The best civil engineering projects compete every year for the ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award.
ASCE has selected 11 projects in 2023 as OCEA Honor Award recipients. Each will be recognized at the OPAL Gala, Friday, Oct. 20, at the ASCE 2023 Convention in Chicago. ASCE will announce the overall OCEA winner, as well as a silver medalist and bronze medalist, during the ceremony.
This year’s OCEA Honor Award recipients:
Ager Road, Green-Complete Streets Project
Hyattsville, Maryland
The first of its kind in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the Ager Road, Green-Complete Streets Project improved the safety, functionality, and aesthetics of a vital part of the region’s transportation network. The project includes roadway modifications (with a “road diet” to reduce speeding), greater greenspaces, and pedestrian facilities.
C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area
Indiantown, Florida
The first part of the Indian River Lagoon South Restoration, the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area mitigates the damaging effects of nutrient and freshwater discharge from Lake Okeechobee. Over 100 miles of embankments, canals, and berms, the project includes a pump station, communications tower, and reservoir control structure.
Climate Pledge Arena
Seattle
The historic KeyArena, built in 1962, has undergone a $930 million renovation and expansion. The resulting Climate Pledge Arena is an 800,000-square-foot venue, holding more than 17,000 fans for hockey, basketball, concerts, and other events.
Council Bluffs Interstate System Dual, Divided Freeway
Council Bluffs, Iowa
The $1.5 billion, 14-mile Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program is the first major improvement since the road’s 1960 construction. It accommodates development, reduces congestion, improves mobility, and increases safety, highlighted by a 3-mile dual, divided freeway – the area’s first.
Delta Air Lines Terminal C
Queens, New York
Once completed, the new $4 billion, 1.3-million-square-foot terminal at LaGuardia Airport will consist of 37 aircraft gates distributed among four concourses connected by a centralized, state-of-the-art headhouse. It marks one of the largest redevelopments of an American airport in more than 25 years.
Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal Phase 1
Charleston, South Carolina
The $1 billion, 135-acre Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal Phase 1 is the nation’s first greenfield container terminal to open in a decade and will ease supply-chain congestion throughout the Southeast United States. It features a 1,400-foot berth and a 47-acre, 700,000-TEU container yard.
I-579 Urban Open Space Cap
Pittsburgh
The new 3-acre urban green space reconnects Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District with the city’s downtown business and cultural center. With integrated art elements designed by local artists, the park includes story walls sharing the history of the neighborhood, as well as performance spaces, bike paths, and outdoor classroom space.
Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal
Mukilteo, Washington
A truly multimodal facility, the new terminal marries ferry, car, truck, train, bus, bike, and pedestrian access into a single hub. The Mukilteo Ferry Terminal was designed to be “light on the earth,” considering the site’s cultural significance to the native people of the Salish Sea.
The Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
Opened in the autumn of 2021, the new pavilion enhances the public’s experience, reflects the historic campus location, and resonates with the existing hospital complex. It is the largest project in Penn Medicine’s history – a $1.6 billion, 17-story state-of-the-art hospital facility.
Rockefeller Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization
Grand Chenier, Louisiana
The Rockefeller Refuge Shoreline Stabilization protects one of the country’s most productive marshland research laboratories, reducing the quantity and severity of waves hitting the shoreline while gaps allow organism, water, and sediment movement between gulf and marsh.
SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, California
Home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams football teams, SoFi Stadium is the world’s first indoor-outdoor stadium. The stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Summer Olympics, is one of three venues – along with American Airlines Plaza and YouTube Theater – all under a single enormous transparent canopy roof.
Learn more about the 2023 OPAL Gala and see past OCEA winners, dating back to 1960.
