TULSA, OK — A Garver-led project was recently awarded a National Honor Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) during the 2022 Engineering Excellence Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.

The Pathway to Hope project marks the recent centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Garver worked alongside the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Drillers, and other firms, to make the pathway a reality. Opened to the public in May 2021, the walkway recognizes an important piece of Oklahoma history and serves to reconnect the historic Greenwood District and John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park along I-244.

Garver Director of Transportation Jerry Holder, PE, and Bridge Team Leader Lawren Wilcox, PE, accepted the award presented during the gala.

“We were grateful to have worked with so many local partners on the pathway’s design and construction,” said Transportation Team Leader Jenny Sallee, PE, who served as Project Leader. “After three decades as part of the Tulsa community, we know the importance of honoring Oklahoma’s history and working together to memorialize it.”

Garver provided the engineering design for the project and faced several challenges along the way, including a way for construction to proceed without disrupting traffic along the Interstate. In addition, Garver devised an innovative vertical drainage solution behind the soil nail walls due to the top-down construction method required.