Local firm SCJ Alliance part of award-winning projects

APWA & Washington Main Street bestow awards

A project worked on by a statewide team of SCJ Alliance folks recently received two awards for excellence. SCJ’s Lacey, Centralia, and Wenatchee offices worked together on project design, outreach, and construction management for the award-winning City of Chelan projects.

For more than a decade Chelan had been trying to figure out the best way to address Woodin Avenue Bridge safety issues, with its shifting and crumbling concrete, faulting electrical, and narrow sidewalks. Although structurally sound, renovations were sorely needed for this front door to downtown. The city had outgrown the narrow concrete bridge, originally built in 1927, and there was no longer enough room for all the pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicle traffic.

In partnership with City staff, the Historic Downtown Chelan Association, Chelan Douglas Transportation Council, and others, SCJ designed a project that combined bridge restoration with other efforts. The Woodin Avenue Bridge Restoration Project was selected as the Project of the Year in the “Historic Less Than $5 Million” category by the Washington chapter of the Association of Public Works (APWA).

Significant upgrades were also made to the adjacent Woodin Avenue Landing Park, which provides access to the downtown from the water. The Washington State Main Street Program selected it for an Excellence on Main Award in the “Outstanding Special Project” category. “By incorporating the park into the overall construction project, it saved the smaller project thousands of dollars. It’s now an inviting space for both locals and visitors alike, with increased access to Lake Chelan,” said SCJ Project Manager Dan Ireland.

Ireland, an engineer, is based out of SCJ’s Wenatchee office, while the principal landscape architect, Jeff Glander, is part of SCJ’s Lacey office. Engineer Bob Tauscher, who oversaw the construction, calls the Centralia office home. “In today’s COVID world, the lines are more blurred regarding the significance of an ‘office’ location,” says Ireland. “But we’ve been ahead of the curve in that regard. For years our teams have included colleagues working seamlessly across disciplines and offices, with tremendous results.”

ABOUT SCJ ALLIANCE: SCJ is a 100% employee-owned firm specializing in civil engineering and site development, transportation planning and design, environmental and urban planning, landscape architecture, public outreach, and cable-propelled transit. Staff work collaboratively with public and private clients to anticipate emerging needs and priorities, envision projects that enhance communities, and create designs that bring visions to life. The firm has offices in Ballard, Seattle, Gig Harbor, Lacey, Centralia, Wenatchee, and Spokane, Washington, as well as Boulder, Colorado. SCJ has been nationally recognized many times for growth, award-winning projects, and as a great place to work.