The start of December marks the beginning of the end for 2024 as we begin to wind down on what has been another momentous year in the AEC industry.  The season of celebration and joyous reunion will soon be upon us, and Civil+Structural Engineer Magazine is proud to kickstart the season of celebration by announcing our 2023 Yearbook of Engineering Achievement.  The 2023 YEA winners are representative of our wide-ranging industry, hailing from across the United States and servicing a wide variety of sectors and clients.  This issue of C+S Magazine contains the third iteration of the Yearbook of Engineering Achievement, and, as has been the case in the last two contests, these projects represent the best of the best in the AEC industry.

The projects that comprise the 2023 Yearbook of Engineering Achievement were selected by our audience over a two-week voting period.  As voting concluded, it quickly became clear that one project had risen above the rest to take the title of 2023 Summit Project: HNTB’s Orlando International Airport Terminal C.  HNTB Corporation’s submission to the 2023 YEA competition garnered nearly 20 percent more votes than second place, and it’s no wonder based on the project’s importance to Florida’s busiest airport.  The project features a new 1.8 million square foot terminal facility that addresses challenges of rapid growth driven by the city’s growth in business and tourism.  For the second consecutive year, one of HNTB’s projects has risen to the top as Summit Project award winner.

This year’s winners include 14 total projects from four categories: water/stormwater, transportation/infrastructure, environmental/sustainability, and housing/residential.    Located across the United States in 8 different states, the winners of the 2023 Yearbook of Engineering Achievement award come from many different corners of the AEC industry including both public and private entities.  By celebrating these different areas of the AEC industry, the 2023 YEA winners represent everything that matters to you: our audience.  We ask that you join us in the celebration of the AEC industry and learn more about the projects leading the way in changing the future of the built environment.

2023 Yearbook of Engineering Achievement

Transportation & Infrastructure

Orlando International Airport Terminal C | HNTB Corporation

Orlando, Florida

Project Team: Prime Consultant and Architect of Record–HNTB

Schematic Design Architect–Fentress Architects

Low Voltage Systems Design Engineer–Burns Engineering

Airside CMAR–Hensel Phelps

Landside CMAR–Turner Kiewit Joint Venture

DBOM Baggage Handling System Vendor–Vanderlande

Start Date: 30 October 2015

Completion Date: 20 September 2023

Accreditation and Awards: Targeting LEEDv4 Campus-wide Certification

Background:  Orlando International Airport (MCO) is Florida’s busiest airport, serving 50 million passengers annually before projections for rapid growth driven by the city’s business growth and tourism.  The new 1.8 million square foot Terminal C facility addresses the challenges of rapid growth by increasing capacity while continuing to provide an exemplary passenger experience.  It features elements that maximize the safety, security, and efficiency of the travel process including 100 percent automated screening lanes, 100 percent facial recognition “e-gates” for international departure, an innovative landside terminal design, and 100 percent trackable RFID Independent Carrier System. Terminal C’s design successfully navigated an aggressive four-year construction schedule without disrupting airport operations. The project leveraged four alternative delivery methods including: landside and airside construction management at-risk, a design-build-operate-maintain baggage team, design-bid-build award contracts and multiple design-build concession/tenant packages. An ode to the region, the terminal is an architectural depiction of everything that attracts tourists to Central Florida. The terminal’s design captures the elements of water, foliage and sky with expansive glass skylights, terrazzo art interpretations of natural springs and incredibly life-like artificial palm and bald cypress trees.

Impact:  Terminal C at the Orlando International Airport is designed to be part of one the first LEEDv4 airport campuses, reflecting the airport’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.  The building’s strategic design includes a 35 percent targeted reduction in potable water use through efficient fixtures and equipment, a 25 percent targeted reduction in energy costs with a focus on thermal performance and optimal heating, and a 360-panel floating solar array to name a few.  Terminal C also has a tremendous impact on the local community by being one of the first airports to fully integrate multimodal ground-air-rail transportation, including rail to South Florida that is now in operation.

Technical Aspects:

• Aggressive four-year construction schedule to minimize disruption to current airport operations
• Virtual design and construction modeling identified potential risks before construction and avoided conflicts by allowing contractors to sequence mechanical, electrical and plumbing work in tight quarters
• Moving of 4,000,000 cubic yard of dirt and pouring of approximately 4.6 million square feet of concrete and asphalt pavement

Sunport Boulevard Extension | Bohannan Huston, Inc.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Project Team: Owner: Bernalillo County, New Mexico Civil Engineer: Bohannan Huston and Molzen Corbin General Contractor: AUI Inc. Construction Management Co.: Bohannan Huston Structural Engineer: Bohannan Huston Landscape: Molzen-Corbin Geotech: Terracon Subsurface Utility: CobbFendley Environmental: Ecosphere Environmental Interchange Modifications Contractor: Star Paving

Start Date: 27 September 2021

Completion Date: 21 June 2023

Background:  The Sunport Boulevard Extension created a new roadway corridor between I-25 and Broadway near the Albuquerque International Sunport with the road of improving the roadway system and multimodal connectivity from the I-25/Sunport Interchange to Broadway Boulevard and Second Street.  Beyond boosting transportation connectivity, the project aims to enhance access to existing and prospective economic hubs, balance traffic, alleviate congestion by adding another link to the arterial system, expand multimodal options, and boost emergency accessibility.  The design was split into two portions: the I-25/Sunport Interchange Reconfiguration and the Roadway Extension from I-25 to Broadway.  The four-lane divided highway also features a protected bike lane, shielded from traffic with a concrete wall barrier. The design also incorporated bridge crossings: two twin single-span bridges cross Edmunds Road and a three-span bridge over the South Diversion Channel. Construction on the extension portion of Sunport went to bid in April 2021, and the new roadway was completed in June 2023.

Impact:  The Sunport Boulevard project is a much-needed transportation infrastructure solution that bridges a significant gap in the local transportation network, providing improved multimodal transportation options for pedestrians and cyclists while also easing traffic congestion and serving as a backup during emergencies or closures due to construction.  The project’s location crosses a superfund site, which made special drainage measures–such as realigning the groundwater remediation system while ensuring the treatment facility experienced no downtime.  Furthermore, the project included the removal of old remediation water lines in an environmentally-safe way, demonstrating that the care invested in design and construction will further support site rehabilitation to open opportunities for economic development along the corridor.

Technical Aspects:

• Revision of roadway section to include protected bicycle/pedestrian lanes based on community input
• Innovative bridge construction technique using a steel triangle and Kevlar straps, allowing one crane to pass a girder to a second crane while suspended overhead
• Reduction of construction costs through innovative design solutions

Velasco Terminal Berth 8 | McCarthy Building Companies

Freeport, Texas

Project Team: Port Freeport, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., Moffatt & Nichol

Start Date: 6 January 2020

Completion Date: 28 April 2023

Background: Port Freeport, sixty miles from downtown Houston, is one of the fastest-growing ports in Texas and is undertaking expansion to handle an increased flow of goods. In 2020, Port Freeport hired McCarthy Building Companies as the Prime General Contractor to execute the Velasco Terminal Berth 8 expansion–a $129 million project which later grew to $140 million with the addition of a Roll-on Roll-off dock adjacent to Berth 8.  McCarthy first had to construct this project’s bulkhead portion, which was a critical component of the Freeport protection levee system and vital for flood control purposes. This infrastructure expansion doubles the capacity of Port Freeport’s import and export operations and allows simultaneous ship-to-shore operations of multiple post-Panamax ships.  With its new capacities, Port Freeport will continue to grow as one of the Texas Gulf Coast and National export and import industry-leading ports, and the Velasco Terminal Berth 8 project served as the catalyst to do just that.

Impact: Because the Velasco Terminal Berth 8 project site was located on the water, there were many environmental and spill prevention plans in place to prevent leaks from equipment, as well as debris from getting into the water. One interesting aspect of the project modified to allow long-term benefits to the area was the modification of the under-dock slope protection system. Initially, the plan was to place loose rip-rap rock on the slope to prevent material sloughing. After consideration from the project team, it was decided to utilize a fabric formed concrete mattress. This mattress, in place of the rip-rap rock, allows for more connected slope protection and prevents loose rocks from sliding into the dredge template. By doing this, dredging maintenance will be more efficient due to reduced debris in the template in the long term.

Technical Aspects:

• Combiwall bulkhead consisting of 171 plumb piles, 105 batter piles, and 148 pairs of sheet piles
• Vertical travel transfixed lead system to drive pipe piles for bulkhead, increasing producing and reducing material cost

Day County Highway 1 Bridge Replacement | IMEG

Day County, South Dakota

Project Team: Project Manager – IMEG, Steven Myer

Hydraulics – IMEG, Trent Baumeister

Designer – IMEG, Colin Kelley

Designer – IMEG, Joshua Prather

Construction Project Engineer – IMEG, Troy Nelson

Owner – Day County, Ben Braaten

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Indian Tribe, Cliff Eberhardtk

Journey Group (dba SFC Civil Constructors), Kyle Brockmueller

South Dakota Department of Transportation, Wade Dahl

Start Date: 15 August 2017

Completion Date: 18 April 2023

Accreditation and Awards: n/a

Background: The 74-foot single-span steel stringer bridge on Day County Highway 1 over Blue Dog Lake had faced flooding for several years, as the road is only two feet higher in elevation than the outlet of the lake.  IMEG initially conducted a hydraulic analysis, and a single-span concrete girder bridge was selected as the replacement structure, but, by the time the design was initiated, the site sustained back-to-back 100-year storm events that caused the lake to rise considerably–making the existing structure selection unusable.  IMEG reanalyzed the hydraulics and a four-cell cast-in-place concrete box culvert was selected as the structure.  Construction was completed over the winter season, from November to April, which created challenges with protecting the concrete during the curing process in extreme cold temperatures.

Impact: The road serves as the primary paved connection between City of Waubay and the Enemy Swim Day School District as well as several residences and small businesses along Blue Dog Lake and Enemy Swim Lake.  Because the bridge was prone to flooding prior to the construction of the box culvert, residents were faced with long detours around the lake to reach their destinations.  The new box culvert significantly improves travel times and accessibility for the community, and is designed so that the road grade can be raised an additional four feet to help alleviate flooding issues going forward.

Technical Aspects:

• Revision of hydraulic and hydraulic analysis to provide design for new equalizer box culvert to conduct water from one side of the road to the other and protect it from flooding
• Utilization of thermal concrete blankets to keep concrete above 50 degrees for three days and above 40 degree for two additional days

Housing/Residential

RISE (Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs) | BASE

Honolulu, Hawaii

Project Team: Structural Engineer: BASE / Architect: Design Partners Incorporated / General Contractor: Moss / Owner: The University of Hawaii and Hunt Development Group

Start Date: 6 June 2019

Completion Date: 22 August 2023

Accreditation and Awards: n/a 

Background: RISE, or Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs, is a brand-new integrated, live, learn, work, innovation center at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa campus. RISE is a unique facility with dormitory-style housing for 374 students, from freshmen to graduate students.  The RISE development offers housing, workspace, and resources for students interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. The goal is to create a collaborative environment that would encourage students to develop their ideas and work on entrepreneurial projects. The building includes co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and other amenities to support these efforts.  RISE is managed by B.HOM Student Living as UH’s first externally managed student housing complex. It was developed as a public-private partnership between the University of Hawaii, the University of Hawaii Foundation and developer Hunt Companies.

Impact: RISE enhances the educational experience of UH students by providing a space for entrepreneurial activities, innovation, and collaboration. This center provides local students with greater opportunities to sharpen their innovation skills which will have a lasting positive impact on the rest of the university and local business industry. This development also repurposed and gave new life to a historic, 100-year-old building that was in a state of disarray. Instead of demolishing it and building new, repurposing the original structure provided environmental benefits to the local community including less pollution and disturbance of the site.

Technical Aspects:

• Development of two separate new structures and renovation of the historic, 100-year-old Charles Atherton House
• Intricate system of seismic expansion joints were designed to connect the three structures
• New structures designed with post-tensioned concrete podiums and cold-formed steel framing (CFS) above

Mirasol Village | ENGEO Incorporated

Sacramento, California

Project Team: Nick Broussard, GE

Start Date: 11 January 2021

Completion Date: 6 June 2023

Accreditation and Awards: 2022 ASCE Sacramento Award Urban / Land Development Project of the Year

Background: Mirasol Village is a $300 million mixed-income redevelopment in Sacramento’s River District that replaces the 1940s era Twin Rivers housing development and infrastructure.  The area will be fully connected to new transit, employment centers, services, retail, and cultural amenities–creating a gateway to downtown Sacramento.  The redevelopment included new backbone infrastructure, a community park and garden, and mixed-income housing.   The onsite improvement included raising site grades by several feet using imported soil, construction of multiple two- to four- story multifamily buildings, and a five-story mixed-use podium structure.  Site improvements included underground utilities, below-grade Chambermaxx® systems, a swimming pool, jointed plain concrete pavement, and pervious concrete.  This project used a unique approach to store and infiltrate 100 percent of the design event runoff while optimizing the number of developable units. By incorporating below-grade Chambermaxx systems, stormwater planters, and pervious concrete, the design runoff was contained while still meeting water quality requirements.

Impact:  The backbone of this project was infrastructure that included new roadways, underground utilities, large stormwater planters, detention basins, and below-ground stormwater storage.  The project also included other public improvements such as the construction of the Mirasol Community Park and Garden.  The project used a unique approach to store and infiltrate 100 percent of the design event runoff while optimizing the number of developable units.

Technical Aspects:

• Shallow infiltration testing as a part of 2016 geotechnical exploration, followed by supplemental infiltration testing at greater depths within the par basin
• Corrective grading recommendations to remove and replace shallow silt with more pervious imported sand
• Development for design criteria of 3 inches differential settlement over 50-feet of seismic conditions

Carlsbad Fire Station No. 2 | SMR-ISD Consulting Structural Engineers, Inc. (Small Firm)

Carlsbad, California

Project Team: SMR/Delawie

Start Date: 1 September 2020

Completion Date: 20 October 2023

Background: As a member of the Design-Build team for the City of Carlsbad Fire Station No. 2 – $12M project, SMR was able to collaborate with the architectural firm, Delawie, the general contractor, Barnhart-Reese Construction, the city’s Facilities Engineering, city’s consultant construction manager among others to meet the operational needs, goals, and policies of the City of Carlsbad Fire Department and the city.  The station includes six dormitories, four private bathrooms and office space to accommodate five firefighters and one captain on duty. The lower floor houses the apparatus bay with fast-acting four-fold doors at the egress of each of the three bays along with the laundry room, a shop, and secure EMS room. The second-floor housing area has a full kitchen, an indoor dining area and outdoor dining area with a BBQ. Per Carlsbad Fire Chief, Mike Calderwood, “To be honest, I was not a believer that they would be able to fit a fire station this size and have the ability to house as many apparatuses and the number of staff that it is, so I commend the design team and the architects for being able to create such a fine station on such a small lot”.

Impact: Carlsbad Fire Station No. 2 was reconstructed at the site of the 1960’s station it replaced, which occupies the 0.42-acre footprint of the original station. The 10,782 SF station is approximately three times larger than the original station. The new station can accommodate up to six firefighters, five emergency response vehicles, including a 60 ft. ladder truck, fire engine and ambulance. Sustainability features include solar panels, a solar hot water heater, low-energy-use lighting, and two EV charging stations. 

Technical Aspects:

• Structural steel selected for gravity load resisting system due to long spans and unique floor plan
• Steel beam and girder system supported by steel columns allowing for flexibility at the first-floor apparatus bay
• Special Concentrically Steel Braced Frames (SCBFs) selected as the Seismic Force Resisting System (SFRS)

Water/Stormwater

Bois d’Arc Lake Program | Alpha Testing, a UES company

Fannin County, Texas

Project Team: Ken Combs, CET, Executive Vice President & Principal in Charge Eric Cleveland, PE, Associate & Materials Testing Engineer Josh Hall, PE, Project Manager (Dam, Raw Water Pipeline) Henok Abebe, Project Manager (Leonard WTP)

Start Date: 1 May 2018

Completion Date: 30 April 2023

Accreditation and Awards: 2023 Project of the Year By American Public Works Association Texas Chapter

Background:  Bois d’Arc is a $1.6 billion water supply program that is the first major water reservoir built in Texas in nearly 30 years and is designed to meet the water needs of the area’s growing population of more than two million people in 80 communities.  Alpha Testing, a UES company, was chosen by the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) to provide quality control/construction materials testing services to multiple project teams.  Bois d’Arc Lake will span 16,641 acres. The dam is two miles long and 90-feet tall, with a 110-foot-tall intake tower. It collects water and filters through the Raw Water Pipeline to the Leonard WTP. The 90-inch diameter Raw Water Pipeline travels 35 miles from the dam, delivering untreated water to the treatment plant. The Leonard WTP includes six pumps to filter and treat 90 MGD of water to then go through the Treated Water Pipeline.  Alpha Testing utilized two on-site laboratories and up to 15 full-time field and laboratory personnel to serve the Bois d’Arc lake project that will span 16,641 acres.

Impact:  Bois d’Arc Lake will be a tourist and residential destination for numerous outdoor recreational outdoor activities including fishing, boating, and time spent by the water while also serving as a critical water source as demand grows for a rapidly expanding population of North Texans.  Bois d’Arc Lake will provide water services for nearly 80 communities just outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex–an area that is expected to double in population by 2050 according to the NTMWD.  The Leonard Water Treatment Plant (WTP) will treat water from Bois d’Arc Lake to meet federal and state standards, which is necessary when delivering water to the northern portion of the NTMWD’s service area.

Technical Aspects:

• Fully equipped onsite concrete and soil laboratories dedicated to the project and staffed by certified engineering technicians
• Development of GIS-based program to track testing results in real time, particularly for the reservoir dam
• AWS-certified welding inspectors responsible for inspecting weld quality (both pipe and structural welds), structural inspections, and workmanship

Buescher State Park Dam | Halff

Smithville, Texas

Project Team: Halff

Start Date: 2 August 2019

Completion Date: 18 August 2023

Background: Remnants from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 hovered over Central Texas for several days, creating flooding throughout the region that damaged structures such as the historic Buescher State Park Dam.  The dam’s structural integrity was threatened as several feet of material eroded away during the rain event, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) needed to find an immediate solution that would preserve the historic structure and protect a critical economic resource.  Halff was contracted to perform emergency repairs that stabilized the dam and prevented a breach.  After the emergency repair and understanding the importance of a more permanent solution, TPWD again contracted Halff to implement detailed construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for rehabilitating the dam to comply with current regulations, which included improvements to the dam’s embankment and principal spillway.  The newly designed Buescher State Park Dam retains historical homages to the original structure, such as the native red sandstone, while offering a structure that meets current standards and can preserve the economic importance of the park for years to come. 

Impact: By finding a permanent solution for the dam, TPWD has been able to reopen its recreation program, which will ultimately help lift the local economies of Smithville and Bastrop.  Halff worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to improve stream functionality with a riffle-pool sequence. Once fully established, this will provide an additional habitat for the native amphibians and birds within the park.   Halff also developed an innovative approach to reduce potential impacts to endangered species, particularly the Houston toad, which included measures like taking a traditional silt fence and repurposing it to develop toad exclusion fencing.  Design enhancements for the new structure included installing a sharp-crested, straight drop principal spillway, training/retraining walls, grading, native stone rock riprap and stream enhancements.

Technical Aspects:

• Spillway improvement features more than 340-feet of retaining walls, a stifling basin, and a 200-foot sharp crested weir and spillway chute
• Dam design and dam breach analysis

San Fernando Regional Park Infiltration Project | CWE

San Fernando, California

Project Team: City of San Fernando, CWE, Ortiz Enterprises, Inc., C Below, Inc., Terracon Consultants, Inc., Linkture Corporation

Start Date: 1 December 2018

Completion Date: 4 October 2023

Background: The City of San Fernando (City) is implementing the San Fernando Regional Park Infiltration Project (Project). The Project was identified in the Upper Los Angeles River (ULAR) Enhanced Watershed Management Program (EWMP) Plan as a priority regional project and will assist the ULAR group in addressing applicable Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and water quality priorities.  The primary goals of the Project were to improve water quality while providing multiple benefits. The Project will divert and capture wet- and dry-weather runoff from over 940 acres, effectively reducing pollutant loads that would otherwise enter Pacoima Wash and the Los Angeles River. The captured runoff will be pretreated and then discharged into a subsurface storage system that will facilitate infiltration at the San Fernando Regional Park, resulting in groundwater recharge. In addition to recharge and water quality benefits, the Project will have additional benefits including flood control benefits and public outreach benefits (outreach events and permanent signage).

Impact: The 9.5-acre park includes the San Fernando Regional Pool and Community Center, a children’s play area, and athletic fields. Surrounded by urban development, the park is bound by a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) railway to the west along First Street, industrial parks on the south and east corners, and medium-density housing to the north on Park Avenue.  The Project ensures continued use of San Fernando Recreation Park by the DAC seeking respite from the stress of a highly urbanized environment. The Project includes the following improvements: establishment of landscapes around the subsurface storage system, restoration of the baseball field, restoration of the existing irrigation system, replacement and restoration of light poles and electrical conduit, and restoration of streets and sidewalks. The Project enhances the community’s quality of life by encouraging recreational activities that help maintain a healthy community.

Technical Aspects:

• Diversion and pre-treatment of runoff from three local storm drains into a subsurface storage system for infiltration
• Subsurface storage system footprint of 15.6 addition acre-feet, resulting in a single-storm capture volume of 25-acre feet
• Pretreated flows conveyed through a gate valve

Environmental/Sustainability

Ballston Wetland Park | Arlington County Department of Environmental Services

Arlington, Virginia

Project Team: Arlington County, RKK Civil Engineering (design), Environmental Quality Resources (construction), Wetland Studies and Solutions (construction management), StormRax (trash control device), WATERGOAT (floating trash control barrier), Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (State and Local Assistance Fund grant)

Start Date: 1 December 2021

Completion Date: 18 August 2023

Background: The Ballston Pond was originally designed and constructed as a stormwater facility to collect and slow runoff from Interstate 66 when the highway was built, but, over the years, the pond has filled up with sediments deposited by stormwater runoff.  Retrofitting the Ballston Wetland Park was a high-priority project in Arlington County’s Stormwater Management Program, and they were able to seek community input through a stakeholder advisory committee as well as with several community meetings to provide input to the design process.  Additionally, retrofitting the pond to provide higher quality water treatment helps the county comply with the municipal separate storm sewer system permit and contributes to restoring the Chesapeake Bay.  The County sought community input through a stakeholder advisory committee and with several community meetings to provide input to the design process, guiding the eventual selection of the preferred wetland design. 

Impact: Lubber Run flows through the wetland on its way to Four Mile Run.  Cleared of sediment and now capable of taking excess rainwater from 450 surrounding acres, the retrofitted wetland system improves stormwater flow and filtering–plus capturing trash–while also serving as a wildlife refuge and pastoral commons within the Ballston “urban village” setting.  The park expands Arlington County’s ability to meet Chesapeake Bay Watershed regulations while cultivating native plants and providing new boardwalk areas and fresh interpretive designs.  Community input from the engagement process helped to guide the selection of new features at the wetland park such as trash collection devices, an expanded viewing platform, interpretive signs, and wildlife habitat.

Technical Aspects:

• Stormwater pollutant removal in a constructed stormwater wetland
• Sediment collection in the pond forebay–allowing for easier maintenance and removal
• Trash and debris collection in StormRax trash rack and WATERGOAT floating trash barrier trash collection devices

Coeymans Solar Farm | Hunt-EAS

Coeymans, New York

Project Team: Daniel Yanosh, Casey Kurz, Ben Wolfling

Start Date: 19 March 2021

Completion Date: 19 November 2023

Accreditation and Awards: Utility Scale Renewables

Background: In the Spring of 2021 Hunt-EAS was contacted by Fusion Industries, to perform civil engineering on a 40 MW Solar farm to be located in Coeymans. This project would go on to be one of the largest renewable energy projects in the state to date, encompassing an area of 241.5 +/- acres and presenting a variety of environmental and civil challenges. In order to build this enormous renewable energy collector, Hunt-EAS needed to ensure that the project would conserve the soil it is located on, prevent impacts to the existing watersheds, and avoid disturbance of natural and cultural resources.  The success of this project and its ability to be constructed can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of Hunt-EAS staff and their ability to work closely with the State Authorities & Construction Contractors to move this project forward quickly & effectively for the project sponsor Hecate Energy

Impact: Coeymans Solar Farm will provide new renewable energy to New Yorkers while protecting and preserving clean air, water quality, and soil resources.  This 40-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar facility is capable of safely supplying 73,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year to power over 10,000 average households.  It delivers significant revenue to local governments and boosts local economies–creating over 140 construction jobs, and adding commerce for local businesses, and Reduces reliance on fossil fuels, avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (estimated to offset nearly 55,825 tons of CO2 per year — equivalent to taking over 12,136 average cars off the road).

Technical Aspects:

• Mitigation efforts to ensure the preservation of soils on site, enhance farmland for future generations, and protect the natural water cycle that drives the local ecosystem
• Design features ensuring valuable natural resources are protected while maximizing the potential energy generated from the sun to power the grid

Exploration Green Detention Facility | Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN)

Houston, Texas

Project Team: LAN & SWA Group

Start Date: 1 July 2013

Completion Date: 1 September 2023

Accreditation and Awards: Association of Water Board Directors, Texas- 2021 Project Award for Public Infrastructure ACEC Texas, Gold Medal- 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards Houston-Galveston Area Council- 2019 Our Great Region 2040 Excellence Award Urban Land Institute- 2019 Development of Distinction and People’s Choice Award National Wildlife Federation- Allied World Resilience Award National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies- 2018 Stormwater Management Green Infrastructure

Background: Located in the heart of Clear Lake residential community near Houston, the visionary project of Exploration Green epitomizes a successful transition from a once-popular golf course to a sprawling 880.6-acre-foot, sustainable detention facilities, fulfilling roles of flood control, enhancing water quality, and providing a verdant natural habitat for wildlife and recreation space for residents. The transition from a golf course to a pragmatic, environment-centric space stemmed from a compelling need for improved drainage control and flood management, was driven by the residents and expertly addressed by the Clear Lake City Water Authority (CLCWA).   The initiative’s backbone, Exploration Green, was divided into five meticulous phases and conceived with community input, unifying expert planning and genuine residential needs. Planned by SWA Group architects and designed and managed by the engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc., the project metamorphosed into a massive nature park, encompassing five substantial in-line wet bottom detention ponds, each capable of holding approximately 100 million gallons of stormwater, crucially mitigating flood risks.

Impact: Community involvement was paramount from inception to fruition, with a series of town hall meetings anchoring the project’s development to the desires and needs of the residents. The resultant multifaceted benefits impact not only the local community but set a precedent for nationwide flood management and environmental conservation.  Environmentally, Exploration Green, of the 153 acres of natural habitat, 14 acres is dedicated wetlands. Socially, the project transcends mere utility to become a hub for community interaction and recreation, with ADA-accessible trails, sports fields, and spaces that promote communal activities, while also serving as a verdant connector for essential community spots like schools and religious institutions.

Technical Aspects: 

• Excavation of 2,440,000 cubic yards of material across five distinct phases
• Strategic blend of engineering and ecology to pursue the re-establishment of a native habitat through extensive research into native grasses and seedbed preparation
• Installation of culverts and re-evaluation of soil management strategies 

Multi-Use Pathway Phase 1 and Wetlands Trail Boardwalk | McKim & Creed

Gulf Breeze, Florida

Project Team: Patrick Jehle, PE Glenn Halstead, PE Jonathan Green, PE A. Emmett Anderson III, PE Joel Moulin, PLA Taylor Henninge, PSM Jarod Burch Timothy Grigsby Chase Hambright Joshua Osborne Gerald Potter Chris Striba Zachery Taylor Alexis Ward

Start Date: 6 July 2019

Completion Date: 1 December 2022

Background: To create a sustainable future and achieve the goals outlined in its Master Plan and Most Livable City Plan, the City of Gulf Breeze needed creative, cost-effective solutions to implement multi-modal improvements within the existing right-of-way of the City’s primary collector ‘loop’ roadway. The project included surveying, engineering, and landscape architecture services to design a new 10-foot-wide multi-use pathway along the Fairpoint Drive/Shoreline Drive loop, approximately four miles in length, that supports multi-modal transportation for bikes, carts, scooters, and other wheeled modes of transport in this active area of Gulf Breeze.  To better understand the impact to all residents of Gulf Breeze, multiple community outreach efforts were conducted to educate citizens about the project and gather public input early in the project’s development, such that the input could truly influence the final design.  This project also included intersection safety improvements at side streets and critical mid-block crossing locations, along with rehabilitation and upgrade of an existing 5-foot-wide sidewalk to provide an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant path for pedestrian foot traffic.  A separate pile-supported wood boardwalk was designed to traverse across low lying wetlands in nearby Shoreline Park, providing interconnectivity between residential neighborhoods and the public park as well as a new public beach access along Santa Rosa Sound.

Impact: The project outcomes that benefit the community includes enhanced capacity for collection and infiltration of stormwater runoff within the City’s right-of-way, the inclusion of twenty xeriscape gardens along the Multi-Use Pathway to highlight and enhance the entrances to various neighborhoods along the route, and highlighting the diversity of abundant flora and fauna within the Shoreline Park South ecosystem.  It provides environmental education opportunities for local elementary, middle, and high school students while also attracting ecotourism and providing increased interconnectivity between local neighborhoods and businesses.

Technical Aspects:

• MoDaC Mobile Data Collection was utilized, incorporating LiDAR and 360-degree videos and photographs in combination with conventional survey techniques to not only provide the necessary data points, but to generate maps, exhibits, and interactive workstations for Public Input Meetings
• Side Street Intersection Safety Upgrades
• Sidewalk Rehabilitation