HDR projects win ACEC Colorado awards

Omaha, Neb. — HDR received two state-level awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado for its 2017 Engineering Excellence Awards competition. Project submissions are judged based on innovation, value to the engineering profession, social and economic considerations, complexity and successful fulfillment of client needs. Both projects will advance to the ACEC national competition, winners of which will be announced April 25 in Washington, D.C., during ACEC’s national awards gala.

U.S. 36 Multimodal Express Lanes Project: Excellence Award Winner

Creating the state’s first complete multimodal throughway, Colorado Department of Transportation’s U.S. 36 Express Lanes project combines robust facilities for express and general traffic, bus rapid transit, pedestrians and cyclists.

HDR led design for both phases of this project as a member of the Ames/Granite design-build team. HDR was responsible for overall project management as well as roadway, drainage and structural design, and signing and striping.

The project included widening 16 miles of existing turnpike to add dedicated High Occupancy Vehicle/toll lanes (express lanes) and 12-foot shoulders to the inside and outside of travel lanes in both directions. It called for eight new or reconstructed bridges. It also created bus rapid transit service between Boulder, Colorado and Denver, and the U.S. 36 Bikeway, which spans the 16-mile corridor.

At a cost of roughly $497 million, the U.S. 36 Multimodal Express Lanes Project shortened travel times and improved access in a congested area, where growth has surged in recent years. Among its innovative features is the state’s second diverging diamond interchange, which is one of about 60 in the country. This project also was funded in part by the state’s first public-private partnership.

South Platte Interceptor Project: Honor Award Winner

Nearly invisible to the public, the new, 6.8-mile South Platte Interceptor (SPI) will convey wastewater from seven agencies to the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District’s new Northern Treatment Plant (NTP) in Brighton, Colorado. HDR provided preliminary and final design as well as construction administration services for this $52 million project.

The SPI is one of the largest interceptors in the region. It will serve as the backbone of a new collection system and provide the capacity to convey up to 104 million gallons per day of wastewater. Ranging in size from 30 to 78 inches in diameter, it starts at the district’s Brantner Gulch Lift Station in Thornton, Colorado, and generally follows the South Platte River north to the site of the NTP.

The SPI’s alignment navigates a diverse urban corridor, including multiple highways, gravel pit lakes and meandering river bends. It demonstrates environmental stewardship, most notably through the implementation of seven trenchless pipeline installations that minimized disruption to important roadways and preserved natural resources. Ultimately, the SPI will streamline the region’s wastewater infrastructure, eliminating the need for seven lift stations and the expansion of existing wastewater treatment facilities.