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#2023EEA #EngineeringGoFigure
BOSTON, Mass. – March 28, 2023 – The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) announced the recipients of the 2023 Engineering Excellence Awards along with several other awards at the ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence and Awards Gala. Emcees Jonathan Gulliver, Highway Administrator (Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division) and ACEC/MA President Cynthia Joudrey, PE (HDR) presented the awards on Monday, March 27, 2023 in a ceremony at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA.
Here are the 33 projects recognized this year:
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Conley Terminal Modernization - Berth 10 Firm: GEI Consultants Client: MassPort |
Massport’s Conley Container Terminal is a vital economic asset for New England as its only deep-water, full-service container terminal. Augmenting it with a deep-water berth was essential for accommodating ultra-large “New Panamax” cargo vessels built after the Panama Canal expansion. The completion of Berth 10 made it possible for the Port of Boston to provide 1,300 linear feet of berthing and remain competitive on the world stage. Sustainable management of 91,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, sediment, and construction materials reduced the project’s impacts to the environment and surrounding community, exemplifying the merits of reclamation and reuse. |
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Crescent Street Over Millers River Bridge Replacement: Solving Engineering Challenges Through Successful Stakeholder Partnerships Firm: Green International Affiliates Client: MassDOT |
The Crescent Street Over Millers River Bridge sits within feet of the L.S. Starrett Company, the leading employer in Athol, Massachusetts. This bridge is woven into Starrett’s operation, so its replacement was vital to its continued success. The project site was extremely tight, leading to complex design and construction challenges. We surmounted these challenges and responded quickly to unforeseen field conditions during construction to successfully deliver the replacement bridge to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. The project’s success was achieved because of Green’s design ingenuity and ability to develop a highly effective partnership among all stakeholders. |
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MBTA Tunnel Investigation Firm: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Client: MBTA |
A partial collapse at the Government Center Garage in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, involved three concrete beams and a construction vehicle, impacting the ground directly over the MBTA’s Green Line in the Haymarket Tunnel. Collapses are complicated, often tragic events, and the Haymarket Tunnel is a complex structure. With service halted, the MBTA needed to promptly understand the implications of the collapse. SGH responded quickly and creatively with a pragmatic approach, leveraging field observations, analyses of varying complexity, and proof testing to give the MBTA confidence that it was safe to resume Green Line train service. |
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Pavilion at Riverwalk Firm: TEC, Inc. Client: Lupoli Companies |
The Pavilion at Riverwalk is an innovative place-making project that solved difficult development and technical challenges. It is a one-of-a-kind community asset that serves to “raise up” the City of Lawrence while simultaneously delivering on the development needs for more parking and amenity space and public need for athletic fields for youth sports and access to the Merrimack River. It is a sustainable development, improving flood resilience and improving the cleanliness of stormwater. Blending new and old buildings on a historic mill property was challenging and unique and perhaps most importantly, it stimulates the imagination of the public. |
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Winona Pond Water Treatment Plant Upgrades Firm: Weston & Sampson Client: City of Peabody Department of Public Services |
Weston & Sampson partnered with the City of Peabody to transform their 50-year-old Winona Water Treatment Plant into a contemporary facility that provides consumers with high quality water at rates among the lowest in the region. The innovative approach to retrofit the facility instead of building a new one saved the city approximately $15M in construction costs, maintained resident operator jobs, and resulted in a project with a significantly reduced carbon footprint due to the prevention of 10 million pounds of demolition waste, avoidance of onsite tree clearing, and reduction of raw materials usage to construct a new plant |
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Pocasset River Dredging Firm: BSC Group, Inc. Client: Town of Bourne, MA |
Overcoming decades of environmental challenges, safety concerns, projected cost overruns, and technological and physical barriers, the Town of Bourne successfully dredged the bottom of the Pocasset River. The innovative pilot project leveraged pond-dredging technology, a safe soil binding polymer, and permeable geotextile bags to contain the soil, minimize disruption to environment and community, and return clear water to the river. Results included minimal dewatering area, $250,000 in construction cost savings, reduced sediment churn, increased navigable waters for recreation, and safe completion of the project after a 60-year wait. As a testament, three other towns are now considering implementing this approach. |
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Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Extension Firm: Fuss & O'Neill, inc. Client: MassDOT Highway Division |
The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Extension project provides a safe, ADA-compliant facility that provides users access to great recreational activities, as well as connection to commercial areas and places of employment. The complexity of the project rested within the coordination of the project team and components, including ROW challenges that included intricate land negotiations occurring during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as extensive environmental permitting and restoration design work. The completion of the nearly 14-mile trail is a boon to commercial and recreational activities, while providing a safe, accessible transportation facility for all interested users |
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Acceler-8 Firm: Gill Engineering Associates, Inc. Client: MassDOT |
Using NEXTD beams was crucial to the success of the Acceler-8 I-90 Bridge Replacement project. This innovation reduced material and fabrication costs, diminished construction schedule risk, increased underside clearances, and allowed the successful use of single stem NEXTD beams. The challenge with this approach is that fabrication and erection tolerances had to be considered in the design of every element, and beam camber had to be closely monitored to ensure proper fit and geometry after fabrication. All key participants on this project, from Owner to Owner’s Rep to Contractor or Precaster to Designers worked efficiently to make this project successful. |
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I-91 Rockingham Bridges Firm: HDR Client: Vermont Agency of Transportation |
The $50 million I-91 Rockingham Bridges are the first four-span spliced precast concrete girder structure and are the last of three major bridge replacements on I-91 in Vermont. The design-build project uses one-of-a-kind elements and precast segments, raised with massive cranes, to expedite and simplify construction while overcoming a unique, unbalanced layout. The team constructed the wider, safer bridge atop a challenging topography; more than 130 feet above an environmentally critical river. The project team repurposed the old substructure as temporary supports for the new bridge, maintained traffic throughout construction, and surmounted VTrans’ considerable slenderness requirements in this picturesque utopia. |
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MassDOT Design Project No. 606518 Quincy-Burgin Parkway Access Road Firm: McFarland-Johnson, Inc. Client: MassDOT |
This new bridge and road project successfully created a unique access point that provides a gateway to a portion of Quincy that was badly in need of a makeover. The City is already seeing the benefits of the new access point with the construction of several new buildings within the revitalized Quincy Center. In particular, the planned SwitchPoint Quincy development to be located adjacent to the new roadway to the north is just one example of a new project that will bring much needed commercial development and jobs in support of the City’s longstanding plans to revitalize Quincy Center. |
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Wolf Swamp Fields Firm: SLR International Corporation Client: Town of Longmeadow, MA |
SLR feels that the Wolf Swamp Fields Project in Longmeadow, Massachusetts is particularly well-suited for consideration in the 2023 ACEC-MA Engineering Excellence Awards Competition. The town contracted with SLR to perform engineering studies, work with local stakeholders, and identify alternative concepts to improve field conditions to meet the demand of increased and more effective and efficient recreational use. The goal to complete the project with balance earthwork, and with 100% groundwater recharge was a challenge, but resulted in an efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable design. The client was very enthusiastic regarding the design and construction efforts completed by SLR.
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L1332-C3A B-DC and B-C Roadways Firm: Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. Client: MassPort |
The “B-DC and B-C Roadways Project” at Logan International Airport involved the construction a new two-level roadway between Terminals B and C to serve as enabling detour roads to facilitate the replacement of the existing roadway system, and providing a future HOV connector between terminals. The Design Team relied on Lean design and BIM technology for innovative and complex design development across multiple disciplines. The $27M C3A contract was designed in just nine months and constructed in fourteen. Despite the Pandemic, the complex footprint project was delivered $4.1M under budget, while meeting the owner’s and end user’s conditions of satisfaction. |
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325 Main Street (Google HQ) Firm: VHB Client: Boston Properties |
To accommodate Google’s growth in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this project team created a space that injected life into the public realm, maximized the site’s development potential, and contributed to the building’s targeted LEED Gold certification status. Through these efforts, the team fully realized the social, economic, and sustainable development opportunities at 325 Main Street in Kendall Square—an epicenter for innovation that neighbors MIT. With its unique and inviting lobby space and access to the MBTA headhouse and a rooftop garden, the building improves pedestrians’ safety and connectivity while enhancing Kendall Plaza’s visual appeal. |
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Resilient MA Action Team (RMAT) Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool Firm: Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. Client: MA Executive Office of Environmental Affairs |
The Resilient MA Action Team (RMAT) developed the Tool to make preliminary climate resilience analysis more broadly accessible; provide consistent, risk-based design standards recommendations; inform climate resilient capital planning and procurement; and provide a unified and automated online viewer that supports evaluation of projects. The outputs serve as a consistent basis-of-discussion for planning and early design of projects with physical assets in the Commonwealth. This first-of-its-kind Tool in the nation and supporting resources are free and accessible to the public and provide significant advancements in integrating climate resilience into the standard of care across the built, natural, and social environments. |
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Brookville Electric Vehicle Bus Depot Firm: Arup US, Inc. Client: AlphaStruxure |
The Ride On bus system in Montgomery County, Maryland, has over 5,300 stops on 79 routes, carrying over 24 million passengers annually. As part of its goal for zero carbon emissions and a fully electric fleet by 2035, the County embarked on a program to electrify its bus fleet by integrating a renewable energy plus battery storage microgrid for resilient vehicle charging. Arup was brought on for its expertise in infrastructure and fleet electrification to help realize these goals. Able to support 70 buses, the microgrid will eventually eliminate over 160,000 metric tons of GHGs. | |||
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MIT Graduate Tower at Site 4 Firm: Arup US, Inc. Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
In 2010, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began collaborating with the Kendall Square community to develop the Kendall Square Initiative – a community-driven plan to invigorate the area and bring in new business, new activity, and new opportunity. Arup collaborated with MIT, NADAAA, and Perkins+Will on the first phase of this development which included the adaptive reuse of two 100-year-old warehouses as well as the 29-story Graduate Tower which, at 300 feet and housing 454 residential units, is currently the tallest building in Cambridge. Working with the wider team, Arup was able to help the project achieve LEED Gold certification. | |||
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The Country Club Pond Dredging and U.S. Open Preparations Firm: Beals and Thomas, Inc. Client: The Country Club |
The Country Club Primrose Pond Improvements highlight the benefits of engaging with civil engineering from planning through construction. Because the Club engaged B+T early-on, we were able to provide strategic guidance and complete our services so that the desired water quality improvement program could be initiated in concert with the Open. Doing so took years of planning but paid off immensely. The Club was able to plan for the Open while also utilizing the infrastructure from that event to reduce what would otherwise be additional disturbances to the property and golf course maintenance and play. |
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West Oxbow Road over Wilder Brook Bridge Replacement Projects Firm: CDR Maguire, Inc. Client: MassDOT |
CDR Maguire provided a structural, highway, and traffic design that is cost effective, aesthetically appealing, and best serves the local community. To limit the impact of constructing a new bridge, CDR Maguire utilized ABC techniques, so the traveling public didn’t have to endure a cumbersome detour for any longer than necessary. The engineering team found solutions to maintain streambank integrity and the water resources; they relied on their cumulative knowledge and team work to arrive at sustainable solutions -- pressure injecting grouting to stabilize soils and an engineering plan to avoid penetrating the artesian aquifer, all without adding unnecessary costs. | |||
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Bridge Replacement of Evergreen Road over Mason Brook Firm: Dewberry Client: MassDOT |
There’s only one Zakim Bridge or Tobin Bridge, but there are hundreds of Evergreen Road bridges and chances are there are a few similar type bridges in your town needing attention. These are the bridges that connect us to each other, and many are in disrepair. They are not large, glitzy, magazine cover making bridges, but the ones that you drive over every day to get to work, school, the stores, and your healthcare services. The Evergreen Road over Mason Brook project is the type of bridge project that keeps the Commonwealth connected. | |||
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City-wide Sewer Separation Master Plan Firm: Dewberry Client: City of Chelsea, Massachusetts |
With the Master Plan as a resource, the City can thoughtfully and strategically plan for future development and environmental impacts, including wastewater overflows in adjacent water bodies and increased flooding due to climate change. As a result of the City’s strategic vision, the Dewberry team leveraged a variety of disparate data sets, (in many cases no data at all), to develop an appropriate framework to create a detailed, comprehensive, forward looking and practical tool for the City – which is used on an ongoing basis to inform, pollution/flood mitigation, future development and the investment approach to support those needs. | |||
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Elevating Resilience: Lexington Leverages Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Solutions Firm: Environmental Partners Group Client: Town of Lexington |
The Oxbow Road residential area in Lexington, MA has a long history of localized flooding. The neighboring major highway system contributes substantial stormwater runoff into the municipal drainage system and its discharge to Kiln Brook. Environmental Partners’ naturalized approach to blend gray and green infrastructure components addressed the drainage challenges while providing an elevated aesthetic to the residential area through use of a vegetated retaining wall and restoration of the wetland areas along the drainage easement. | |||
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BAE Systems, Inc. Firm: Fitzemeyer & Tocci Associates, Inc. Client: BAE Systems |
Fitzemeyer & Tocci provided full MEP/FP/FA engineering and construction administration for the fast-paced design and construction of BAE Systems Manchester – Engineering & Production Facility. The project included a fast-track design and construction effort that took place during one of the most challenging times in construction (Covid-19 pandemic). The successful project, led by Fulcrum Construction, resulted in 200,000-square-feet of modern engineering and production space in Manchester, New Hampshire for up to 800 employees. | |||
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Kaven Hall Firm: Fitzemeyer & Tocci Associates, Inc. Client: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) |
WPI’s Kaven Hall has historical significance, dating back to its namesake Moses Kaven (class of 1865). Since 1954 the building has represented the school to everyone passing by the prominent corner of Salisbury and Boynton Streets in Worcester, MA. Modernizations to ventilation, occupant comfort, accessibility, and aesthetics were all achieved to attract potential students while maintaining the historical integrity of the building. The F&T team worked to embody the WPI mission statement “Community: We work from a collective vision and purpose to break down barriers to advancing our mission.” Mission accomplished! | |||
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Umpachene Falls Road over Konkapot River Bridge Replacement Firm: Gannett Fleming Client: MassDOT |
Gannett Fleming provided engineering design services to replace the existing Umpachene Falls Road over Konkapot River Bridge in the Town of New Marlborough. Originally built in 1950, the existing, single-span structure was rated as “structurally deficient” and, therefore, closed to vehicular traffic in April 2012. The new bridge was replaced using staged construction to maintain public pedestrian access to the adjacent recreational park and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife land. Now in accordance with MassDOT’s Bridge Design Guide, the new bridge provides safe passage for vehicles and pedestrians, all while maintaining the historic aesthetic appeal of the original structure. | |||
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Embankment Restoration, Cape Main Line MP 67.0 Firm: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. Client: MassDOT - Rail & Transit Division |
Reconstructing the failed railroad embankment and restoring rail service in 27 days required engineering expertise and collaboration with the contractor, abutters, regulatory officials and elected officials on a timeframe that is seldom seen. The unique relationship between Jacobs and Robert B. Our, contractor, enabled alternative solutions, materials and construction approaches to be considered and tested quickly. Decisions were made and delays were minimized. The team committed to a design that focused on restoring rail service while also looking at long term needs to prevent a recurrence, protect sensitive wetland resources and ensure the viability of the cranberry bog. | |||
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Hyannis Yard Master Plan Implementation Firm: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. Client: MassDOT - Rail & Transit Division |
Implementing the Hyannis Yard master plan over many years requires a vision and the expertise on how to accomplish the master plan’s goals. The Jacobs team and MassDOT addressed issues identified in the master plan—the need to expand for passenger and freight service; integrate the bus service with the train service and make the Yard a more welcoming gateway to Hyannis. The project’s value is seen in the commitment to identifying needs, creating a buildable phased plan and consistently securing funding for the projects. The result is a transformed Hyannis Yard for the town, MassDOT and riders. | |||
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Terminal Integration Project (TIP) Firm: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., Engelberth Construction, Inc. Client: Burlington International Airport |
Implementing the Hyannis Yard master plan over many years requires a vision and the expertise on how to accomplish the master plan’s goals. The Jacobs team and MassDOT addressed issues identified in the master plan—the need to expand for passenger and freight service; integrate the bus service with the train service and make the Yard a more welcoming gateway to Hyannis. The project’s value is seen in the commitment to identifying needs, creating a buildable phased plan and consistently securing funding for the projects. The result is a transformed Hyannis Yard for the town, MassDOT and riders. | |||
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Gardner Street Roadway Reconstruction Project Firm: Nitsch Engineering Client: City of Worcester |
Working with the City of Worcester to connect Table Talk Pies’ existing freezer facility to their new oven facility, Nitsch Engineering lowered Gardner Street underneath an active CSX bridge to provide adequate clearance for trucks traveling between the two buildings. The unique solution required an innovative use of micropiles to protect the structural integrity of the bridge, while maintaining ADA-compliant sidewalks, relocating roadway utilities, and adding on-street parking. Our design offers current and future benefit to the City for utility maintenance, and ultimately allows Table Talk Pies to remain in Worcester and continue serving those who love it. | |||
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Tufts University Stormwater Improvement Project Firm: Nitsch Engineering Client: Tufts University |
To understand the causes of flooding at the Tufts University Tisch Sports & Fitness Center, Nitsch Engineering developed a district-scale hydraulic model of 261 acres of watershed including Tufts’ Campus, nearby Medford neighborhoods, and adjacent MBTA rail lines. Based on an analysis of the results, Nitsch designed a rerouted system that increased capacity to support both current and future development. The Stormwater Improvement Project allows Tufts to address stormwater holistically. It is an example for other urban campuses on how to successfully manage stormwater from a district-scale rather than project-by-project – improving sustainability and resilience, and saving owners time and money | |||
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Route 79/Davol Street Improvements Firm: TranSystems Client: MassDOT, City of Fall River |
Working with MassDOT, City of Fall River, and the community, TranSystems prepared preliminary design for a drastic transformation of the Taunton River Waterfront. The existing eight-lane Route 79/Davol Street Corridor is being replaced with a four-lane urban boulevard creating nearly 20 acres of new parcels. The new boulevard establishes multi-modal connections between the neighborhoods and the scenic river and introduces a network of shared use paths that will become part of the South Coast Bikeway. The design considers impacts of sea level rise and improves the Taunton River water quality by separating stormwater and sanitary sewer flowing into the river. | |||
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Spy Pond Dredge and Stormwater Improvements Firm: VHB Client: MassDOT
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The Spy Pond Dredge and Stormwater Improvements project consisted of a feasibility study and subsequent design and permitting to dredge 625 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and upgrade the drainage system that discharges to Spy Pond, which ultimately restored recreational access to the southwestern portion of the pond. The team overcame many obstacles, including limited access to the shoreline, presence of an endangered grass, a gas pipeline located at an unknown depth, and minimal laydown area. Construction began in the spring of 2021 and dredging activities occurred over a period of approximately three weeks in late May/early June 2021. |
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Boon Street Presbyterian Church Reconstruction & Adaptive Reuse Firm: Waterfield Design Group, Inc. Client: Boon Street Presby, LLC |
The Boon Street Project is worthy of special recognition because of the powerful statement it makes about what is possible when creative engineering and architectural design are utilized to salvage and restore landmark historical and cultural elements around us. The achievement that is represented by this project uses the gracefulness and beauty of a lost iconic property to illustrate the wide range of possibilities that exist within the engineering, design, and construction profession. This socially and culturally exceptional outcome was so far outside the general public’s expectations that all who encounter it are mesmerized by the beauty of this accomplishment. | |||
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Cate Spring Well PFAS Treatment System Firm: Woodard & Curran Client: Town of Mansfield, MA |
Based on a longstanding relationship, the town of Mansfield, Massachusetts hired Woodard & Curran to design the Cate Springs Well PFAS Treatment System shortly after detecting levels of PFAS at concentrations above the 20.0 ppt MassDEP Office of Research and Standards Guideline Level. The team leveraged a 10-day Constant Diffusivity Rapid Small-Scale Column Test that simulated conditions and informed the design basis for the treatment system. This approach helped the team pre-procure the granular activated carbon vessels to meet the project owner’s aggressive schedule and restore withdrawals from one of its largest drinking water supplies before peak summer 2022 demand. | |||
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