The Engineering Excellence Awards are presented annually by ACEC Indiana to recognize engineering achievements, which demonstrate the highest degree of merit and ingenuity, by Indiana consulting engineering firms.

Entries are judged based on engineering excellence, which includes uniqueness and originality; future value to the engineering profession; social, economic, and sustainable design considerations; complexity; and exceeding the owner’s/client’s needs.

Award levels presented:

The Grand Project Award is the highest honor bestowed. It recognizes an outstanding engineering achievement that demonstrates the utmost degree of merit and ingenuity. The winning project is chosen from amongst the Honor Awards and eligible for entry in the ACEC National Competition.

Honor Awards showcase the engineering achievements based on criteria such as uniqueness and originality, technical complexity, social and economic value, and public awareness. Winning projects are also eligible for entry in the ACEC National Competition.

Merit Awards are presented for projects that deserve special recognition for engineering excellence that meets the needs of the client and benefits the public welfare.

State Finalists recognize those entries that demonstrate initiative and ingenuity in the field of engineering.

Firm:CHA Consulting, Inc.
Project: 96th Street and Keystone Parkway Interchange and Corridor Improvement
Owner: City of Carmel

The 96th Street and Keystone Parkway Exchange was key to the City of Carmel’s 96th Street Corridor Improvement Project, which replaced traffic lights at key intersections with more efficient and safer roundabouts. This transformative project has greatly reduced congestion and enhanced business access at an area that was formerly one of the most congested corridors in Indiana.

The primary effort involved a split-grade teardrop roundabout interchange, six-lane bridge, collector-distributor roadway, five 96th Street roundabouts, street reconstruction, and three connector roadways. New multi-use paths and sidewalks were also created. Daily users now enjoy a noticeably faster commute, with travel times reduced by upwards of 15 minutes.

Firm:Strand Associates, Inc.
Project: Bargersville Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
Owner: Town of Bargersville

In 2017, the Town of Bargersville’s discharge permit was revised to a 1.0 mg/L total phosphorous limit. Current and future development in Bargersville is expected to increase flows to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) beyond its capacity.

Upgrades designed to address these critical issues include new anaerobic selector tanks to promote biological phosphorous removal (BPR), increased operational and treatment flexibility in the existing oxidation ditches through added sensors and submersible mixers, new secondary clarifiers to increase capacity and phosphorous removal, new return and waste-activated sludge pumps, a new belt filter press, and additional liquid sludge storage. These modifications will meet treatment needs for the next 20 years as well as provide operational flexibility to meet potential future nutrient limits.

Firm:American Structurepoint
Project: Bass Road Corridor Project
Owner: Allen County

Allen County turned to American Structurepoint to improve 4.5 miles of Bass Road to address an increase in traffic and accidents. This entry covers the first two phases from Hadley Road to Clifty Parkway. The scope includes roadway widening from two to three lanes; two roundabouts; new multi-use trail and storm sewers; concreate pavement; traffic signage; curb and gutter; widening the Bass Road Bridge over I-69; land acquisition; and construction inspection. American Structurepoint designed all phases sequentially so that it could be let as funding becomes available.

The Bass/Hadley/Yellow River Roundabout with a railroad crossing through it is the standout feature of the project. This solution replaces a “K” style intersection that had two skewed railroad crossings, thus providing better traffic flow and improved public safety in the community.

Firm:United Consulting
Project: I-65 Southeast Indiana – Design Build Best Value
Owners:E&B Paving, LLC and Indiana Department of Transportation

The $143 million I-65 Southeast Indiana project was a Design Build Best Value (DBBV) procurement. The selection process was based on the prosper concepts which added the best value for the state of Indiana and a score from the number of desired improvements to be completed for the budget.

The project reconstructed and added travel lanes to I-65 from US 50 to SR 58 for approximately 14 miles and structural SMA overlay on I-65 from SR 58 to south of SR 46 for approximately four miles. The project included widening of nine twin mainline structures, one latex modified concrete very early strength overlay twin mainline structures, the rehabilitation of seven overpass structures, new ITS infrastructure, and drainage improvements.

Firm:Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
Project: Runway 5R-23L and Taxiway D Preliminary Engineering and Programming
Owner: Indianapolis Airport Authority

The RW 5R-23L and TW D Preliminary Engineering and Programming Study provided the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) a defined approach used to inform the final engineering of the Runway 5R 23L and Taxiway D Strengthening and Capacity Enhancement project. The study allowed IAA to make informed, sustainable decisions on the preferred reconstruction alternative based on existing conditions; reconstruction alternatives; cost analysis; preliminary construction schedule; and preliminary construction phasing balancing operation impacts, construction efficiencies, and safety to ensure the serviceability of this critical infrastructure at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND). The result of the project will increase IND’s capacity and overall resilience by allowing larger, heavier aircraft to operate at the airport for the foreseeable future.

Firm: American Structurepoint
Project: SR 37 Stormwater Drainage Line Project
Owners: City of Fishers, Indiana Department of Transportation and Hamilton County

The SR 37 Stormwater Drainage Line project consists of two primary trunk lines used to drain storm water from the 126th, 131st, and 146th Street interchanges along the SR 37 Corridor. Each interchange features a 15 to 20-foot depressed mainline road section with no adjacent gravity sewer outlets. The trunk lines provide a positive outlet for storm water while avoiding the use of lift stations at each interchange. Reaching depths up to 40 feet, tunneling methods were used for the trenchless installation of both lines. The total lengths of the south and north lines are 2,650 and 4,700 linear feet respectively, with a section of curved alignment used along the north line

Firm:Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Project: SR 46 Overpass of the L&I RR and SR 11 in Columbus
Owner: Indiana Department of Transportation

The SR 46 New Interchange and Railroad Overpass project balances mobility, safety, setting, and creativity. It provides a case study for how municipalities and private stakeholders can invest in their communities by engaging in cost-sharing opportunities with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Rail traffic had long led to commuter delays and safety issues on the west side of Columbus. The problem only stood to get worse with plans to increase the number of trains through the area. INDOT, City of Columbus, L&I Railroad, and Cummins joined forces to have an interchange constructed. This project eliminates delays and greatly improves safety. The ramp junction with SR 11 also implements a Green-T intersection, a first of its kind in Indiana.

Firm:DLZ Indiana, LLC
Project: U.S. 35 over NS Railroad, Washington Street and Two Local Streets
Owner: INDOT

This project includes the rehabilitation of the existing 1,100-foot-long bridge over NS Railroad, Washington Street, and two local streets. The bridge consists of eight spans and is in a horizontal curve. It consists of independent twin structures separates by a 1-inch joint. The existing typical section of each structure consisted of 4-foot-8-inch sidewalk, two 11-foot-10-inch lanes, 2-foot shoulders, and a median rail.

The rehabilitation consisted of removal and replacement of the bridge decks, expansion joints, bridge rails, bridge approach slabs, and approximately 1,200 feet of approach roadway. The bridge typical section was revised to accommodate the City of LaPorte’s future trail. The proposed typical section includes a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail, two 12-foot northbound and two 12-foot southbound lanes with 2-foot shoulders separated by a center median rail.

Firm: American Structurepoint
Project: 16 Tech Gent Avenue Corridor
Owner: 16 Tech Community Corporation

At first glance, Gent Avenue appears like any ordinary roadway. Look again – Gent Avenue is the first new road in the 16 Tech Innovation District and a gateway to one of the largest talent attraction, retention, and development opportunities in Indianapolis history. Connecting the Riverside neighborhood to the district’s center, this road extension creates an important thoroughfare within 16 Tech and opens multiple parcels for development. This project includes sidewalks, streetscape, and the first portion of the multi-use Tech Trail that will eventually tie into the Cultural Trail enhancing connectivity throughout Indianapolis. It also involved relocating multiple existing utility lines to enable further development of this urban innovation and research district vital to Central Indiana’s future economic growth.

Firm:RQAW Corporation
Project: 276th Street Phase II
Owner: Hamilton County Highway Department

The 276th Street Phase II project begins 0.6 miles west of Gwinn Road and extends north and east to the intersection of 281st street and SR 19. The project is a 1.9-mile new roadway construction project that completes the SR 19 to U.S. 31 connection in northern Hamilton County. This intersection of the new roadway and 276th Street is now a single-lane rural roundabout designed to accommodate semi-trucks and farming equipment. Additional improvements throughout the project include a sight distance correction at the intersection of 276th Street and Gwinn Road. This fast-track project was let in May 2019 and completed in June 2020.

Firm:VS Engineering, Inc.
Project: 4th Street Heritage Trail
Owner: City of Huntingburg

The 4th Street Heritage Trail project includes the complete removal and replacement of Huntingburg’s historic (federally registered) downtown 4th Street with a curbless, flex street that allows business owners to convert parking spots to usable retail or dining space. The project also addresses long-standing drainage concerns through permeable pavers, rain gardens, and a center trench drain. Other project objectives include adding amenities such as period lighting, pavers which delineate the ADA pedestrian accessible route, pedestrian rest areas with USB charging stations, a new traffic signal, and appropriate landscaping which accentuates historic facades present along 4th Street.

Firm:Greeley and Hansen
Project: 9th Street Sewer Separation and Pump Station Project
Owners: City of Lafayette and Lafayette Renew

When persistent stormwater flooding forced downtown businesses in Lafayette to maintain sandbag barricades every time rain was forecast, wastewater and stormwater utility Lafayette Renew engaged Greeley and Hansen to plan, design, and construct a const-effective solution for containing and redirecting the stormwater.

Initiated in 2018 and completed on-schedule and on-budget in 2020, the $6.7 million 9th Street Sewer Separation and Pump Station project demonstrates engineering excellence, creative building designs that enhance and harmonize with the city’s vibrant historical district, innovative trenchless technologies that minimize construction disruptions to the community, and unique repurposing of underutilized pipeline infrastructure critical to the project’s success. Saving more than $3 million in future wastewater treatment operating costs over a 20-year span and $6 million by lowering cost and scope of future Long-Term Control Plan objectives, the project highlights how community-engaged design and construction transforms a municipal sewage project into a celebrates downtown revitalization success.

Firm:Butler, Fairman & Seufert
Project: Capital Drinking Water Improvements – Phase 1
Owner: City of Delphi

The City of Delphi has pursued water supply and treatment expansion options for over a decade to better serve its residential customers and Indiana Packers, a major pork supplier for the Indiana food industry. Maintaining a desired level and quality of service was a struggle due to the inability to take existing facilities out of service for maintenance and repair as well as dealing with the negative effects of high levels of hydrogen sulfide impacting taste and odor. Nearby mining operations have lowered the level of aquifer, putting the City’s available source of water in jeopardy as well. Locating a water source of sufficient quantity and adding storage capabilities without expensive treatment costs was the project objective for the City and its major water users.

Firm:Lochmueller Group
Project: Construction Engineering for Michigan Street Conversion
Owner: Indianapolis Department of Public Works

The Michigan Street Conversion opened the street to two-way traffic through IUPUI’s campus in downtown Indianapolis. Indianapolis DPW selected Lochmueller Group to provide construction engineering for a multi-faceted redesign that improved traffic flow and transformed access for pedestrians and cyclists in the area.

Changes included converting the street from one-way to two-way traffic, widening the roadway, and adding 9-foot off-street bike lanes, sidewalks, a bus lane, bus stops, and crosswalks all along the corridor from Indiana Avenue to the White River Bridge. The new Michigan Street creates a sense of place with raised grassy medians and a wide multi-use path. This project demonstrates how well-designed and thoughtfully implemented corridors contribute to the Indianapolis experience.

Firm: Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Project: I-70 Reconstruction
Owner: INDOT

CMT provided design services for the pavement rehabilitation of 14 miles of I-70, with rehabilitation plans for eight bridges. Maintenance of Traffic was the most critical part of the project design. This was a first-of-its-kind project for INDOT on a high-traffic interstate corridor that carries 150 million tons of truck cargo each day in that reconstruction took place while maintaining tragic in two lanes throughout daytime hours.

The scope evolved throughout the entire design phase. Originally slates as a simple resurfacing project, rapidly deteriorating pavement necessitated full reconstruction in some areas, along with replacing faulty underdrains that led to the deterioration. The project team provided creative solutions to get the project constructed before another tough winter set in.

Firm:USI Consultants, Inc. and RQAW Corporation
Project: Oliver Avenue and McCarty Street over White River Bridge Rehabilitation
Owner: Indianapolis DPW

This project included the rehabilitation of the Oliver Avenue Arch Bridge over the White River, managed by RQAW Corporation, and replacement of the McCarty Street Bridge, managed by USI Consultants, Inc.

The Oliver Avenue structure received a new, fixed, reinforced concrete deck with protective membrane and underdrains to prevent future deterioration. The existing bridge railing and sidewalks were brough to ADA compliance. Additionally, the rehabilitation included arch patching, and reconstruction of the brackets supporting the sidewalk. The McCarty Street structure received a new, 20-foot-tall, cast-in-place retaining wall supporting a new roadway section constructed on the backfill. The project also replaced the original steel structure with a new, single-span, triangular-shaped steel structure employing Grade 100 steel.

Firm: Butler, Fairman & Seufert
Project: Runway 5-23 Modifications for Burkhart Boulevard
Owner: Seymour Airport Authority

The Seymour Redevelopment Commission and the Seymour Municipal Airport collaborated to create a new bypass to connect the industrial parks on the east and west sides of the city. The need for the project was due to heavy congestion, long delays, and slow emergency response times through downtown. To accommodate the bypass, the airport’s primary Runway 5-23 was shifted 850 feet to the southwest and extended 500 feet to allow larger aircraft operations and encourage economic development. The project required pavement removal, asphalt paving, drainage improvements, new lighting, signs, and pavement markings, as well as the construction of a new taxiway parallel to the runway extension. The project was designed, bid, and constructed in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards.

Firm: DLZ Indiana, Inc.
Project: Ryan/Bruick Road Reconstruction
Owners: Allen County Highway Department, Allen County Redevelopment Commission and City of New Haven

Ryan/Bruick Road was reconstructed from south of Dawkins Road to U.S. 24 to improve the mobility and safety for anticipated industrial development. The project involved the realignment of the roadway with a reverse curve north of Harper Road and profile improvements at two railroad crossings to meet current standards. The improved roadways provide two 12-foot concrete travel lanes with 10-foot-wide shoulders which could be converted to two additional travel lanes to accommodate future capacity. The project also included an enhanced drainage system with added capacity to accommodate stormwater runoff from the roadway and anticipated industrial development. The intricate drainage design utilized new culverts and an enclosed storm sewer system to collect and convey the drainage to the outfall location.

Firm: Lochmueller Group
Project: SR 62 Small Structure Inventory, Survey, Mapping and Inspection
Owner: INDOT, Vincennes District

Lochmueller Group was tasked to create a small structures inventory database for 19 miles of SR 62 – mapping over 1,200 small structures throughout the corridor in the INDOT, Vincennes District. SR 62 is one of the largest corridors in the district. What drove this project is the fact that maintenance and repair of small structures is not proactive in most cases; usually, action is taken once the structure has failed. Lochmueller Group adapted their established, pioneered methodology used on a previous INDOT project – which includes adapting Collector for ArcGIS, inventory and inspection methods safety measures – to successfully complete this project.

Firm:Terracon Consultants, Inc.
Project: U.S. 50/U.S. 150 Slide
Owners:HNTB Corporation and INDOT

The slide was located along U.S. 50/150 east of Loogootee, and the highway in the area is a three-lane rural section with narrow outside shoulders. Two of the lanes are in the westbound direction to provide for passing of slow-moving vehicles ascending a hill. INDOT had been experiencing ongoing maintenance and significant safety concerns due to continued movement of the ground. Damage to the pavement extended across two lane-widths, and temporary closures of the lanes were common.

Through instrumentation, the slip surface was observed to be deeply-seated and well into the naturally occurring cross slope. Because of the safety concerns, INDOR accelerated the project schedule. Terracon Consultants, Inc. and HNTB were challenged with quickly designing a solution to arrest the large mass of sliding soil. The solution had to fit inside the right of way and require construction techniques to facilitate speed and high confidence.