Every year, the American Public Works Association (APWA) announces its Public Works Project of the Year Award recipients, shining a light on innovative new development projects and refurbishments of existing infrastructure projects across the U.S. and Canada.
Award winners range from small rural projects to massive efforts that require many millions of dollars to fund and take years to complete. Yet regardless of their size and scope, one thing they all have in common is that they advance the quality of life for those who live in the communities.
This year’s mix of 22 projects represents a myriad of bridge replacements, street and road repairs and reconfigurations, water system upgrades, installations of new trails and nature parks, and more. Each project overcame its own unique challenges, and each showcases how important the alliance is between the managing agency, contractor, and the consultant involved in the process. Four of the award-winning projects are highlighted below, followed by the full list.
The biggest challenge for this restoration project was to provide a universally accessible, Americans with Disabilities Act and Massachusetts Architectural Access Board-compliant bridge which would accommodate bicycle traffic and furnish new surface lighting.
With the bottom of the existing bridge only inches above the light rail’s messenger cables, as well as power and communications cables, there was limited space to accommodate repair and construction while maintaining train service.
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Throughout the project, every effort was made to reuse and adapt the existing structure to minimize the amount of demolition material going to a landfill. Any waste steel was recycled. The paint coatings used were low Volatile Organic Content paints that minimized environmental pollution. The Ipé timber decking is a sustainably cultivated, naturally rot- and fire-resistant timber without added treatment chemicals, which will resist abrasion for many years.
As a major arterial, A Street connects Interstate 580 and Highway 238/San Mateo Bridge. The north end of the street, near where it connects to Redwood Road and I-580, was washed out by high flows in San Lorenzo Creek during the atmospheric river on December 31, 2022. The high flows undermined a concrete retaining wall that supported the northbound lanes, and the wall fell into the creek.
The project consisted of installing a sheet pile wall, an emergency rock slope stabilization, and super sacks filled with gravel to support the road and re-establish flow along the historic flow path. Emergency stabilization work below the retaining wall was needed so that subsequent high flows did not extend the failure downstream.
Challenges presented during this project included dense traffic, public outreach, exposed/high-risk utilities, wet weather during construction, and the safety of workers and the public. The project was completed with zero incidents or accidents.
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The bridge’s combination of skewed layout and unbraced arch ribs achieved a first in the United States. In addition, accelerated bridge construction dramatically reduced impacts on I-94 traffic. Both the network tied arch design and self-propelled modular transporter construction process represent the first time they’ve been used in Michigan.
The new design transforms the two driving lanes and 8-foot-wide sidewalks into two 11-foot-wide driving lanes, 10-foot-wide sidewalks, and 8-foot-wide bike lanes. Complete with native landscaping and aesthetic lighting along the arch ribs and cables, the new bridge provides a welcoming beacon and transforms the bridge into the community connector structure requested by the Michigan Department of Transportation and stakeholders at the start of the project.
Omaha’s RiverFront is a restoration, repurposing, and re-creation of existing community infrastructure assets. The challenge of creating a unified riverfront is inherent in the project — two states, two counties, two cities, multiple neighborhoods, public and private space, dozens of uses, highly diverse natural and built environments, and many jurisdictions and constituents.
Soft soil created a technical challenge for a flood wall supported by a shallow footing that would settle if additional loading was placed adjacent to the wall by embankment, stored material, or equipment. The team turned to lightweight fill to reduce the weight placed within the vicinity of the flood wall.
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Below ground, the team uncovered more than a century’s worth of infrastructure. One of the notable items was a 161-kilovolt electrical line. The contractor installed monuments on top of the concrete encasement with an automated system to continually survey. The team also installed inclinometers in the park as an early warning system, and the contractor was required to stop embankment operations if any movement in the line was noted.
The RiverFront project is one of only about 40 around the world verified Platinum from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.
With 22 projects recognized in 2024 and many more nominated for consideration, APWA’s Project of the Year awards program showcases how public works agencies continue to respond to the need for safe and well-maintained community infrastructure.
“Public works professionals do so many things to advance the quality of life for all, and they don’t always receive the recognition they deserve,” said APWA President Gary Losier, PEng. “That’s what makes announcing our Project of the Year Award recipients so exciting and rewarding. We congratulate all this year’s honorees.”
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Launched in 1996, the program recognizes projects that are publicly developed, owned, and maintained, and promote excellence in the management and administration of public works projects. Awards are given in four divisions and five categories, with consideration given to budget size so that small, medium, and large infrastructure projects may be recognized. For more information, visit apwa.org.
- Less than $5 million: Emergency Reopening of A Street (Alameda County Public Works Agency, California) Environment
- Less than $5 million: Little Bear Creek Advance Mitigation Site (Snohomish County Public Works, Washington)
- $5 million to $25 million: Little Squalicum Estuary (City of Bellingham, Washington)
- $25 million to $75 million: I-35 Stormwater Storage Facility (Minnesota Department of Transportation)
- Greater than $75 million: Tertiary Treatment Facilities (Sacramento Area Sewer District, California) Historical Restoration/Preservation
- Less than $5 million: Carlton Street Footbridge Restoration (Town of Brookline, Massachusetts, and Massachusetts Department of Public Works)
- $5 million to $25 million: Columbia Greenway Rail Trail (City of Westfield, Massachusetts)
- Greater than $75 million: Third Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation (Minnesota Department of Transportation) Structures
- Less than $5 million: Southwest Greenways and Debbie Lightsey Nature Park (Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, Florida)
- $5 million to $25 million: West River Wall Improvements at North Star Commons (City of Rochester Department of Environmental Services, New York)
- $25 million to $75 million: Minnesota Zoo Treetop Trail (Minnesota Zoo)
- Greater than $75 million — Co-Winners: Bois d’Arc Lake Water Supply Program (North Texas Municipal Water District) and Omaha RiverFront Revitalization (Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, Nebraska) Transportation
- Less than $5 million: Bellevue Transit Center Raised Intersections (City of Bellevue, Washington)
- $5 million to $25 million — Co-Winners: 30th Street and Colorado Avenue Protected Intersection and Underpass (City of Boulder, Colorado) and 236th Street NE Corridor Improvements, Snohomish County, Washington (Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians)
- $25 million to $75 million: I-94 Second Avenue Network Tied Arch Bridge (Michigan Department of Transportation)
- Greater than $75 million: I-270 North Design-Build Project (Missouri Department of Transportation) Small Cities/Rural Communities
- Disaster/Emergency Construction/Repair: Water System Expansion (Village of Lannon, Wisconsin)
- Environment: Centralized Softening Water Treatment Plant (City of Robbinsdale, Minnesota)
- Structures: Downtown Plaza “The Naberhood” (City of Shawano, Wisconsin)
- Transportation: SR 305 Johnson Parkway (City of Poulsbo, Washington)
