CDM Smith, Inc. Earnes National Recognition

CDM Smith, Inc., of Salt Lake City, Utah, has earned national recognition for engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 46th annual Engineering Excellence Awards for the extension of Salt Lake City’s TRAX Light Rail System to West Valley City, Utah.

A key element in the Utah Transit Authority’s $2.4 billion Frontlines program, the 5.1-mile extension brings the convenience and efficiency of light rail transit to thousands of new customers. To create this connection, however, the project team had to develop cost-effective bridges to span I-215, the Jordan River, a 14-track railroad yard, and two major thoroughfares.

To minimize interference with railroad operations, the project team designed a three-span, 780-foot long bridge that utilizes unique curved girders. More than two million cubic feet of geofoam blocks were used to create bridge embankments, eliminating the risk of excessive soil settlement.

The project is among 147 engineering projects from throughout the nation recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements for 2011. Judging for the Engineering Excellence Awards—known as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry”—took place in February, conducted by a panel of more than 30 engineers, architects, government representatives, media members, and academics. Criteria for awards include uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, complexity, and success of the projects in meeting goals.

All winners, including the top 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement, will be recognized at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, to be held Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.
(3.6.12)