LANSING – The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC/M) recently honored firms for engineering and surveying excellence during the association’s annual Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards ceremony.

On March 2, design professionals and guests gathered at Sound Board in MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit to recognize outstanding Michigan engineering and surveying projects from the past year, as well as engineering professionals who have significantly contributed to the profession.

The ACEC/M Awards Program recognizes outstanding efforts of professional design firms to solve clients’ needs through exceptional projects and offers the opportunity to showcase the year’s best engineering and surveying achievements to an audience of peers, clients and decision makers at all levels.

“The knowledge and expertise that filled the room on Saturday was astounding! The projects engineered by private sector firms have a profound effect on the quality of life for all Michigan residents. Their efforts result in quality roads and bridges, safe drinking water, and a clean environment for people to live, work and play,” said Ronald Brenke, PE, ACEC/M executive director.

This year’s most prestigious award – the Engineering Eminent Conceptor Award– went to the team of WSP Michigan Inc., HNTB Michigan Inc., Mannik & Smith Group Inc. and NTH Consultants Ltd. for the American Center for Mobility project. The American Center for Mobility is a non-profit testing, education and product development site for future mobility, designed to enable safe validation and self-certification of connected and automated vehicle technology, and to accelerate the development of voluntary standards. ACM sits on more than 330 acres of land at the Willow Run site in Ypsilanti Township. The project included using re-purposed MDOT right-of-way along US-12 to complete the approximately 3-mile highway loop, development of a boulevard and urban corridor, a 700-foot roadway tunnel, and deployment of connected technologies. Design and construction of ACM was completed in 12 months.

Five firms were honored with an Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award for their work on the following:

  • Alfred Benesch & Co. (East Lansing) – I-75 over the Rouge River in Detroit.
  • Beam, Longest and Neff (Wixom) – Gordie Howe International Bridge Acquisition + D4 Engineering Consulting project in Detroit.
  • DLZ Michigan Inc. (Lansing) – Marquette Hospital Transportation Improvement in Marquette.
  • Ruby+Associates Inc. (Bingham Farms) – New GM Truck Manufacturing Body Shop in Flint.
  • NTH Consultants Ltd. (Northville) – Using HDD to Mitigate Sinkhole Risks project in Southfield.

Engineering Merit Awards were presented to:

  • Giffels Webster (Detroit) – Beacon Park in Detroit.
  • Byce & Associates Inc. (Kalamazoo) – Clemens Food Group Waste Water Treatment Plant in Coldwater.
  • Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering Inc. (Grand Rapids) – Engineering Shapes Downtown Identity project for the City of Hudsonville.
  • Hubbell, Roth & Clark Inc. (Bloomfield Hills) – Geddes Avenue Reconstruction in Ann Arbor.
  • Harley Ellis Devereaux (Southfield) – LIFT / IACMI Lightweight Institute in Detroit.
  • Nowak & Fraus Engineers (Pontiac) – Old Woodward Avenue Reconstruction in Birmingham.
  • Johnson & Anderson Inc. (Waterford) – Port of Monroe Terminal in Monroe.
  • OHM Advisors (Livonia) – Rogell Drive Reconstruction at Detroit Metro Airport.

Two firms were honored with a Surveying Honorable Conceptor Award:

  • Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick Inc. (Shelby Township) – Sterling Heights GIS Data Build.
  • Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering Inc. (Grand Rapids) – Integrating Surveying Innovative CIP Approach project for the City of Albion.

A Surveying Merit Award was presented to Wightman (Portage) for the Rose Park Veterans Memorial Brick Project in Kalamazoo.

The Board Design Award was given to Giffels Webster (Detroit) for the board designed to ‘tell the story’ of the Beacon Park project in Detroit.

This year’s ACEC/M Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award was presented to Daniel G. Fredendall, PE, of OHM Advisors to honor his outstanding leadership roles in ACEC and several community organizations. The ACEC/M Felix A. Anderson Image Award was presented to David Ruby, PE, SE, SECB, F. ASCE, of Ruby+Associates, Inc., for his actions and contributions to enhance the image of the profession.

The Eminent and Honorable Conceptor award winners are eligible to compete at the National ACEC engineering competition in Washington, D.C. For more information on the projects and award winners,  contact ACEC/M at (517) 332-2066 or visit www.acecmi.org.