2008 HONOR AWARDS
HONOR AWARDS are given for those projects recognized for exceptional engineering that meet the needs of the client and benefit the public welfare.
From the Honor Awards, the highest award, the EMINENT CONCEPTOR AWARD is selected but not announced until the Awards Luncheon. The Eminent Conceptor Award recognizes an engineering achievement which demonstrates a high degree of merit and ingenuity, contributes to the advancement of the private practice of engineering, and enhances the economic and social welfare of the general public. This year ten Honor Awards were given, in six categories:
STUDIES, RESEARCH AND CONSULTING
HUFF & HUFF, INC.
Bioswales for Stormwater/Water Quality Benefit I-294
Owner: Illinois Tollway
Consultants: TranSystems Corporation - Development of CAD Conceptual Drawings
In 2004, the Illinois Tollway initiated a system-wide improvement in the Chicago Metropolitan area, including Interstate 294. One section of Interstate 294 extended through Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) land. The Tollway tasked Huff & Huff (H&H) with development of a storm water management system of bioswales that offset the use of 16 acres of FPDCC lands, improved water quality, established methods of evaluating effectiveness, and could receive approval of the FPDCC Board in less than three months. This system was developed with input from stakeholder groups: the FPDCC staff, federal and state resource agencies, environmental groups, and Tollway staff.
The bioswale design study is a first in terms of its magnitude (6 miles), its consensus process, establishment of performance measures, and methods for analyzing effectiveness. Twenty-one individual plans for treating stormwater over the 6 miles of FPDCC frontage accounted for soil types, groundwater depth, vegetation, and habitat.
BUILDING/TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
KJWW ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS
Harm A. Weber Academic Center at Judson University
Owner: Judson University
Consultants: Architect Alan Short; Architect Rick McCarthy; Architect John Cinelli; Structural Engineer Heather Heidenreich; Landscape Architect Slain Campbell; Energy Consultant Kevin Lomas; Acoustic Consultant Gaines Hall; Fire Advisor Frank Mills; Solar Energy Consultant Andy Woods; Construction Manager John Shales
Judson University's new architecture program is gaining national attention with the new Harm A. Weber Academic Center, one of the greenest buildings in America. Being reviewed for a rare LEED Gold designation, the $25-milllion building combines an art studio, gallery, library and classrooms in 88,000 SF. Most noteworthy is its first-ever successful use of natural ventilation in the challenging Midwest climate in a complex library/gallery application. Common in Europe, this inventive ventilation program cuts energy consumption by more than 40 percent while meeting the building's critical preservation demands for books and art.
A masterpiece of integrated engineering, the design combines site layout, building envelope, natural ventilation, back-up HVAC, natural daylighting wells, photovoltaics, and smoke evacuation into one remarkably efficient system. World-famous British architect Alan Short won an international competition to develop the building, which won $8 million in environmental grants. The Weber Center is a transferable model for sustainable design.
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
A. EPSTEIN AND SONS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
McCormick Place Convention Center West Expansion
Owner: Nonda Harris, Senior Director of Development
Consultants: Antunovich & Associates; Catt Lyon Design; Desmond Associates; Globetrotter Engineering Corporation; Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates; ISI Interior Space International' Macondo Corp.; Maureen Reagan Architects; meXt Wayfinding + Design; Regina Webster & Associates; Schirmer Engineering Corporation; Walter P. Moore Associates; Wolff Landscape Architecture; Lighting Design Alliance; Naughton + Associates, Inc.; Security Consulting Kroll; Lawrence B. Berkley; Brook Architecture
The McCormick Place Convention Center West Expansion was an $882 million, 2,385,077 square foot addition to the McCormick Place Campus in Chicago, Illinois.
The West Expansion is bordered by Martin Luther King Drive to the east, the Stevenson Expressway to the south, Cermak Road to the north and Indiana Avenue to the west. The West Expansion includes approximately 459,000 square feet of exhibition space, 140,750 square feet of meeting/banquet space, a 103,750 square foot ballroom, as well as associated food and support service spaces. The addition required connecting the existing McCormick Place complex with pedestrian and vehicular bridges and modifying an existing parking garage and conference center. The new facility also necessitated designing an elevated service roadway between the existing truck marshalling facility at the South Hall and exhibition center.
This expansion enabled McCormick Place to remain the largest exhibition facility in the United States.
WATER AND WASTEWATER
STRAND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Aux Sable Creek Wastewater Infrastructure Project
Owner: City of Joliet, Illinois
Consultants:
Recognizing the Aux Sable Creek as a valuable water resource, the City of Joliet embarked on a major wastewater collection, treatment, and transport infrastructure project to serve a 26-square-mile area in the rapidly developing Aux Sable Creek watershed.
The project included 3,000 feet of 54-inch interceptor sewer, influent sanitary pumping station, and 24-inch forcemain; an effluent pumping station and 5.7 miles of 36-inch diameter force main to the DuPage River; and a unique cascade aeration structure with DO metering run by solar power and transmission of the DO data to the plant via the city-wide SCADA system. The wastewater treatment plant is rated at 3.2 mgd average and 10 mgd peak (expandable to 30 mgd peak).
The project included eight construction contracts with six contractors. Construction began in fall 2004 and plant was in full operation by December 2005. Total construction cost was $36.7 million.
WATER AND WASTEWATER
WALTER E. DEUCHLER ASSOCIATES, INC.
City of Plano WWTP Improvements Project
Owner: City of Plano
Consultants: IDCS, LLC; Cordogan, Clark & Associates, Inc.
Walter E. Deuchler Associates, Inc. (WEDA) embarked on the design of the 2004 Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project for the City of Plano, Illinois. The $13.6 million Improvements Project was completed in November 2006. The design average flow capacity of the plant was increased from 0.95 MGD to 2.44 MGD.
The design included a number of unique elements aimed at preserving a vital community resource, the Big Rock Creek. WEDA's design included biological phosphorous removal as well as the reuse of UV disinfected effluent on the plant site and at the Cedar Dell Golf Course. Also included in the project was a new headworks building, a new blower building, the conversion of an existing packaged treatment unit to serially-operated aerobic digestion, and a new dewatering centrifuge. The entire plant is served by a dual fiber optic network with each building containing a remote telemetry unit with operator interface.
TRANSPORTATION
STRAND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Open Road Tolling Plaza 66 DeKalb & Plaza 69 Dixon
Owner: Illinois Tollway
Consultants: DLK Civic Design; Wang Engineering, Inc.
The Illinois Tollway initiated a multi-billion dollar Congestion Relief Program (CRP) in 2004 aimed at addressing congestion along the 274-mile tolled highway system. As part of this program, the Illinois Tollway proposed the conversion of all 20 existing barrier toll plazas along the mainline to a barrier-free Open Road Tolling (ORT) system. Reconstructing the existing DeKalb and Dixon mainline toll plazas on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) was an integral part of this program.
The DeKalb and Dixon plaza projects are examples of excellence in engineering because, collectively, these projects: Saved $8.4 million over the original project budget; Enhanced neighboring communities by improving local stormwater management systems; Improved local air quality and safety of the motoring public by reducing traffic congestion; Respected adjacent communities by adapting site and layout to meet local needs and traffic.
TRANSPORTATION
ENTRAN/ TRANSYSTEMS/ HNTB/ MCDONOUGH /TENG /
GLOBETROTTERS / KNIGHT / TYLI / BENESCH
FAI 80/94 (Kingery/Borman Expressway)
Owner: Illinois Department of Transportation Region 1
Consultants: Huff & Huff; Accurate Engineering; Burns & McDonnell; Delta Engineering; Dynasty Group; Everest Engineering; Gandhi & Associates; Ground Engineering Consultants; KAM Engineering; Morcom N.V., Inc; Shah Engineering, Inc.; Soodan & Associates; Wang Engineering; Zroka Engineering; CivCon Services; Cotter Consulting, Inc.; Geo Services, Inc.; Great Lakes Soil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.; Omega & Associates; SPAAN Technology, Inc.
The Kingery/Borman Expressway, constructed in 1950 for 60,000 vehicles per day, was carrying 160,000 by the early 2000s. The congested facility had deteriorating roads, bridges and ramps, and overall driving conditions were poor due to the expressway's outdated design.
In 1995, IDOT initiated a 6.6-mile, $450 million reconstruction project to bring the expressway up to current standards and improve safety, mobility and overall road conditions. Improvements involved the I-80/I-94/IL 394 and Torrence Avenue interchanges, and the I-80/94 reconfiguration. Advance work began in 2003; by July 2007, all lanes were open to traffic.
Challenges in Phases I and II included using standards and specifications from three different agencies and designing an interchange located within a forest preserve. Critical issues in Phase III included maintaining traffic for 160,000 vehicles, coordinating 27 separate contracts involving eight prime contractors and 100 different subs, and maintaining extensive communication and public outreach programs throughout the project.
TRANSPORTATION
HANSON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INC.
Life in the Fast Lane: Reconstruction of the South Tri-State Tollway
Owner: Illinois Tollway
Consultants: TechKnow Engineering, LLC; KAM Engineering Inc.; Coombe-Bloxdorf P.C.;
Branco & Zroka Engineering P.C.; Everest Engineering Co.
Thanks to an aggressive schedule and approach, the $136 million reconstruction of Illinois' South Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294) improved one of the busiest interstates in the Chicago area, putting motorists traveling the Tri-State Tollway back in the driver's seat.
As the single largest contract awarded by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, this project was part of the Tollway's $5.3 billion, 10-year Congestion-Relief Program.
Design and construction was influenced by a challenging combination of physical, environmental, budgetary, schedule and traffic constraints. These included heavy traffic-136,000 vehicles per day, poor soil conditions, shallow bedrock adjacent to an active quarry, environmental considerations, archaeological findings, and an urban/suburban setting. The design provided desired vertical clearance between the Tri-State and five existing over-crossing bridges and replacement of eight bridges.
Completed on schedule and $14 million under budget, this project paved the way for more efficient, affordable drive time for motorists traveling through Chicago.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
EARTH TECH, INC.
I-355 South Extension - Des Plaines River Valley Bridge
Owner: Illinois Tollway
Consultants: American GeoEngineering, Inc.; Bloom Consultants, LLC;
Bowman, Barrett & Associates, Inc.; Dynasty Group, Inc./Globetrotters Engineering Corp.;
Janssen & Spaans Engineering, Inc.; Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc.;
MTL Group, Inc.; Omega & Associates, Inc.; S.T.A.T.E. Testing, LLC;
Teng & Associates, Inc.; Terracon Consultants, Inc.; Winsler & Kelly Consulting Engineers
Earth Tech provided construction oversight and management for the construction of the I-355 South Extension Bridge over the Des Plaines River Valley. Part of the 12.5-mile, three/four-lane extension of the North-South Tollway (I-355) from the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) through Will County to I-80, this project is part of the Illinois State Tollway and Highway Authority's $5.3 billion congestion-relief plan to reduce travel time in the south suburbs. The mile-long bridge over the Des Plaines River Valley is built over environmentally sensitive areas, and access to the work site was limited due to the geography and site conditions. A low level bridge was constructed across the Des Plaines River prior to the award of the mainline bridge to provide construction access for the relocation of the ComEd high voltage lines. Earth Tech met these challenges head on and kept the project within budget and on schedule.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
V3 COMPANIES OF ILLINOIS LTD./HNTB CORPORATION
I-355 South Extension
Owner: Illinois Tollway
Consultants: Alfred Benesch & Company/Bollinger, Lach & Associates, Inc.;
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.; CTE Engineers, Inc.; Earth Tech, Inc.; Entran Engineering;
Harry O. Hefter Associates, Inc.; H. W. Lochner, Inc.; IE Consultants, Inc.;
Ruettiger, Tonelli & Associates, Inc.; SPAAN Tech, Inc.; Teng & Associates, Inc.;
URS Corporation; Wight & Company
Building 12.5 miles of new interstate highway in a suburban area is a major challenge. Add a 1.3 mile-long bridge, major interchanges with flyover ramps, and several endangered species, and the stakes are raised.
The I-355 South Extension between I-80 and I-55, two major interstates heavily used by the trucking industry, was completed under an aggressive schedule that employed nearly 3,900 full- and part-time professional and construction staff.
The hallmark feature of the corridor is the Des Plaines River Valley Bridge (DVRB). At 1.3 miles long, the DVRB is the longest bridge in the Tollway's system spanning multiple features including the environmentally sensitive Keepataw Forest Preserve.
The I-355 South Extension is expected to significantly increase North-South mobility through Will County. The new tollway will provide a more direct route between residences and job areas reducing travel times benefiting the entire Chicagoland area.
