ACEC Names Seven Kimley-Horn Projects as 2023 National Recognition Award Winners

We are proud to announce that the Kimley-Horn projects listed below have been honored with 2023 National Recognition Awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).

The ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards competition celebrates exceptional engineering achievements from around the world. A distinguished panel of judges noted for their technical expertise and knowledge of the built environment assemble annually to critique and rank the project submissions for innovation, complexity, achievement, and value.

2023 ACEC National Recognition Awards

HAMPTON ROADS, VIRGINIA

Chesapeake-Elizabeth Interceptor System Diversion Improvements

Kimley-Horn was the program manager for the Chesapeake-Elizabeth Interceptor System Diversion Improvements Program and led a team responsible for planning and designing more than $100 million of sanitary sewer collection system improvements.

Kimley-Horn developed project implementation plans to define the needed scope, schedule, and budget, utilizing our wastewater systems expertise to analyze the project from multiple angles. Ultimately, our interdisciplinary project experience, adaptability as the Hampton Roads Sanitation District developed new program guidelines, and spirit of collaboration resulted in success for this time-sensitive program.

CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA

County State Aid Highway 101 Improvements

The County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 101 Improvements project included the reconstruction of one mile of two-lane rural section roadway to four-lane divided urban section roadway between Flying Cloud Drive and Pioneer Trail in Chanhassen.

The project included the construction of trails along both sides of the roadway, a rectangular rapid flashing beacon pedestrian crossing, construction of a prefabricated bridge over CSAH 101 to facilitate the Minnesota River Bluffs regional trail crossing, construction of a second prefabricated bridge over Bluff Creek to facilitate a trail crossing along Flying Cloud Drive, and installation of a pedestrian tunnel under CSAH 101. Kimley-Horn was the prime consultant and led the project. Our team provided project management, preliminary design, environmental documentation, final design, and construction administration.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

Hennepin Avenue Downtown Reconstruction

The Hennepin Avenue Downtown Reconstruction project extends from Washington Avenue to 12th Street in the heart of the central business district. One of the most iconic streets in Minneapolis, Hennepin Avenue has more than 40,000 daily users walking, biking, riding transit, and driving. The project was initiated by the City of Minneapolis to repair and replace street and utility infrastructure that had reached the end of its useful life. The reconstruction rebalanced the street consistent with the city’s Complete Streets Policy with a vision to meet the current and future needs of Minneapolis.

Kimley-Horn was the prime consultant and led the project through preliminary and final design. Our team provided project management, public and stakeholder engagement, roadway design, utility design, traffic design, streetscape and urban design, transit design, environmental review, and design support during construction.

SARASOTA COUNTY, FLORIDA

Legacy Trail Extension and North Port Connector

The Legacy Trail Extension and North Port Connector are two vital additions to Sarasota County’s 2004 purchase and conversion of a 100-foot-wide abandoned railroad corridor to a countywide recreational trail. Kimley-Horn designed a Legacy Trail extension north of downtown Sarasota along the rail corridor and also created a new trail that connects to North Port.

Kimley-Horn served as the prime consultant responsible for the following services:

Trail design
Structural/bridge design
Signing and marking
Signalization design
Lighting design
Landscape architecture
Environmental assessments/permitting
Stormwater management design
Underground utility infrastructure upgrades (potable and reclaimed water mains)
ITS communication system upgrades
Community engagement activities

MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE

Middle Fork Bottoms Recreation Area

Kimley-Horn worked with the West Tennessee River Basin Authority and Nature Conservancy to craft a master plan for an 850-acre stream and floodplain restoration project along the Middle Fork of the Forked Deer River. The Middle Fork Bottoms Recreation Area plan is still in progress and has already reconnected the floodplain, provided recreational opportunities for residents, and restored over 400 acres of wetland habitat that had been previously drained to support heavy agriculture use.

Kimley-Horn developed the master plan and completed the NEPA Environmental Assessment, ARAP/401 and USACE/404 permitting, and construction documents for the project. Our team laid out greenways, walkways, pedestrian bridges, and even a creative weir structure that complemented the natural topography of the site and provided hydrological benefits to the project.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge Metering Lights System Upgrade

The San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge Metering Lights project implemented a state-of-the-art automated system upgrade to enhance critical infrastructure and improve operations across the bridge—a major regional corridor with significant congestion. The metering lights system now provides more efficient operations in the merge area as the cross section on the Bridge approach shifts down from 20 lanes to five lanes.

As the system manager and designer, Kimley-Horn completed a needs assessment, project concept definition, systems engineering analysis, procurement support, final design, integration, and testing for this project. Kimley-Horn worked closely with the system provider, Parsons Transportation Group, who developed the fuzzy logic metering concept and designed and deployed the upgraded system to the Caltrans Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS).

VIRGINIA

Virginia Transit Equity and Modernization Study

Kimley-Horn led a team of subject matter specialists that assisted the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) in developing an assessment to identify needs and opportunities for advancing the equitable delivery and modernization of transit services in Virginia. The study was organized into six technical topic areas, including accessibility, infrastructure adequacy, electrification, emerging technology implementation, safety, and engagement and governance. Our team then utilized the assessment results to help establish an action plan for DRPT and its partners to make substantial advancements in these areas.