Echoing the organization’s commitment to establishing and maintaining the highest standards of technical performance and professional practice, ACEC Indiana showcased a select group of developments from around the state which demonstrated creative engineering solutions ranging from cost-effective project delivery methods to innovative construction practices.
Shelbyville Downtown Redevelopment
City of Shelbyville
Shelbyville wasted no time in transforming their downtown into an Indiana attraction and an example for other communities. Maintaining their goals to stir development, promote community connection, enhance historical significance, and prioritize pedestrian usage, a strong vision was established and budget set. The unique Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) delivery method was used, promoting the collaboration of many professional disciplines toward optimizing the final design in less than a year.
Through total reconstruction from storefront to storefront, the Public Square and approaching blocks were modernized. Traffic patterns were reimagined to enhance pedestrian use, infrastructure was replaced to current standards, overall parking was increased, historical features were given center stage, and attractive public spaces were maximized to enhance use and promote commerce.
Fishers Nickel Plate Trail & 116th Street Tunnel
City of Fishers
The City of Fishers has long been committed to the development of trails and greenways throughout the community. When the Nickel Plate Rail Corridor became available, developing the Nickel Plate Trail was the next clear choice for the city’s growing network.
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The 0.2-mile downtown section of the trail from South Street to North Street has always been recognized as a critical link in the overall development of the regional Nickel Plate Trail that will soon span 18 miles from downtown Noblesville to the Monon Trail in Indianapolis. In addition to the trail tunnel beneath 116th Street, the project included a second tunnel that connects seating and gathering plazas, a small performance venue at trail level, and numerous accent points along the adjacent commercial developments.
HWC Engineering
Greenwood Western Regional Interceptor
City of Greenwood
HWC completed planning, design, and construction services for the Western Regional Interceptor to address the city’s agreed order by reducing surcharging and overflows in existing intersectors. The project includes approximately 50,000 feet of gravity sewers and 10,000 feet of 24-inch diameter force main. From SR 135 at the SE of SR 37 at the northwest, the interceptor follows Turkey Pen and Honey Creek, runs adjacent to or in between subdivisions, and connects to Citizen Energy Group’s 102-inch diameter interceptor.
Trench lift installations were completed at SR 37, SR 135, Indiana Railroad, and at several major county road crossings. Pleasant Run Creek required two parallel 42-inch pipes to maintain cover. 10 pump stations were eliminated. Easement acquisition was completed for approximately 230 parcels.
United Consulting
Heavy Haul Road from Ports of Indiana to River Ridge
Indiana Department of Transportation
The Heavy Haul Road project was a regionally collaborative effort that created a new highway connecting two economic engines – the ports of Indiana, and the river ridge commerce center – responsible for $4 million of economic output in southern Indiana. The project provides a direct connection between the two facilities, as well as to the east end Ohio River crossing, allowing safe and efficient movement of raw materials and goods.
The project also facilitates the rapid growth in the region by improving connectivity to the surrounding communities. Since opening in late 2021, the new roadway has achieved the vision created by the project’s stakeholders back in 2014 despite the significant design challenges of constructing a new corridor through an environmentally sensitive area.
American Structurepoint
IU Health Downtown Campus Enabling Utilities Project
Indiana University Health
The IU Health Downtown Campus Enabling Utilities project laid the groundwork for a new $1.6 billion IU Health Downtown Hospital in downtown Indianapolis. To launch the 44-acre healthcare development into motion, eight different utilities – including storm sewer, sanitary sewer, drinking water, chilled water, steam, natural gas, electric, and telecommunications lines all required relocation.
The project included removing a 66-inch storm sewer 20 feet below a major downtown intersection and installing a 72-inch storm sewer. These improvements prep the area for a new hospital and research and education facility. This allows IU Health, with Methodist and University hospitals and in conjunction with an expanded IU School of Medicine, to continue the mission of providing high quality healthcare for generations to come.
Donohue & Associates, Inc.
Wm. E. Ross Wastewater Plant Phase 1 Improvements
Richmond Sanitary District
Donohue collaborated with the Richmond Sanitary District for the Phase I Improvements project. The project included upgrades to the secondary treatment system, restored peak plant capacity to 36 million gallons per day while reducing overall plant energy usage by 34 percent, and nearly eliminating chemicals used for phosphorous removal. The use of magnetic bearings, high speed turbo blowers, diaphragm control valves, and dissolved oxygen probes allow for automatic dissolved oxygen control using a most open valve method.
While overcoming the challenge of three different water depths and therefore three different air pressures required for each pass of the aeration tanks, creative construction sequencing and new structure design within confined site constraints allowed plant capacity and the desired level of treatment to be maintained during construction.
Berne-Geneva Trail & Historic Multi-Span Truss Rehabilitation
Adams County
Berne-Geneva Trail allows pedestrians to traverse safely, utilizing a paved path and one major crossing over the Wabash River. Adams county, with assistance from Friends of the Limberlost, raised funds to purchase and relocate the existing bungee bridge over the St. Mary’s River in Decatur, Indiana, to allow access over the river.
That 155-foot structure was a near replica of the existing bridge located at the current project site, both fabricated by the Grand Rapids Railroad from the 1900s. The trusses were rehabilitated and installed along the new trail using existing stone abutments and through constructing new modern abutments. These will serve as a focal point for pedestrians and motorists to celebrate the modern and historic construction practices.
Lochmueller Group, Inc.
Downtown Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
City of Jeffersonville
To maintain NPDES regulatory compliance, the project included improvements to the downtown wastewater treatment plant to expand the wet weather treatment capacity from 50 million gallons per day to 75 million, and to provide additional treatment to meet total phosphorous of less than 1 mg per liter.
The plan receives blow from 3 sources: 10th street pump station, the Spring Street pump station, and Mill Creek pump station. The 75 million gallons per day expansion included modifying the headworks junction box, adding a 25 million gallon per day chemically enhanced high-rate clarifier, a 25 million gallon per day vertically inclined UV disinfection system, a chemical feed and storage building, site piping improvements, and an upgrade of the SCADA system.
Infrastructure Engineering, Inc.
Fall Creek Trail Extension Phase 1 Design
Indianapolis Department of Public Works
The project is approximately 1.8 miles of the 6.9-mile trail segment, and follows Fall Creek between the central canal and Meridian Street in the iconic downtown Indianapolis Meridian Kessler neighborhood. The extension included construction of the new 10-foot-wide mixed-use trail to provide non-motorized transportation usage, and to connect residents to recreational facilities and to public spaces.
Infrastructure Engineering provided trail and bridge design engineering services, which included preliminary alternatives analysis, vertical and horizontal alignment, boardwalk design, traffic signal modifications, right of way acquisition, and drainage analysis.
This segment of Fall Creek trail is a critical component to the Indianapolis community’s vibrancy and growth, and to the overall Indy Greenway’s master plan.
Lochmueller Group, Inc.
I-65 over Lauramie Creek Bridge Rehabilitation
Indiana Department of Transportation
The initial scope of this interstate bridge rehabilitation included widening to facilitate maintenance of traffic and in preparation for future interstate widening. A substandard horizontal curve just north of the bridge pair complicated this design, requiring either continuance of this substandard curve super elevation in the new construction, or correction of the full curve length.
Lochmueller and INDOT worked together to develop a scope of work that met the original need of the project to prolong the life of the bridge deck until the future interstate widening and provided a maintenance of traffic plan that eliminated the plan for immediate widening. Additional innovative safety measures were incorporated into the design to mitigate perpetuating the existing substandard curve geometry.
CDM Smith Inc.
Myra Lane over I-69
Indiana Department of Transportation
Within section 6.2 of the I-69 Finish Line project, CDM Smith designed a new structure on Myra Lane over SR 37. Myra Lane serves as the entrance and exit to both Ozark Fisheries and the First Methodist Church of Martinsville.
Originally scoped as twin structures on I-69 over Myra Lane, CDM Smith proposed a cost savings alternative by lowering the I-69 profile at Myra Lane to allow the local service road to cross over I-69. The proposed two span continuous composite steel beam structure utilizing rolled beams within the end spans and rolled beams over the pier is skewed 35 degrees, with integral end vents, a semi-fixed pier, as well as cut wall abutments.
Terracon Consultants, Inc.
SR 26 Intersection Improvement and Small Structure Replacement
Indiana Department of Transportation
State Road 26 at County Road 200 East in Blackford County was constructed over a 40-foot-deep peat bog. Continual settlement had been a challenge, leading to safety concerns from substandard vertical curves and flooding because of relatively little rainfall. Stalled vehicles were common in flooded conditions, and in the winter, crashes and a fatality occurred as the flooded conditions froze.
Geotechnical analysis and hydraulic modeling in conjunction with county input resulted in a unique culvert mat foundation, requiring little profile grade raise on SR 26, which was important for controlling construction costs, but even more critical for helping to control continued settlement. The design choices resulted in project delivery costing less than half INDOT’s budget and reduced life cycle cost.
SJCA Inc.
US 150 over Kanie Creek
Indiana Department of Transportation
US 150 over Kanie Creek is a bridge replacement project in the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Vincennes District. The project involved constructing a bridge over Kanie Creek and includes a 60-foot precast reinforced concrete three-sided structure, which was the longest by INDOT at the time.
The project also included using articulated concrete blocks instead of riprap to achieve steeper spill slopes at a 1:1 slope to reduce the project’s overall footprint as well as avoid impacts on nearby Lost River just downstream of the structure and to Church Road south of the structure. The proposed foundation was also constructed around the existing foundation, which remained in place.
DLZ Indiana, LLC
Vigo County Security Center
Vigo County Board of Commissioners
Facing multiple federal and state lawsuits on their jail, Vigo County commissioned DLZ to develop a comprehensive feasibility study. Upon completion, DLZ was hired to design the new $64 million, 504-bed security center. DLZ worked diligently with the Sheriff’s Office and county commissioners to develop a new state of the art 138,400-square-foot facility design.
The Indiana DOC notes the new facility is outstanding in providing quality spaces for addressing inmates with mental health, addiction, medical, and behavioral management issues. With an emphasis on inmate rehabilitation, the new facility provides multiple program opportunities, video arraignment rooms, and visitation. To assist with staff recruitment and retention, large training rooms, a wellness center, indoor and outdoor break areas, and lockers are provided.
Commonwealth Engineers, Inc.
Water Utility Master Plan Improvements Project
City of Crown Point
The City of Crown Point’s water utility contains multiple pressure zones with elevated tanks, ground storage reservoirs, and pumping stations providing water supply and pressure. Prior to this project, the city was unable to take these facilities offline for necessary maintenance, repairs, or in case of emergency. Additional storage volume was necessary for peak demands and for the growth of the city.
This multi-phase master plan project spanned several years. It included two ground storage reservoirs, repair and rehabilitation to existing facilities, a new pumping station, chemical addition, controls, valves, and a new bulk water fill station. Due to the financing utilized, the city qualified for over $4 million in forgivable funding from the State Revolving Fund (SRF) and the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) for service line replacements.
Photos courtesy of Greg Kicinski
