ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Award Winners 2019

Firm: BR+A
Project: MIT.nano
Project Location: BR+A
Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

MIT.nano is accelerating, modernizing, and supporting vital research. Through innovative applications of advanced engineering concepts, MIT.nano saves more than 50% in energy costs over the LEED baseline and reduces the overall carbon footprint. This high-performing building is the most energy efficient facility of its kind. It is the centerpiece of the MIT’s new Innovation Initiative. The project exceeds the current needs of the program and provides the flexibility to adapt as those needs change. Research performed in MIT.nano will lead to discoveries and imaginative solutions that will define our era.

Firm: GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.
Project: Upper Roberts Meadow Reservoir Dam Breach and Stream Restoration
Project Location: Northampton, MA
Client: City of Northampton

The Upper Roberts Meadow Reservoir Dam Breach and Stream Restoration Project is the tallest dam removed in Massachusetts to date. The project was unique in that it required active sluicing of about 10,000 cubic yards of sediment to the downstream sediment starved reaches to: 1) improve aquatic habitat, 2) promote natural streambed development within the former impoundment, and 3) to save the City approximately $500k in deferred dredging and disposal costs. Due to the “in the wet” construction approach and rainy summer weather of 2018, the Project was successfully completed in one construction season.   

Firm: TEC, Inc.
Project: MGM Springfield
Project Location: Springfield, MA
Client: MGM Springfield

At a value of over $960M, the MGM Springfield resort casino is the largest private development project in the history of western Massachusetts. MGM and the project team transformed over 30 individual properties into a vibrant redevelopment project that creatively integrated complex historic structures and facades, used specialized soil testing to support an economical foundation system, updated a maze of outdated utilities, and tied the project into downtown with an enhanced multimodal transportation system. The MGM project moved swiftly in a highly-regulated environment from initial due diligence to grand opening to provide over 3,000 new jobs to the region.

Firm: Tetra Tech
Project: Liberia Municipal Water Program
Project Location: Liberia
Client: USAID/Liberia

A world without water is impossible to imagine for the average American but no chore for Liberians who’ve lived with dry taps for nearly 30 years. Our engineers designed solar powered water treatment plants, instituted utility frameworks, incorporated the private sector, and trained engineers to replicate the systems throughout Liberia. Straight forward construction documents and on-site troubleshooting enabled the construction contractor to resolve issues and complete the project on-budget and on-time. Despite rampant corruption and the Ebola crisis, Tetra Tech’s engineers demonstrated true engineering excellence providing Liberians reliable access to clean drinking water and a chance to prosper.

Silver Award Winners

Firm: Green International Affiliates, Inc.
Project: Belle Isle Marsh Marine Ecology Park: Providing Public Access to a Unique Urban Environmental Gem for Educational and Ecotourism Opportunities
Project Location: Winthrop, MA
Client: Town of Winthrop

The Belle Isle Marsh Marine Ecology Park provides a unique opportunity to experience one of the few remaining salt marshes in the Boston Harbor area. Green International Affiliates Inc. worked with the Town of Winthrop to realize its vision for the park by helping to secure funding through a Seaport Economic Council Grant. Green negotiated a complex permitting process that led to the innovative and environmentally sensitive design of raised boardwalks, a pavilion, and walkway connections. The project has transformed this hidden and neglected natural resource into a popular destination that promotes sustainability by fostering an appreciation of the marsh.  

Firm: Green International Affiliates, Inc.
Project: Yentile Farm Recreational Facility: A Sustainable Transformation of Abandoned and Degraded Land into a Vibrant Community Space
Project Location: Wilmington, MA
Client: Town of Wilmington

The Yentile Farm Recreational Facility is a model of restorative sustainability. It has transformed a degraded, abandoned construction site into a desirable recreational facility. Green International Affiliates, Inc.’s design successfully implements the Town of Wilmington’s vision of having a nature-themed sustainable park with an extensive program of active and passive recreational opportunities. By limiting development to just nine acres on the twenty-acre site, the integrity of the natural landscape remains. This project provides a unique place for people of all ages to enjoy the outdoor activities, while protecting and enhancing the community’s natural resources and wildlife habitat

Firm: HNTB
Project: Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement
Project Location: Newburyport, Amesbury, and Salisbury, MA
Client: MassDOT - District 4

The Whittier Bridge/I-95 crossing the Merrimack River in northern Massachusetts is a major transportation link for drivers, bikers and pedestrians. HNTB designed the new network tied-arch, interstate expansion and shared-use path. The new bridge and widening of the surrounding interstate will now accommodate traffic demands for years to come, and the new shared-use path provides a vital connection for bikers and pedestrians using the bridge.

Firm: Jacobs
Project: Worcester Regional Airport New Taxiway and CAT III ILS with Appurtenances and Miscellaneous Electrical Improvements
Project Location: Worcester, MA
Client: Massachusetts Port Authority

Massachusetts Port Authority and Jacobs, with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, ATC Associates, Green International Affiliates, Nitsch Engineering, and J.F. White Contracting, have taken air travel in Central Massachusetts to greater heights. Sitting 1,000 feet in the clouds, the Worcester Regional Airport lacked the landing systems required by most airlines for low-visibility landings –suppressing ORH’s ability to host diverse carriers and service options for the traveling public. Engineering innovation and teamwork turned a once financially and environmentally impossible project into a successful airport expansion that’s attracting new airlines to the region, connecting travelers to national markets, and enhancing the area’s destination appeal.​

Firm: Nitsch Engineering
Project: MIT's North Corridor
Project Location: Cambridge, MA
Client: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The North Corridor project provided the opportunity to reinforce MIT’s position as a leader in campus sustainability and stewardship for stormwater, landscape ecology, and resilience. A vision of a landscaped student space made the site an ideal fit to serve as a pilot project for the implementation of existing stormwater management strategies and a testing ground for unique tools formulated in the Landscape Ecology Plan. Nitsch Engineering’s innovation in designing a flexible landscape filter – a unique modification of the bioretention basin technique – reduced drainage to the City system using a design that could be manipulated around complex urban utilities.

Firm: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Project: Belmont Municipal Light Department Underground Transmission Line
Project Location: Cambridge and Belmont, MA
Client: The Consulting Engineers Group

Belmont Light needed to upgrade their aging substation and power transmission and distribution systems to improve reliability and prepare for growing demands. The project involved constructing a new substation in Belmont and two 0.8 mile, 115kV buried transmission lines along an existing MBTA commuter rail right-of-way. This alignment, while the least disruptive to the community, posed significant technical challenges and at one point was considered practically unbuildable. Through a collaborative effort, the project team successfully accomplish this project, ensuring Belmont residents and businesses would have reliable power for decades.

Firm: STV Inc.
Project: Longfellow Bridge Rehabilitation Design-Build
Project Location: Boston and Cambridge, MA
Client: MassDOT

The rehabilitation of the Longfellow Bridge improved its structural integrity and restored and preserved an iconic architectural achievement from the turn of the last century. The project reestablishes a reliable route for vehicles and the Red Line and promotes cycling and walking through bicycle lanes and widened sidewalks. The scope encompassed the complete reconstruction of the original 11 arch spans and a 12th span installed later; the seismic retrofit of 12 masonry substructures; and the reconstruction of the four “salt and pepper” towers. Several unique construction methods were used to complement the bridge’s historic character, including riveting on exterior steelwork.

Firm: VHB
Project: Cape Cod Rail Trail Extension and Bass River Bridge
Project Location: Yarmouth and Dennis, MA
Client: Town of Yarmouth, Town of Dennis, and Massachusetts Department of Transportation

VHB supported MassDOT, DCR, and the Towns of Yarmouth and Dennis by providing design services for the Cape Cod Rail Trail Extension and Bass River Bridge, a key element in the future of non-motorized transportation throughout Cape Cod. Not only does it provide a safe, accessible connection between Yarmouth and Dennis, but also promotes healthy living and exercise, reduces carbon emissions, and improves the economy by creating a great place for the nearly 6-million annual residents and tourists to live, work, and play. VHB worked with MassDOT to ensure the design met MassDOT standards and the needs of all users

Firm: VHB
Project: Interstate 91 Viaduct Rehabilitation Project
Project Location: Springfield, MA
Client: MassDOT

The I-91 Viaduct Rehabilitation addressed a major portion of the local and regional roadway system in Western Massachusetts. By successfully managing high volumes of traffic, on the I-91 viaduct and local streets, the project was finished while keeping the City of Springfield open for business, including during the concurrent MGM casino construction—a major state initiative. The project was complex given the volume of traffic impacted, the viaduct’s location in downtown Springfield, and construction over parking garages and railroad infrastructure. The project used innovative traffic management techniques and project-specific bridge design details to minimize disruption and stay on schedule.

Firm: VHB
Project: Mount Vernon Street Bridge Improvements
Project Location: Winchester, MA
Client: Town of Winchester

The Mount Vernon Street Bridge Improvements Project is one of several critical flood control projects comprising the Aberjona River Flood Mitigation Program. The bridge location presented several challenges, including performing construction over the Aberjona River in a dense downtown location, maintaining traffic flow over the bridge during construction, and designing improvements that are cost-effective, but also enhance the historic character. Through innovative engineering design and solutions, including developing a phased approach to construction and traffic management and the creative use of mixed materials, the completed bridge has successfully achieved the desired flood mitigation goals, while also enhancing its historic charm.

Bronze Award Winners

Firm: AECOM 
Project: Silver Line Gateway
Project Location: Chelsea, MA
Client: MassDOT Highway and MBTA

The Silver Line Gateway Project is the first new MBTA Service in over a decade, giving the City of Chelsea a significant upgrade to public transportation with convenient and much needed access to Logan Airport, the Seaport District and South Station. The Project presented unique challenges including the sensitivity of adjacent utilities and significant grading issues in a constrained right-of-way which was further complicated by the adjacent active rail line. The challenges were addressed with innovative wall designs and stage construction plans. The Station design needed to meet MBTA requirements while addressing resiliency, life cycle and long-term maintenance.

Firm: Arup
Project: Harvard University Smith Campus Center
Project Location: Cambridge, MA
Client: Harvard University

The Smith Campus Center is a new student center and ‘front door’ to Harvard. The Holyoke Center suffered from inefficient systems and lack of amenity space, and Harvard identified this as the ideal location for transformation. The design team of Hopkins Architects, Bruner Cott, and Arup designed a transformative re-use of the building, creating a new student center by creatively adapting the existing building to suit the needs of the University and community. Students, faculty, and visitors are greeted with a stunning glass-enclosed center, with ample amenity space, room for formal/informal gatherings; a space that Harvard will treasure for years. 

Firm: BETA Group, Inc.
Project: Fuller Brook Park Preservation
Project Location: Wellesley, MA
Client: Ms. Blythe Robinson, Executive Director of General Government

The Fuller Brook Park Preservation Project’s goals were to preserve, restore, and rehabilitate the structural, environmental, and aesthetic elements of the 110-year-old park. The Fuller Brook Park Coordinating Committee teamed with BETA Group, Inc. to achieve these goals. Our firm preserved and enhanced the naturalistic character of the Park; restored and stabilized Fuller Brook and Caroline Brook; installed a more natural path while retaining most of the existing path alignment; enhanced and restored views to historic bridges and other features; preserved and restored existing trees; and enhanced native plant diversity and vegetation cover.

Firm: CDM Smith Inc.
Project: MFN Regional Wastewater District - Water Pollution Control Facility Upgrade and Expansion
Project Location: Mansfield, Foxboro, & Norton, MA
Client: Mansfield, Foxboro, Norton (MFN) Regional Wastewater District

Firm: Environmental Partners Group, Inc.
Project: Catastrophic Sewer Force Main Failures in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Project Location: Plymouth, MA
Client: Town Of Plymouth, Dept of Public Works

Plymouth, Massachusetts experienced three catastrophic ruptures of a 30-inch, wastewater force main that was the sole conduit for the Town’s wastewater flow.  1.5 MGD of wastewater was flowing across the ground surface, threatening a highway, wetlands, water supply wells, and the economic life of Plymouth Center.  Emergency response actions, combined with assessment of cause and permanent replacement of the 4.5 mile pipeline took two years and cost nearly $50 Million.  Environmental Partners and the Plymouth DPW established a team whose comprehensive response actions, community leadership and perseverance became a model for municipal disaster response while providing fully sustainable, long-term solutions.

Firm: Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.
Project: Sprague Building Abatement, Demolition and Re-construction
Project Location: New Bedford, MA
Client: Sprague Massachusetts Properties LLC

Firm: GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.
Project: Centennial Dam Rehabilitation
Project Location: Dedham, MA
Client: Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation

Rehabilitation of the Massachusetts DCR owned Centennial Dam restored a High hazard dam within a residential condominium complex. The dam also functions as an important flood control structure protecting the metropolitan Boston area. The project brought a 19th century mill dam up to 21st century safety standards, simplified dam operations, and addressed numerous deficiencies. Improvements included reconstruction of the downstream sides of the embankments; construction of an auxiliary spillway weir and lining of existing discharge pipes; construction of a parapet wall along the top of the dam to address overtopping and complete reconstruction of the right discharge channel wall.

Firm: Howard Stein Hudson
Project: Connect Historic Boston
Project Location: Boston, MA
Client: City of Boston

Howard Stein Hudson partnered with the City of Boston to transform downtown Boston’s well known, and important streets into safe, multimodal corridors for residents and visitors to enjoy and explore. The Connect Historic Boston Bike Trail was designed and shovel-ready within a year, delivering Boston’s first bike signals and two-way protected bike infrastructure along a mile and a half of family-friendly, low-stress bike trail.  This $24 million TIGER Grant-funded construction project opens a new commuting option for residents and a pleasant, historic route for tourists to explore the history of Boston’s Downtown waterfront, North End, and West End

Firm: Jacobs
Project: Middleboro Subdivision Trestle Replacement MP 15.95
Project Location: Taunton, MA
Client: MassDOT Rail and Transit

Using an innovative pre-cast concrete culvert instead of a traditional bridge to replace the deteriorating Middleboro timber trestle, Jacobs minimized disruption to a vital commercial freight line and saved approximately $4 million in construction costs. The box culvert design maintained the span and flow channel width, increased the flow channel height to above the 100-year FEMA requirement, restored the right-of-way to its original two-track configuration, and was installed within the CSX-mandated 4-day operating outage despite an unexpected snow storm. The new ballasted deck which replaced the existing open deck is virtually maintenance free and extends the culvert’s service life.

Firm: Jacobs
Project: Washington Street (Route 85) Over the Assabet River Bridge Replacement
Project Location: Hudson, MA
Client: MassDOT​

Working closely with MassDOT, the Town of Hudson, and local businesses, Jacobs pioneered the use of new construction methods and materials that delivered a completed bridge with a roadway closure of only 85 days, 20 days sooner than the pre-negotiated outage length. These included the use of Northeast Extreme Tee (NEXT) precast beams for the bridge superstructure and Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) for field-cast closure pours. This project not only solved the critical needs of Hudson and the region ahead of schedule but proved the efficacy of UHPC application for future bridge projects throughout MA.

Firm: Kleinfelder
Project: Fresh Pond Drainage Improvements and Community Gardens
Project Location: Cambridge, MA
Client: City of Cambridge Water Department

The Fresh Pond Drainage Improvements and Community Gardens project was implemented to address a degraded former rail corridor that was considered an eye-sore to the City of Cambridge. The resulting improvements transformed what was once a defunct, rarely used space into a safe, multi-use recreational path with lush vegetation that protects and highlights the beauty of Cambridge’s largest natural resource, Fresh Pond. The planting of hummocks and bioretention swales protect the drinking water supply from runoff stormwater contaminants in a cost-effective way. Today, Cambridge residents have improved access to enjoy Fresh Pond, and an ADA-accessible community garden.  

Firm: Odeh Engineers, Inc.
Project: South Street Landing
Project Location: Providence, RI
Client: CV Properties, LLC

South Street Landing consisted of the renovation and adaptive reuse of the former Narragansett Electric Power Station, which is now home to the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center (a shared state-of-the-art facility for the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College) and administrative facilities for Brown University. Using a collaborative approach to the design, extensive high-tech testing and analysis, and creative engineering solutions, the South Street Landing team pulled off a radical transformation of the 1920s power plant. Instead of an eyesore, this important building is now the anchor for a new wave of development on Providence’s historic waterfront.

Firm: Odeh Engineers, Inc.
Project: The Harlo/1350 Boylston
Project Location: Boston, MA
Client: Skanska USA Commercial Development, Inc.

The Harlo is a new seventeen-story modern apartment tower comprised of 212 units, ground floor retail space, and is home to multiple restaurants. In keeping with the vibrant feel of Boston’s popular Fenway district, the design team utilized a unique combination of precast concrete panels, metal panels, and glass curtain wall to create a distinctive, eye-catching façade which effectively blends new and modern design seamlessly with its historic surroundings. The most identifiable feature of the building is its asymmetric shape, which was crafted by cantilevering one corner of the building out in two directions, creating bold sloped walls.

Firm: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Project: Richardson Olmsted Campus
Project Location: Buffalo, NY
Client: Flynn Battaglia Architects

In the 1870s, Henry Hobson Richardson and the landscape team of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed the 203-acre Richardson Olmsted Campus as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. By the 1980s, all but two buildings at this National Historic Landmark were completely abandoned and the remaining ones were in disrepair. A team of engineers, architects, and preservationists collaborated to renovate the campus. In May 2017, an upscale hotel, restaurant, and conference center opened in three buildings, restoring a community gem and bringing new life to the Buffalo area.

Firm: Stantec
Project: Massachusetts Avenue Bridge Over Commonwealth Avenue | Bridge B-16-237
Project Location: Boston, MA
Client: City of Boston

The reconstruction of the Tommy Leonard Bridge was completed in one of Boston’s most densely built up sections. The design featured an innovative early construction contract to relocate utilities and utilized precast concrete details and prefabricated bridge units to facilitate rapid bridge construction. Bridge demolition and replacement were completed during a long weekend. Traffic was returned to Massachusetts Avenue one day ahead of schedule. What is perhaps most unique about this project was the recreation of the historic bridge and site using modern, rapid construction techniques. The successful project serves as example approach for future work. 

Firm: Tighe & Bond, Inc.
Project: Coastal Structures Rehabilitation Emergency Response to Storm Riley
Project Location: Quincy, MA
Client: City of Quincy

When Storm Riley struck the northeast, the City of Quincy engaged Tighe & Bond to provide engineering services to assess storm damage, design repairs, procure contractors, and oversee construction. Tighe & Bond worked with City staff, to plan, design, and help implement $1.2M in emergency repairs to coastal infrastructure over a two-month period. The project repaired essential coastal structures, which protect the public from future storm damage, associated health, safety, and environmental hazards, and prevent destruction of public and private property. The work serves as inspiration for engineers faced with developing efficient response programs for future emergencies.

Firm: Woodard & Curran
Project: Hancock Adams Common
Project Location: Quincy, MA
Client: City of Quincy

Hancock Adams Common is a vibrant new urban public park showcasing Quincy’s significance in American history. Completion of the more than $20 million project required relocation of a four-lane street and coordination of dozens of stakeholders and project consultants. Though only recently dedicated, the Common already sees significant use by both residents and visitors and is a major factor drawing new development to the city’s downtown. Quincy’s Mayor Thomas Koch said the Common’s dedication ceremony represented a great day for the city and it is a point of pride for all involved.

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