Two TYLin Projects Win 2024 ACEC National Recognition Awards

Water and Bridge sector projects awarded for exceptional engineering excellence 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – TYLin, a globally recognized full-service infrastructure consulting firm, announces that two TYLin projects have been honored with National Recognition Awards in the 2024 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Engineering Excellence Awards competition. The Great Water Alliance Program in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for the Waukesha Water Utility, was delivered by Greeley and Hansen, A TYLin Company, who served as Program Manager. The historic new water supply system is the largest water infrastructure project in the state of Wisconsin and the first diversion outside the Great Lakes watershed after the Great Lakes Compact was enacted in 2008. The West Mission Bay Drive Bridge over the San Diego River is the largest transportation infrastructure project executed by the City of San Diego, California. TYLin served as Prime Consultant for planning, design, and construction support services.

The National Recognition Award is a prestigious distinction spotlighting projects that demonstrate exceptional engineering excellence at the national level. TYLin and our project partners accepted the awards during the ACEC Awards Program on May 15, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

About the Great Water Alliance Program

Completed after decades of study, planning, and design, the Waukesha Water Utility’s (WWU) Great Water Alliance Program transitioned the residents and businesses of Waukesha, Wisconsin, to a new sustainable water source from Lake Michigan. A watershed moment for safeguarding public health, environmental stewardship, and long-term water security for the city, this massive undertaking also set a new industry standard for community engagement, innovation, and engineering excellence.

WWU faced a significant challenge when the depletion of its primary source of drinking water, the St. Peter Sandstone aquifer, increased concentrations of radium and other contaminants. Following an extensive application process, the city received unanimous approval to transition its water supply from groundwater to Lake Michigan water from the Great Lakes Compact Council, the eight-state governing body charged with establishing the legal precedence for the management and protection of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin. 

In October 2016, WWU initiated the Great Water Alliance Program to plan, design, construct, and commission a resilient water infrastructure system with a century-long lifespan. As Program Manager, the Greeley and Hansen, A TYLin Company, team advanced multiple facets of the design concurrently and explored opportunities for cost-sharing with neighboring counties and cities. The project was completed on time in October 2023 and USD 4 million under budget, thanks to close collaboration with regulators, innovative bidding strategies, and highly effective public communication. The initiative has a net-zero impact on the Great Lakes watershed and successfully mitigated the depletion of aquifers, reduced radium concentration, and eliminated radium discharge into wastewater treatment plants.

“We thank the American Council of Engineering Companies for acknowledging the Great Water Alliance Program and its immense impact on our industry,” said Michael Hope, PE, CME, TYLin Water Sector Leader, Americas. “This project came with numerous and varied challenges to overcome, from placing 36 miles of pipeline in urban environments already congested with existing utilities and unearthing underground tanks to procuring more than 90 permits and coordinating with seven communities, two counties, and multiple state and federal agencies. We are incredibly honored that the Waukesha Water Utility entrusted this critically important project to us.” 

About the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge 

The new West Mission Bay Drive Bridge over the San Diego River in San Diego, California, opened to great acclaim in April 2023. TYLin served as Prime Consultant for planning, design, and construction support services under contract to the City of San Diego, completing project management, bridge design, stakeholder coordination, and subconsultant oversight.

Serving as a vital link connecting Downtown San Diego to the south with Mission Bay Park and the beach communities to the north, this new landmark structure replaces an existing structurally deficient bridge and spans 1,300 feet over the San Diego River. The bridge supports three lanes of vehicular traffic with standard shoulders and 12-foot-wide barrier-separated multiuse paths in each direction. At a total cost of USD 148 million, which includes USD 80 million from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, this is the largest transportation infrastructure project executed by the City of San Diego.

Innovative design and construction techniques used to ensure project success include stakeholder and community workshops to obtain valuable input and expedite agency approvals; advanced materials to extend service life; and large-diameter concrete piles drilled to depths of up to 175 feet to resist earthquake, liquefaction, sea-level rise, and tsunami hazards. 

Architectural elements consist of curved girders, earth-toned colors, custom lighting, beam-and-post railings, and integral belvederes and benches. Together, they result in a beautiful bridge from all vantage points.  

“The new West Mission Bay Bridge has gracefully contoured arching spans that blend well with the natural environment of the river, providing safer and more efficient access to the beach communities and coastal recreational resources of Mission Bay Park,” said Dan Fitzwilliam, TYLin Principal Bridge Engineer and Bridge Sector Manager, Southwest. “We join the City of San Diego in thanking the American Council of Engineering Companies for distinguishing this complex project with a National Recognition Award.”

About TYLin: 

Founded in 1954, TYLin is a globally recognized, full-service infrastructure consulting firm committed to providing innovative, cost-effective, constructible designs for the global infrastructure market. With 3,600 employees working in 97 offices throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe, the firm provides support on projects of varying size and complexity. TYLin is a member of Sidara, one of the world’s leading architecture, engineering, project management, and energy consultancy groups. For more information about the company, please visit www.tylin.com.

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Michael Luhning

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TYLin

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