Michigans top engineering and surveying projects recognized at annual ACEC Excellence Awards Ceremony

Lansing, Mich. — The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC/M) recently honored firms for engineering and surveying excellence during the association’s annual Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards ceremony. On Feb. 27, design professionals and guests gathered at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek to recognize outstanding Michigan engineering and surveying projects from the past year, as well as engineering professionals who have significantly contributed to the profession.

The ACEC/M Awards Program recognizes outstanding efforts of professional design firms to solve clients’ needs through exceptional projects, and offers the opportunity to showcase the year’s best engineering and surveying achievements to an audience of peers, clients and decision makers at all levels.

“This program serves as the final celebration of Engineers Week,” said Ron Brenke, P.E., ACEC/M Executive Director. “The knowledge and expertise that filled the room on Saturday was astounding! The projects engineered by private sector firms have a profound effect on the quality of life for all Michigan residents. Their efforts result in quality roads and bridges, safe drinking water, and a clean environment for people to live, work and play.”

This year’s most prestigious award – the Engineering Eminent Conceptor Award – went to the team of HNTB Michigan (Detroit), Parsons Brinckerhoff Michigan (Detroit) and Great Lakes Engineering Group (Lansing), for the 96fix project. The project was a complete rebuild of a seven-mile stretch of I-96 in Wayne County, Michigan. The $153 million dual-design and construction project brought I-96 to current design standards and increased the design speed from 60 mph to 70-75 mph. 96fix is the largest MDOT project ever completed in one season.

Four firms were honored with an Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award: OHM Advisors for the Diverging Diamond Interchange Conceptual Design (Auburn Hills) and for The Northwestern Connector Triangle Project (Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield Township); Byce & Associates, Inc. for Bell’s Brewery, Inc. New Bio-Energy Facility; Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering, Inc. for the Novel Measurements Pinpoint I&I for Removal project (Berlin Charter Township); and Harley Ellis Devereaux for Detroit Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute.

Engineering Merit Awards were presented to Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. for Marysville Protects the St. Clair River; Harley Ellis Devereaux for Cornerstone South Tower Addition; Somat Engineering, Inc. for Dearborn Intermodal Facility (Galesburg); HNTB Michigan, Inc. for DTE Duct Bank Along Woodward Avenue; ROWE Professional Services Company for Lake Huron Water Supply Intake; TranSystems for M-231 over Grand River; The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. for Mcity Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Test Facility; Tetra Tech for Perry Street Diversion Pump Station; and Alfred Benesch & Company for US-131 at I-94 BL (Stadium Drive).

This year’s Surveying Eminent Conceptor Award went to Wade Trim (Flint), for the I-75 over Rouge River and Fort Street Design Survey. This complex design survey mapped two miles of eight-lane highway and two bridge structures for the Michigan Department of Transportation to design future deck replacements. Data was edited, merged and delivered using the largest application of MTL scanning, STLS scanning, and conventional surveying ever performed in Michigan.

A Surveying Honorable Conceptor Award was presented to Nowak & Fraus Engineers for the Amtrak ADA Stations Program.

The Board Design Award was given to the team of HNTB Michigan (Detroit), Parsons Brinckerhoff Michigan (Detroit) and Great Lakes Engineering Group (Lansing) for the project board designed to ‘tell the story’ of the 96fix project.

This year’s ACEC/M Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award was presented to Walter H. Alix, P.E., PS, of Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. to honor his outstanding leadership roles in ACEC and several community organizations. The ACEC/M Felix A. Anderson Image Award was presented to William G. Westrick, P.E., of Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick, Inc. for his actions and contributions to enhance the image of the profession.

The Eminent and Honorable Conceptor award winners are eligible to compete at the National ACEC engineering competition in Washington, D.C. For more information on the projects and award winners, visit www.acecmi.org.