Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement in Los Angeles takes top prize
Reston, Virginia — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement in Los Angeles, California as the 2024 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award winner. The OCEA Award, which recognizes exemplary civil engineering projects around the country, honors projects which exemplify state-of-the-art engineering skill and provide considerable contributions to local and regional communities, in addition to advancements of the civil engineering profession.
The $588 million Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project, completed by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, replaces the historic original bridge that had been in place since 1932, but was deteriorating due to built-up moisture within the concrete and was seismic-deficient. The replacement project resulted in a beautiful bridge, the largest bridge project in Los Angeles’ history, featuring ten LED-lit arches that change color and pedestrian-friendly walkways and bike paths on either side of the structure. The new bridge is also built to withstand seismic events based on modern codes and standards.
“Historic infrastructure becomes a part of a community’s identity and maintaining that legacy while adapting structures to modern needs and resilience measures can be a challenge,” said Feniosky Peña-Mora, Sc.D., P.E., ASCE president. “The Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project updated a historic structure with its community in mind, sparing no details as to the aesthetic of the bridge while also building a bridge that can withstand seismic events. Resilience is at the forefront of ASCE’s priorities, and we are proud to recognize a project with broad public appeal that will also improve public safety.”
"Our team is extremely proud to win the ASCE OCEA Gold award. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication and innovative spirit of the entire team that delivered the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement project,” said Michael Jones, HNTB project manager and engineer of record. “The Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement is more than just a bridge; it’s a Los Angeles icon and destination point to be enjoyed by the entire Los Angeles community. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering for their leadership and unwavering support throughout this project. Their commitment to excellence and community-focused design has been instrumental in bringing this project to life. Additionally, we want to thank the project’s contractor, a joint venture of Skanska and Stacy Witbeck for bringing the design team’s visionary concept to fruition."
Eleven OCEA Honor Awards were announced in February and the winner, and two runners-up, were announced November 1, 2024. Typically, OCEA winners are announced as part of ASCE’s annual OPAL Gala during ASCE’s Convention. However, ASCE’s 2024 Convention and OPAL Gala were scheduled to take place in Tampa, Florida during the days Hurricane Milton made landfall, which ultimately caused ASCE to cancel these events. There are still plans for a gala makeup date to be announced soon.
EchoWater Project in Sacramento, California was this year’s Silver winner. The project is a $1.67-billion water treatment plant built by the Sacramento Area Sewer District. It is the district’s most significant upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant since the 1970s and produces cleaner water for discharge into the Sacramento River, as well as offers potential reuse for recycled water. Because of the farmland surrounding the water district, the removal of organic matter like nitrates and ammonia from the water is of critical need. The EchoWater Project removes 99% of these substances.
The Hale Kalele, a 20-story affordable rental tower and justice center in Honolulu, Hawaii, earned the OCEA Bronze. The building relies on tunnel-form concrete construction where floors and walls were cast simultaneously. Most interior walls are also concrete, which helped speed up construction and provides sound isolation for its residents.
Additional information about the OCEA Awards.
About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.