deployment in the plumes and surrounding waters.

Michael Baker International was contracted by Kaiser Permanente to serve as the civil engineer of record for the Kaiser Permanente San Marcos Medical Center. In that role, Michael Baker provided support for a broad range of project needs, including coordination of utility paths and locations; grading; access; permitting; storm water controls and management, and wetlands preservation and re-vegetation. The Kaiser Permanente San Marcos Medical Center opened on August 9, 2023. The seven-story, 433,000-square-foot facility features a 24-hour emergency department with 39 private treatment areas, eight operating rooms and capacity for 206 single interactive patient rooms.

Rick Engineering Company was contracted by the City of San Diego for the Pacific Beach Pipeline South project. The largest infrastructure replacement projects at the time for the City of San Diego and involved the replacement of approximately 8 miles of water transmission and distribution mains (8-inch to 30-inch) and approximately 1.7 miles of sewer gravity and force mains (6-inch to 14-inch) within the communities of Mission Bay, Midway, and Middletown. The primary goal of the project was to replace aging/deteriorating CI and ACP infrastructure to prevent future service disruptions and breaks. The project required replacing the water and sewer mains over four bridges within Mission Bay, crossing underneath I-8, crossing active railroad and trolley tracks using trenchless methods (horizontal auger boring), the upgrade and relocation of an existing pressure regulating station, demolition of a reservoir, upgrading over 130 curb ramps, and implementation of complex nighttime traffic control setups along some of the busiest streets in the city. Extensive coordination was required throughout the project with multiple stakeholders including Caltrans, SANDAG, San Diego International Airport, MTS/NCTD/BNSF, MCRD, SPAWAR, and numerous businesses, hotels, and residents.

T.Y. Lin International was contracted by the City of San Diego (City) for the "West Mission Bay Drive Bridge" project. As the prime consultant to the City, T.Y. Lin provided planning, design, and construction support services to replace a structurally deficient bridge that serves as a vital link connecting Downtown to the south with Mission Bay Park and the beach communities to the north. The new landmark bridge spans 1,300 feet over the San Diego River supporting 3 lanes of traffic and 12-foot-wide barrier-separated multi-use paths in each direction. Located within a highly constrained coastal environment, innovative design and construction techniques were used to ensure project success. These techniques include stakeholder and community workshops to obtain valuable input and expedite agency approvals; advanced materials to extend service life; and large-diameter concrete piles drilled to depths of up to 175 feet to resist earthquake, liquefaction, sea-level rise, and tsunami hazards.

Walter P Moore was contracted by Populous/Oakview Group to provide the structural engineering design for Acrisure Arena, located in Coachella Valley, California. Making its public debut in December 2022, the arena stands as a versatile mid-sized venue with a capacity of 11,500, and a year-round entertainment hub. Walter P Moore had to consider three different types of extreme loading to create efficient, safe, and affordable structural systems for the arena and the adjacent, interconnected Berger Foundation Iceplex. Foremost among these loadings are higher than usual seismic forces due to the venue's location just three miles from the highly powerful San Andreas Fault. In addition, the Coachella Valley desert site regularly experiences near-hurricane speed winds, requiring special engineering attention to every façade and roof element. Finally, the owner's vision for a state-of-the-art arena capable of hosting any type of modern show generated a third layer of design criteria: variable and significant rigging loads attached to the structure's expansive rigging grid, itself suspended from the long-span roof.

Los Angeles Region Honor Award Projects:

HDR was contracted by BNSF Railway for the BNSF Needles Third Mainline Track Expansion Segments 1 and 2 project. BNSF's Needles subdivision through inland California is one of the nation's busiest corridors. It links the Port of Los Angeles and the future Barstow International Gateway (BIG) to all major freight hubs to the east; including Phoenix, Fort Worth, Kansas City and Chicago. The Needles Third Mainline Track Expansion, Segments 1 and 2 Project, accounts for nearly two thirds of a planned $250 million capital expansion investment by BNSF along the southern transcontinental (Transcon) railway corridor through inland California. This project adds a new third mainline track along nearly 30 miles between Needles and Goffs, California — a corridor expansion that BNSF has planned and developed for more than a decade.

HDR was contracted by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project (Arrow). SBCTA's $376 million Redlands Passenger Rail/Arrow Project reverses the decades-long mass transit downtrend with 9-mile service between San Bernardino and Redlands. With the county's population expected to grow 25% over the next 20 years, the project eases demand for additional transportation services while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, providing cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable travel. The project offers an alternative travel option for communities along the Redlands Corridor in a way that improves transit mobility, travel times and safety while minimizing environmental impacts. The project included four new stations, replaced and retrofitted bridges and track, safety improvements at 21 at-grade crossings and closing 3 others, and implementation of an FRA-approved "quiet zone" along the 9-mile corridor where trains are not required to routinely sound their horns when approaching the grade crossings.

Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. was contracted by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) for the LAX West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal project. As part of the Tuner- PCL Joint Venture Progressive Design-build team, Kimley-Horn provided engineering design services for this innovative terminal expansion project. The 15-gate concourse features cutting-edge technology, impressive architecture, a new checked-bag storage system, biometric boarding gates, and the latest facilities for travelers to experience. In addition to the modernized passenger amenities, the project also improved scheduling challenges, providing increased flexibility for both domestic and international flights at LAX, an economic cornerstone of the Los Angeles community. In all, the project combined advanced technology, engineering ingenuity, and practical sustainability to deliver a $1.73 billion program that touched every aspect of engineering.

San Francisco Region Honor Award Projects:

GHD was contracted by the Town of Windsor for the Windsor River Road/Windsor Road Intersection Improvements and Multi-Use Path Connector Project. As the prime consultant, GHD provided project planning, public outreach, permitting, grant assistance, engineering design, and engineering services during construction. For this project, GHD replaced a signalized four-way intersection with a roundabout. The project is unique with the added complexity of a passenger and freight rail line intersecting through vehicle, bus, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The new design is expected to reduce the number of injury collisions by 75%. For pedestrians, crossing safety improvements included new sidewalks, realigned crosswalks, ADA curb ramps, and refuge medians. The project also added a 760-foot connector segment to a regional multi-use pathway. The environmental benefits from this project include 541 Vehicle Miles Traveled saved by increasing multi-modal possibilities.

Kier + Wright Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors (Kier + Wright) was contracted by NVIDIA Corporation for the NVIDIA Endeavor and Voyager Buildings project. The LEED Gold campus covers 35.6 acres, providing more than one million square feet of office space and utilizing two pedestrian bridges and two underground parking garages. Kier + Wright served the multi-layer goals of safety, productivity, connection, and well-being through interlocking strategies such as underground parking garages that connect to traffic thoroughfares while avoiding pedestrian areas. NVIDIA's campus combines natural, healing areas with 'invisible' stormwater treatment; Kier + Wright blended these concepts using gabion walls and bioswales to 'hide' bioretention ponds and maintain natural topography. Kier + Wright worked directly with Nvidia, developer Sares Regis, and general contractor Devcon, taking a leadership role in phasing, cost and scheduling efficiency, and successful future planning.

Moffatt & Nichol was contracted by the Transportation Authority of Marin for the North-South Greenway Gap Closure project. As the engineer of record, Moffatt & Nichol led the North-South Greenway Gap Closure Project and design of the bridge and approach structures. The project is part of a regional effort to expand Marin County's nonmotorized transportation network and will be designated as part of the Bay Trail network, a planned 500-mile walking and cycling path around San Francisco Bay. The project's 1,000-foot pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing Corte Madera Creek in Larkspur replaced a substandard sidewalk immediately adjacent to a high-speed traffic off-ramp that did not allow pedestrians and bicyclists to safely pass. The project was challenged with providing a Class I multi-use path over Corte Madera Creek without placing new or temporary supports in the creek, while achieving geometric compatibility between existing infrastructure and new construction. Moffatt & Nichol overcame these challenges through creative repurposing of existing structural elements and unique and innovative applications of precast concrete structural components.

Central Valley Region Honor Award Projects:

HDR was contracted by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District for the Isabella Dam Safety Modification project. HDR served as the program and construction manager for the project. The project included raising the main and auxiliary dams by 16 feet, modifying the service spillway and creating a new emergency spillway — featuring a 28-foot-tall, 1,300-foot-long, arced labyrinth weir, the Corps' first project with the innovative structure type. The new Isabella weir was built as a pseudo-dam, designed to regulate water flow through the emergency spillway rather than hold it back. The arced and zig-zag labyrinth construction maximized the volume able to flow over the weir. The Corps and HDR monitored earthwork for the massive 2.8 million cubic yards of rock used, which was mined on-site. The main dam was constructed at 1,695 feet long, 189 feet tall; and the auxiliary dam was built at 4,015 feet long, 111 feet tall. The project allowed the Corps to return the lake to its original design capacity of 568,000 acre-feet to serve flood control, agriculture, hydroelectric, and recreation needs.

HDR & Brown and Caldwell were contracted by Regional San for the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant EchoWater Program project. The Brown & Caldwell/HDR Engineering Joint Venture was retained in 2012 to serve as program manager for the $1.7 billion EchoWater Program — one of the largest projects in Sacramento history. The Project's innovations are tremendous. It is the first heavy civil job in United States to implement 4D and 5D software. The Project reduces chemical costs, eliminates 99% of the ammonia and 89% of the nitrogen, and removes small particles, bacteria, and viruses from the wastewater. They not only overcame nearly insurmountable odds, with a multi-billion-dollar project, but delivered it 20% under budget and on schedule.

ACEC California is a 60 plus year-old, nonprofit association of private consulting engineering and land surveying firms.  As a statewide organization, we are dedicated to enhancing the consulting engineering and land surveying professions, protecting the general public, and promoting use of the private sector in the growth and development of our state.

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SOURCE American Council of Engineering Companies, California