Over 250 engineers, award winners, clients, scholarship recipients and their guests attended the 44^th Annual Engineers Week Awards and Recognition Banquet on Friday, February 22 at the University Club in downtown St. Paul. Master of Ceremonies Col. John Kunkle, deputy commander of the St. Paul District Corps of Engineers guided attendees through an evening of recognition. Twenty-two scholarship recipients were acknowledged, as were Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science and Technology Society winners of the Young Engineer of the Year Award, the Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award and the Richard Alberg Distinguished Science and Technology Professional Award. The evening concluded with the presentation of the Seven Wonders of Engineering awards, which recognized 22 project entries including 2008 Project of the Year Award winner URS Corporation for the Midtown Greenway Bridge over Hiawatha Avenue.

2008 Project of the Year Award Winner
2008 Seven Wonders Award Winners
2008 Merit Award Winners
2008 Engineers Week Banquet Sponsors
2008 MFESTS Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award Winners
2008 MFESTS Richard Alberg Distinguished Science and Technology Professional Award Winner
2008 MFESTS Young Engineer Nominees and Winner

Entries in the Seven Wonders of Engineering Awards Competition were judged on the engineering methods, systems and skills utilized; the extent that the project advances the engineering profession; project complexity; the significance of the entry to society; and the extent to which the project meets the needs of the market, client or owner.

The Seven Wonders of Engineering Awards Competition is conducted annually to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of engineering. As professional engineers, the members of MSPE are proud to acknowledge and publicly honor those that have advanced the profession and prestige of the entire engineering community.

Thank you to all of the participants, volunteers and sponsors who helped to make the 2008 E-Week banquet a great success!

Beginning in 2007, MSPE presents a Project of the Year Award to one of the winners of a Seven Wonders of Engineering Award. The recipient of this award was selected by the Seven Wonders of Engineering judges as the entry that best exemplifies outstanding engineering. The winner of the 2008 Project of the Year Award is URS Corporation for the Midtown Greenway Bridge over Hiawatha Avenue.

URS provided concept development, final design and construction services for Hennepin County on the Midtown Greenway Regional Trail crossing of Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. URS designed the first cable-stayed bridge in Minnesota for the crossing, which provides a signature structure for the community as well as a safe and functional means to avoid pedestrian and bicycle conflicts with Hiawatha Avenue traffic. The project includes a 2,200-foot segment of a 16-foot wide trail with a ten span structure including the 220-foot cable-stayed main span over Hiawatha Avenue.

URS’ cutting edge structural and architectural design expertise was harnessed to achieve a creative solution to the range of issues associated with the crossing as well as an iconic structure for the community.

By diverting flows from 21,000 acres of farmland, the Cascade Creek Realignment project enabled the City of Rochester to develop Cascade Park and a 100-acre groundwater-fed recreational lake that will attract patrons and boost the area economy. Cascade Park is located within an existing floodplain and preserving its storage capacity was critical to the project’s success.

Bonestroo’s solution provided a high degree of water quality protection to Cascade Lake, enhanced the existing flood control function of this part of the Cascade Creek system and created a distinct park amenity that blends with the natural setting. In addition, the city stands to gain up to 10 acres of wetland banking credit due to the creation of wetlands adjacent to and within the realigned channel.

Dual roundabouts solved a transportation bottleneck that had plagued Cottage Grove for more than 10 years. Traffic exiting southbound TH 61 onto Jamaica Avenue at rush hour backed up on the ramp—often encroaching onto the highway mainline—causing delays and compromising safety. Traffic signals were not an option due to the proximity of the frontage road and southbound highway ramp terminals.

The design solution combines a six-legged, multi-lane roundabout with a four-legged, multi-lane roundabout to replace the three previous intersections. The Mn/DOT Level 1 Geometric Layout received the first of its kind approval from the state. Providing a gateway to the community, the roundabouts facilitate regional mobility and provide ongoing cost savings. Rush hour traffic is moving smoothly for the first time in years.

Hydralift AmClyde invented a new clutch engagement method that enables electric drive winches to be used in offshore anchor handling applications. These winches are mounted on offshore construction vessels for installing anchors and other sub-sea equipment, and for towing structures. The market was dominated by winches using by low pressure, high torque hydraulic drives. Hydralift AmClyde’s new clutch concept, called LOADLIM™, was the core around which the new electric drive anchor handling and towing winch was developed. It is also the largest winch ever built for this application, with a maximum pulling capacity of 660 tons using 4-inch diameter wire rope. The winch system is now at work in the Gulf of Mexico, installing equipment for sub-sea oil production.

The long awaited decision by the Minnesota State Legislature to allow construction of a new hospital in Maple Grove stimulated nearly 600 acres of new development surrounding the I-94/CSAH 30 area and necessitated the construction of approximately $60 million in infrastructure improvements. After completion of the feasibility study in May 2005, plans and specifications to construct a new interchange and an arterial street and utility system that would serve the new hospital and surrounding development were completed within a compressed schedule to be open in September 2007. The tight schedule, maintenance of access to, from and along I-94, and in particular, the financing of such a large project without federal, state or county financial participation made this collaborative effort very unique.

The Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge alleviated the traffic disruption troubling the existing river crossing, created a redevelopment buzz in the downtown area and improved pedestrian connectivity. Special design ingenuity was used to overcome fast-moving rapids, variable soil conditions and tight vertical clearances over a railway. The large collection of area businesses needing to relocate due to the project became a huge positive for the city, creating a new surge of interest in improving the downtown area.

Enhancing the overall community, pedestrian amenities were integrated into the bridge design.　Amenities include:　pedestrian outlooks on the river span offering spectacular views of the river, and a pedestrian helix linking Lions Park to downtown Sauk Rapids.

 When a flood the magnitude of the 1997 Red River of the North flood occurs, buildings must be sacrificed so that the greater city can be protected. The historic St. Anne’s building in Grand Forks, North Dakota, narrowly escaped becoming one of those sacrifices. Due to its location near a potential landslide area, a floodwall could not be erected between the river and the building. Demolishing St. Anne’s to make room for a floodwall appeared the only option.

Stanley Consultants’ innovative solution saved St. Anne’s. A floodwall, disguised as a porch, was constructed immediately adjacent to St. Anne’s. The solution saved St. Anne’s from demolition, protects the city from flooding, looks like an original feature of St. Anne’s and was the most economical of all the options considered.

See the description under the 2008 Project of the Year Award Winner above

American Engineering Testing, Inc. for Intelligent Compaction
Barr Engineering Co. for Dam Replacement and Fish Passage Creation in Spearfish, SD
Barr Engineering Co. for the Design of Xcel Energy’s Water Power Park in Minneapolis
Bolton & Menk, Inc. for the Water Treatment Facility in Big Lake
Bolton & Menk, Inc. for the Trunk Highway 7 Final Design in Hutchinson
Bonestroo for the Barefoot Bay Aquatic Center in Mundelein, IL
Bonestroo for the Bonestroo Headquarters Building in Roseville
Loucks Associates for the Globe Building Materials Demolition and Site Remediation in St. Paul
SRF Consulting Group, Inc. for the Moorhead-Fargo Quiet Zone
TKDA for the CSAH 14/CSAH 8 Reconstruction in Anoka and Washington Counties
TKDA for the Runway 12R-30L Reconstruction – Segment 2 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
TKDA for the Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport Improvements in Marshall
WSB & Associates, Inc. for the Well Siting Study and Municipal Production Well No. 5 in North Branch
Xcel Energy for the MN/WI 345 kV Transmission Line Rebuild in Southeast MN and Central WI
Xcel Energy for the Southwest Minnesota 825 MW Wind Upgrade

The 2008 Engineers Week Awards and Recognition Banquet was made possible in part to the generosity of our banquet sponsors, which provide a variety of products and services to the engineering community.

H. Robert Anderson & Associates, Inc.
Coleman, Hull & van Vliet, PLLP

Stanley Consultants, Inc.
TKDA

American Engineering Testing, Inc.
Braun Intertec Corporation
Cobb Strecker Dunphy & Zimmermann, Inc.
Futrell Fire Consult & Design, Inc.
Hallberg Engineering, Inc.
Mackall, Crounse & Moore, PLC
Meagher & Geer, PLLP
Michaud Cooley Erickson
Molin Concrete Products Co.
Schwab-Vollhaber-Lubratt
Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.
SRF Consulting Group, Inc.
Visu-Sewer
Wells Concrete Products
WSB & Associates, Inc.

Amcon Construction Company
CNA Consulting Engineers
Concrete, Inc.
Construction Results Corp.
QRDC
Westwood Professional Services
Yaggy Colby Associates

The Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science and Technology Societies (MFESTS) is an umbrella organization comprised of engineering-related member societies within the state of Minnesota.　There currently are 16 MFESTS member organizations that represent approximately 10,000 individuals.

The primary mission of MFESTS has three parts: 1) To provide service to the societies that are members of the Federation; 2) To provide a service to the community at large, that is the citizens of the State of Minnesota; and　3) To provide services to professionals in engineering-related careers.

This award recognizes outstanding lifetime achievements in the practice of engineering, contributions to the engineering profession and actions enhancing the image of engineering in our society. Charles W. Britzius was the epitome of the distinguished engineer, having excelled in all three areas recognized by the award: he was the founder of Twin City Testing, Inc.; was a tireless contributor to MSPE and ASCE; served as mayor of Deephaven; and was a tireless supporter of numerous professional and civic causes.

Four winners were recognized in 2008:

Vernon Castle, retired PE, nominated by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers St. Paul Chapter
James Scott, PE, nominated by the Society of American Military Engineers – Minneapolis/St. Paul Post
Edward Silberman, nominated by the American Society of Civil Engineers Minnesota Chapter
Eugene Skok, Jr., nominated by the Minnesota Geotechnical Society

This award recognizes outstanding lifetime achievements in the practice of science and technology, contributions to their profession and actions enhancing the image of science and technology in our society. Dick Alberg was a board member of MFESTS and ASQ – Minnesota at the time of his passing in 2005. He thoroughly enjoyed working in the field of quality engineering and traveled around the world providing his expertise to various manufacturing facilities. 2008 is the first year that MFESTS presented this award.

The first recipient of the Richard Alberg Distinguished Science and Technology Professional Award is:

Wayne Ellison, nominated by the American Society for Quality - Minnesota Section

This award recognizes outstanding achievement by an engineer less than 35 years of age. Nominees are judged on the basis of educational and collegiate achievements; professional society activities; technical society activities; civil and humanitarian activities; continuing competence; engineering achievements; and professional experience.

Nominees for 2008 are:

Jeffrey Gebhard, PE, nominated by the Minnesota Geotechnical Society
Mark Kroll, EIT, nominated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Minnesota Section
Timothy LaPara, nominated by the American Society of Civil Engineers Minnesota Chapter
Jason McCarty, PE, LEED^® AP, nominated by the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers
Allison Pedersen, nominated by the Society of Women Engineers-Minnesota

The winner of the MFESTS 2008 Young Engineer of the Year Award is Timothy LaPara.