26 HDR Projects Receive National Recognition
Image Teaser Photo Credit: Public Facilities. Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
ACEC to Honor HDR at Annual Ceremony
The American Council of Engineering Companies will recognize 26 HDR projects with national awards. The projects represent a wide range of disciplines and regions across the United States.
Grand Award
HDR’s Seward Highway Mile Post 75-90 Road and Bridge Rehabilitation project will receive a Grand Award at ACEC’s 57th Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on May 15 in Washington, D.C. A panel of nearly 30 judges selected the year’s most outstanding engineering accomplishments from more than 200 entries, in what’s known as the “Academy Awards” of the engineering industry.
Originally completed in 1951, the Seward Highway is the only road between Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Recognized for its scenic, natural, historic and recreational values, it’s considered an All-American Road and a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration. It connects communities, recreational areas, cruise ship ports, world-class fishing locations and popular tourist destinations.
In March 1964, the magnitude 9.2 Great Alaskan Earthquake severely damaged the roadway. Reconstruction began two years later and completed in May 1968. Nearly half a century later, the roadway reached the end of its design lifespan. Serving more than 20,000 vehicles per day, its two-lane design lacked passing and turning lanes, sufficient parking and recreation amenities; contained deficient curves; and was often congested. Sandwiched between the Cook Inlet’s Turnagain Arm and the Chugach National Forest, the roadway crosses several waterbodies. In 2006 and 2007, due to its high crash history, Alaska’s governor listed it as a Highway Safety Corridor.
The 15-mile, $138 million road and bridge rehabilitation project transformed the highway. The team straightened curves; reconstructed or rehabilitated and seismically upgraded nine bridges; provided 5 miles of passing lanes in each direction and turn lanes at critical intersections; repaved the entire stretch; enhanced pedestrian facilities; improved drainage; and protected shorelines. With three new underpasses and an extended multimodal scenic trail, the project increases pedestrian safety and improves access to recreational spots.
The project overcame significant challenges, including a two-decade project timeline, maintaining traffic for more than 20,000 vehicles per day, 30-foot tidal fluctuations, a shortened construction season and frigid winters, and extreme seismicity and highly liquefiable soils. The team also remained vigilant for critical and endangered species, including beluga whales, that propagate the Turnagain Arm.
The project transforms one of America’s most remarkable roadways from a fraught drive into a modern marvel.
Two HDR projects won Honor Awards:
- Broadway Viaduct Bridge Replacement, Nashville, Tennessee
- EchoWater Advanced Wastewater Treatment Program Management, Elk Grove, California
Twenty-three HDR projects won National Recognition Awards:
- Ashtabula Water Treatment Plant Upgrades, Ashtabula, Ohio
- Bois d'Arc Lake Treated Water Pipeline, Wylie, Texas
- Conley Terminal Berth 11 & 12 Backlands Pavement Reclamation, Boston, Massachusetts
- Cyprus Shores Emergency Stabilization, San Clemente, California
- Des Moines Metropolitan WRA Flood Resiliency Study and Improvements, Des Moines, Iowa
- Fern Hollow Emergency Bridge Replacement, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Greene Street Bridge, Columbia, South Carolina
- Higgins Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation, Missoula, Montana
- I-294 Mile Long Bridge, Willow Springs, Illinois
- I-35 Capital Express Central Project Final Environmental Impact Statement, Austin, Texas
- I-80/380 System Interchange Reconstruction Program, Coralville, Iowa
- Isabella Dam Safety Modification, Kern County, California
- Mill Plain Bus Rapid Transit, Vancouver, Washington
- Needles Third Main Track Expansion, Needles to Goffs, California
- North Hero - Grand Isle Drawbridge Replacement, North Hero to Grand Isle, Vermont
- NYSCC Reimagine the Canals Fall Fishing Program and SEQRA Review, Niagara, Orleans and Monroe Counties, New York
- Redlands Passenger Rail Project, Redlands to San Bernardino, California
- Second Avenue Bridge Over I-94, Detroit, Michigan
- South Sioux City New Wastewater Treatment Facility, South Sioux City, Nebraska
- SY-001 Wastewater Pump Station, Honolulu, Hawaii
- The RiverFront Revitalization - Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
- Switzer Road, 159th to 167th Street, Overland Park, Kansas
- UNMC Wittson Hall and Wigton Heritage Center, Omaha, Nebraska
About HDR
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.
