CHARLOTTE, NC — Stantec has earned a top engineering design award for work supporting Corning Optical in accommodating increased traffic around the development of its new headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. The global design firm was recognized with The Grand Conceptor award — the top prize — by the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina (ACEC/NC) as part of its annual Engineering Excellence Awards program.

In 2016, Corning Optical announced that it would move its headquarters from Hickory to Charlotte, moving up to 650 employees into the 11-acre site in Riverbend Village in Charlotte. With this announcement, it became necessary to find an alternative intersection design to accommodate increased traffic that follows this type of development.

A Traffic Impact Analysis for the Riverbend Development was submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recommending a Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI) to address the area’s growth. At the recommendation of NCDOT Congestion Management staff, Simpson Commercial Real Estate engaged Stantec to design the intersection because of their previous CFI experience. Stantec went on to partner with Simpson, the City of Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT), and NCDOT to design North Carolina’s first CFI at the intersection of NC 16 Brookshire Boulevard and Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road.

The CFI was designed with minimal right-of-way and utility impacts with a focus on maximizing benefits to the community. The intersection will not only serve the 83,000 motorists who pass through the intersection each day, but also the larger community, including area businesses and residents who benefit from a more efficient transportation system. The project was substantially completed in April 2020. Additionally, the project stands to serve as a case study for communities across the state once the CFI is proven to be a successful alternative to traditional intersections in North Carolina.

ACEC/NC’s annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. The program honors the year’s most outstanding engineering accomplishments across a range of categories. Projects across the state are rated on uniqueness and innovative applications; future value to the engineering profession; perception by the public; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owner’s needs.