BAUDETTE, MN — Stantec recently received a National Recognition Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 2022 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition for a project in Baudette, Minnesota. The annual competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. A total of 195 projects across the nation were recognized at the Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.Stantec led the project coordination for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) project, which involved more than 90 stakeholders. With the nearest alternate crossing 70 miles away, developing a staging plan to maintain traffic during construction was required for emergency vehicle access, sustaining regional commerce, and preserving the day-to-day activities of the two communities, including the 24-hour Ports of Entry. The replacement bridge is a 1,350-foot-long, 48.2-foot-wide, five-span haunched continuous steel girder structure located immediately upstream of the existing bridge. The structure includes two travel lanes and accommodations for pedestrians and bicycles. It opened to traffic in October 2020 and was fully completed in October 2021.

ACEC’s annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition honors the year’s most outstanding engineering accomplishments across a range of categories. Projects across the nation 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 the successful fulfillment of client/owner’s needs.