2003 SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS are given for those projects worthy of special recognition of the engineer and the owner/client for achieving engineering excellence. This year, 5 Special Achievement Awards were given in three categories, as follows:
WATER AND WASTEWATER
HORNER & SHIFRIN, INC.
Wastewater Treatment, Nature's Way: Upgrade of a Three-Cell Aerated Lagoon
Owner: City of Columbia, Illinois
Horner & Shifrin, Inc. provided engineering services for improvements to the 1.5 million gallon per day three-cell lagoon wastewater treatment facility for the City of Columbia, Illinois. The improved facility uses an integrated process of complete-mix aeration, AquaMats and native fish species to treat wastewater.
An engineering study prepared by Horner & Shifrin determined that a new aeration system would be the best alternative to meet the stricter effluent limitations. H&S also recommended the use of AquaMats to replace the existing anaerobic rock filter. To further polish the effluent, fat-head minnow and blue gill fish were added to the final lagoon cell.
This new method of using the integrated processes of completemix aeration, AquaMats and native fish species has not only significantly reduced the cost of general lagoon maintenance, but has for the first three months of operation produced a wastewater effluent well below the requirements of the City's NPDES permit.
WATER RESOURCES
HANSON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INC.
COCHRAN & WILKEN, INC.
EVAN LLOYD ASSOCIATES, INC.
Pride of the Prairie: Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area
Owner: Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Client: Illinois Capital Development Board
Subconsultants: Cochran & Wilken, Inc. / Evan Lloyd Associates, Inc.
The Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, near Chandlerville, III., is a 24-square-mile area for fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, horseback riding and other activities. Hanson Professional Services Inc., along with Cochran & Wilken, and Evan Lloyd & Associates, teamed up with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to develop the first-rate recreational site.
The project is characterized by numerous firsts for the state and was a "first" from the very beginning. When the IDNR acquired Site M in 1993, it was the largest acquisition by the department. Nine years later, the site now known as the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area is the first in the state for:
- wetlands for sewage treatment,
- a fish-rearing pond "fish flusher" and
- a major bioerosion control project.
These and many of the other "firsts" are now prototypes for facilities across the state.
TRANSPORTATION
CRAWFORD, MURPHY & TILLY, INC.
Thumbs Up for AFB Mission
Owner: United States Air Force
Subconsultants: Lydick Engineering; Dyess-Peterson
Forty years of use had taken its toll on runway 22/04 at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. Heavier aircraft and increased operations also meant that thicker pavement was needed.
CMT developed construction plans and specifications to:
- replace the keel section of this 8,000-foot runway,
- replace the touchdown area,
- reconstruct the runway overrun and
- relocate two BAK-12 systems into underground pits.
They also provided consulting services through the construction phase.
Because 22/04 was the main runway at the air base, there were tight deadlines to be met. Contractors had only 24 days to reconstruct the intersection between the airfield's two runways. CMT developed creative cost-saving solutions, such as using 40foot-wide pavers to speed the pours, reusing the crushed concrete from the old runway as aggregate, and night paving to reduce dust and improve concrete curing.
TRANSPORTATION
FARNSWORTH GROUP, INC.
Historic Grand View Drive Reconstruction
Owner: Pleasure Driveway and Park District of Peoria
Meandering along scenic bluffs, Grand View Drive offers majestic views of the Illinois River and the surrounding countryside. Construction of the original roadway began in 1903 using teams of horses dragging logs to move dirt and gravel.
Rehabilitating the original bridge and roadway in 2001 presented some unique challenges to the design team. Both the roadway and bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to both their location and significance to Peoria and central Illinois. Any renovation work had to be designed within those confines. In renovating the original 1903 bridge the team was confronted with recreating the original aesthetics and features. The solution was a decorative precast "aged" concrete block system that closely resembled the original structure. The historic granite and fieldstone rock endpost columns were retained.
Reconstructing the roadway offered another set of challenges: preserving the original meandering alignment around the bluffs and maintaining the views of the Illinois River Valley, while accommodating current roadway design criteria. Roadway curves range from 40' radii to 615' radii and are super elevated. The vertical difference from the bottom of the roadway to the top is about 340 feet.
TRANSPORTATION
TENG & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Peck Road / Keslinger Road Intersection Grade Separation
Owner: Kane County Division of Transportation
The intersection of Kane County Highways, Peck Road, and Keslinger Road coincide with the intersection of the Union Pacific West Line Railroad tracks. The Peck/Keslinger project incorporated innovative and unique technology to raise the signalized roadway intersection on top of a new bridge over the Railroad. The new bridge eliminated a hazardous at-grade crossing at the Railroad tracks which was flanked on both sides of the tracks by "T" intersections that created a potential for stopped vehicles on the tracks. The pre-improvement conditions were similar to the condition in Fox River Grove that resulted in multiple fatalities when a school bus was struck by a train.
In order to construct the new grade separation structure, unique structural framing was employed to shorten the span of the bridge that was prohibitively long due to a severe skew of Keslinger Road to the Railroad below. The new structure was also designed for an anti icing spray system to proactively treat the bridge deck and approach roadways prior to the onset of freezing conditions.
