Brant Bender Photography It may have come three months later than expected, but civil engineers got their chance to celebrate civil engineering excellence Thursday night, at the 2024 ASCE OPAL Gala in San Diego.
Originally scheduled for last Oct. 8 as part of the ASCE 2024 Convention in Tampa, Florida, the gala was canceled because of Hurricane Milton and rescheduled for Jan. 16 as a kickoff to the weekend’s Multi-Region Leadership Conference in Southern California.
In a dark bit of irony, the rescheduled OPAL dodged any further hurricane harassment but instead took place less than 200 miles south of the wildfires that continue to burn in Los Angeles County this week.
It was poignant then when the Los Angeles Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement was announced as the winner of the 2024 OCEA Award for best project of the year.
“It’s very tragic what happened,” said Michael Jones, P.E., S.E., lead designer and engineer-of-record from HNTB for the project. “It does point to the importance of engineering and makes you ask, ‘How can we do things better?’ We were actually just talking about that – making the building codes change better, making residential construction more fire-resistant.
“You know, we’ve always designed for earthquakes. With Sixth Street particularly, we came up with a new way of designing for an isolated structure. So, as engineers, we’re always thinking about how we can make our projects safer and protect lives.”
Established in 1960, the OCEA honors the year’s project that best illustrates superior civil engineering skills and significantly contributes to civil engineering progress and society.
The new $588 million viaduct replaces an iconic double-steel-arch structure, seen in many movies and TV series, with a span featuring 10 pairs of sculptural arches. A new seismic design makes it so strong that it’s expected to still function safely after a 1-in-1,000-year earthquake.
“It certainly is rewarding any time you undertake a complex bridge or complex project,” Jones said. “It also can be very difficult. You’re doing new things. There are a lot of challenges.
“But when you finish and the community embraces it like they have the Sixth Street Viaduct – and you win awards? It certainly makes all the effort, all the trials and tribulations, worth it.”
Designers believe it’s the world’s longest seismically isolated concrete arch bridge at nearly 3,100 feet long. The multimodal span, 40 feet wider than its predecessor, carries four vehicular lanes, two bike lanes, and two pedestrian walkways.
“For me, seeing the finished product and taking my children out there to see it was great,” said Michael Van Duyn of HNTB. “Then on the opening, seeing all the public on the bridge enjoying it, all different kinds of people, it was wonderful.”
The 2024 OCEA Silver Award went to the EchoWater Project, greatly enhancing wastewater facilities in Sacramento, California. The winner of the OCEA Bronze Award is Hale Kalele, a 20-story affordable rental tower and justice center in Honolulu.
ASCE saluted 11 OCEA Honor Award projects in all:
- BNSF Sandpoint Junction Connector Bridge – Sandpoint, Idaho
- Cross Bay Link – Hong Kong
- EchoWater Project – Sacramento, California
- Fern Hollow Bridge Emergency Replacement – Pittsburgh
- Hale Kalele – Honolulu
- I-4 Ultimate Improvements Project – Orlando, Florida
- I-91 Rockingham Bridges – Rockingham, Vermont
- Kansas City International Airport New Terminal – Kansas City, Missouri
- Orlando International Airport Terminal C – Orlando, Florida
- Presidio Tunnel Tops Park – San Francisco
- Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement – Los Angeles
OPAL Leadership Awards
The OPAL Gala, of course, also showcases the year’s Outstanding Projects And Leaders winners – exceptional civil engineers honored for lifetime achievement in each of five categories: construction, design, education, government, and management.
These individuals have advanced the civil engineering profession and enhanced their communities through innovative ideas, superb leadership, and a dedication to furthering the education of future civil engineers. The 2024 winners are:
Construction
Cary Kopczynski, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE, CEO and senior principal of Cary Kopczynski & Co., an award-winning structural engineering firm – for innovation and excellence in promoting efficient construction in civil engineering projects and programs.
Design
James R. Harris, Ph. D., P.E., NAE, F. SEI, Dist. M.ASCE, founder and principal, J.R. Harris & Co. in Denver – for innovation and excellence in civil engineering design. He has designed or evaluated thousands of structures ranging from dwellings to high-rise buildings, industrial facilities, buildings in the most susceptible seismic zones, excavation bracing, renovations of historic buildings, and many others.
Education
Bilal M. Ayyub, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASME, Dist.M.ASCE, professor and director, Center for Technology and Systems Management, University of Maryland, College Park – for demonstrated excellence in furthering civil engineering education.
Government
Roger M. Millar, P.E., F.AICP, F.ASCE, secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation – for demonstrated leadership of public sector projects and programs.
Management
Robert Prieto, M.ASCE, chairman and CEO, Strategic Program Management LLC, and non-executive director, Dar al Riyadh – for exceptional management skills in his professional career.
Looking ahead to 2025
As a special feature of the rescheduled OPAL Gala, the program also included an announcement of the 2025 OCEA Honor Award projects and OPAL winners:
The 2025 OCEA Honor Award projects:
- Bois d’Arc Lake Program – Bonham, Texas
- Brightline Florida: East-West Connector – Orlando to Cocoa, Florida
- Denver Water Northwater Treatment Plant – Golden, Colorado
- East Side Access - New York City
- Glass City Metropark – Toledo, Ohio
- Kew Gardens Interchange Reconstruction – Queens, New York
- Northeast Transmission Line – Houston
- Omaha RiverFront Revitalization – Omaha, Nebraska
- Perelman Performing Arts Center – New York City
- Project 11: Houston Ship Channel Expansion, Segments 1-2 – Houston
- Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project Design-Build – Los Angeles
- Sphere – Las Vegas
- Sterling Natural Resources Center – San Bernardino, California
- Two Manhattan West – New York City
The 2025 OPAL Award winners:
- Construction: Beatrice Hunt
- Design: Lawrence Griffis
- Education: Rafael Bras
- Government: Rao Surampalli
- Management: Eva Lerner-Lam
The OCEA winners will be revealed and the OPAL winners honored at the 2025 OPAL Gala, Oct. 10 in Seattle.
