The Engineering Excellence Awards competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement and value. The EEA program was created by ACEC to increase the public’s perception of what engineers really do.

For more than 50 years engineering firms have entered their most innovative projects and studies in state competitions.

A distinguished panel of judges is convened for a day to critique and select the best engineering projects based on criteria such as uniqueness and/or innovative applications of new or existing techniques; future value to the engineering profession and enhanced public awareness/enthusiasm for the role of engineering; social, economic and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owner’s needs, including schedule and budget.

Many of these projects are procured through the Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) process. QBS ensures a competitive selection process for engineering that promotes innovation and cost-savings. These projects are real, award-winning examples of how the QBS process works to deliver successful and innovative projects.

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Founded in 1956, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon (ACEC Oregon) represents 120 firms, employing approximately 4,100 employees. The organization’s primary goal is to protect the public welfare and advance the professional quality of consulting engineers and land surveyors in private practice.

ACEC Oregon offers:

Advocacy – ACEC Oregon is the only engineering association represented by a lobbyist in Salem.

Education – ACEC Oregon offers educational programs presented by experts on a variety of business and management topics, including legal issues facing consultants, risk management, leadership development and more.

Resources and Networking – Membership offers valuable business resources such as the annual Alaska/Oregon/Washington Salary & Benefits Survey, access to expertise and best practice information and regular networking opportunities, which lead to improved firm business practices.

Client Committees – Members find great value in liaison committees that facilitate communications and problem-solving with agency personnel. Current committees include: Oregon Department of Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and SW Washington Public Agency Liaison.

National Representation – ACEC Oregon is a member organization of ACEC National, the voice of the engineering industry. Headquartered in Washington D.C., ACEC promotes infrastructure investment and other important issues for the engineering industry.

Engineering Excellence – The awards recognize and celebrate the important work ACEC member firms perform. Owners and public officials that provide the vision, support and leadership required to ensure the execution of these projects are also acknowledged and celebrated.

ACEC Oregon also strives to be a diverse, inclusive and welcoming organization. The recently formed Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee is working to improve diversity and inclusion within the organization. Additionally, the organization continues to deliver programs and important information virtually. While nothing replaces in-person meetings, virtual programing is providing greater access to ACEC events.

Congratulations to the 2022 award winners! Thank you to the sponsors and to the 91��Ƶ for their support of this publication and the Engineering Excellence Awards program.

Alison Davis
Executive Director
American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon

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Major Change for Political Leaders Ahead

Starting Feb. 1, the Oregon Legislature will meet in an abbreviated 35-day session that will adjourn on or by March 7.

A limited number of policy issues will be considered because each legislator only has two issues to bring forward for consideration. The timeframes for committee hearings, work sessions and amendments are extremely tight, so it behooves all with an issue to be ready weeks in advance instead of waiting until the session begins.

Democrats will hold strong majorities in both chambers during the 2022 session. Gov. Kate Brown will begin her final year in office and will be looking to leave her legacy.

The pandemic, wildfire recovery, ongoing unemployment issues, and civic unrest continue. These issues will have an impact on the ultimate progress and policies that come from the 2022 session and will help frame the talking points for the 2022 campaign season.

The overriding concern of 2022 will be the major changes taking place as key legislators retire or run for another office. Senate President Peter Courtney announced he will not seek re-election, ending his nearly 40-year career in elected politics. Speaker Tina Kotek will run for governor and will face a crowded primary in May as State Treasurer Tobias Read and others will also seek the Democratic party nomination.

The Republican side of the ledger includes Dr. Bud Pierce who lost to Kate Brown in 2018, Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam, former Republican Caucus Leader Rep. Christine Drazan and several others.

More than 25 individuals have committed to run for governor including former state Sen. Betsy Johnson who will seek to be the first Independent candidate to win since the 1930s. Johnson will not have a primary and will be waiting for the victors from the Republican and Democratic primaries in May. Johnson stepped down from her Senate seat to focus on the campaign in mid-December.

Other changes include Sens. Chuck Riley, Ginny Burdick and Lee Beyer all stepping down or not running for re-election. On the House side, a number of 2021 legislators will move on or seek new offices. These include Reps. Jack Zika, Brian Clem, Cedric Hayden, Tina Kotek, Raquel Moore-Green, Bill Post, Andrea Salinas, Barbara Smith Warner, Janeen Sollman, Suzanne Weber, Brad Witt and Teresa Alonso Leon.

All the vacancies at once are unique at the upper echelons of political power. When the 2023 session begins, there will be a new governor, new speaker of the house and new Senate president.

Issues of concern for ACEC Oregon as preparations are made for the 2023 session continue to include Duty to Defend. This important bill will ensure fairness in public contracting by banning the requirement that design professionals can be required to include duty to defend clauses in construction contracts. Duty to Defend requirements are especially detrimental to small, emerging, women and minority-owned businesses. Conversations are expected to continue with interest groups and key legislators including Sen. Floyd Prozanski who sponsored the legislation in 2021.

Implementation of the 2017 transportation package will continue to be of great interest. ACEC looks forward to working with ODOT leadership and the Oregon Transportation Commission to implement the major projects that were mandated in the bill from the 2017 session. In addition, ACEC will work closely with ODOT on finding solutions to their agency funding concerns.

The fair and balanced implementation of the Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) bill that passed in 2019 continues to be a priority for ACEC. The organization continues to work with local governments on this important issue. Ongoing educational outreach will be key in 2022 to help ensure that local government procurement staff are aware of the benefits of QBS and are comfortable with the process.

Both the Joint Transportation Committee and the Joint Committee on the Interstate Bridge will meet this session. ACEC will participate with both committees to assist in finding a path forward on key policy issues.

As always, ACEC Oregon will be actively engaged supporting or opposing a significant number of unanticipated issues during the 2022 legislative session. ACEC is grateful for active member involvement which is necessary to help protect and promote the engineering profession in Oregon.

Marshall Coba, ACEC Oregon Lobbyist
CobaCo Government Relations

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PDX Next project ushers in new era of airport operations, traveler amenities

Submitting Firm: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Location: Portland
Client/Owner: Port of Portland
Other Consultants/Key Participants: Fentress Architects, GRI, Hennebery Eddy Architects, HNTB Corp., Interface Engineering Inc., Mayer Reed Architects, Skanska USA

From the beginning, it was clear this new concourse extension would be different than previous PDX concourses. Gone were the columns framing the edges of the central corridors due to the desire for a flexible space. Gone were the skylights, necessitating the need for alternative solutions to bring natural light into the center of the building.

The PDX Next Portland International Airport Terminal Balancing and Concourse E Extension project added six new gates, passenger concessions, amenities, and airline operation spaces. It included improvements to the existing airport facilities to balance the number of passengers using the north and south sides of the airport and extended Concourse E by more than 800 feet.

At concession nodes, the girders change shape to create a large, open space with tall window walls, creating an inviting space for passengers to relax and enjoy views of the Pacific Northwest.

Early design decisions drove the structural design team to provide the unique bent “z-girder” roof design that shapes the Concourse E experience. These “z-girders” clear the width of the concourse with spans between 60 to 80 feet.

Coordination with the contractor during design helped the design team better understand the contractor’s fabrication and erection preferences, and enabled them to choose systems to facilitate an efficient erection. These conversations led to the “z-girder” being fabricated completely in the shop, shipped to the site, and lifted into place in one piece, thereby minimizing the extent of field welding required for the girders.

Certified LEED Gold, the new concourse also is designed as an Essential Facility for seismic structural performance. The lateral system includes SidePlate moment frames and steel buckling-restrained braced frames. South sloping columns, important to the façade design along Airport Way and responding to the outward projection of the adjacent Headquarters Building, led to the building experiencing a permanent lateral force.

A pile-supported foundation and a structural slab on grade was provided in lieu of a more typical slab on grade due to the project soil conditions, liquefaction, and high groundwater levels. The structured slab is designed to span between deep pile foundations after a major seismic event when the soils are anticipated to experience liquefaction-induced settlement of up to 12 to 18 inches.

Among the challenges, the new concourse is located between an active airstrip to the north, Airport Way to the south, the existing Concourse E to the west and existing utilities below, all of which remained operational throughout construction. The building had to be constructed without impacting PDX operations.

Joanna Ambroz, PE, project engineer for the Port of Portland, noted the KPFF team had to incorporate large mechanical equipment within the structure and maintain flexibility for potential unknown future changes to hanging art exhibits within the public spaces. The Port required that the cost associated with this customized structure be minimized.

KPFF was able to minimize the cost by focusing on a repetitive design along the length of the structure. This meant that the contractor could construct multiple ribs of the structure using the exact same design to increase construction efficiency and minimize construction errors.

“Throughout construction, KPFF made frequent site visits and provided excellent timely updates to the owner based on observations,” Ambroz wrote in a letter supporting KPFF and the project for an ACEC Oregon award, adding there were numerous modifications due to field conditions as well as unexpected floor sag that exceeded the designed calculations. “KPFF provided options and solutions to construction issues for owner review. Technical issues were well explained to nontechnical members of the Port team, and project direction was not provided without owner buy-in and approval.”

The east end roof and east end façade extend 20 feet beyond the building to create a frame around the east end window that looks toward Mt. Hood.

Anticipating a future Concourse E expansion to the east, the roof framing is designed with a bolted splice connection to enable easy removal of the cantilever sections. The roof framing tapers from a 21-inch-deep member to a structural depth of 6 inches max at the east edge.

“The level of communication between KPFF and the owner was high throughout the design and construction process. KPFF was always looking out for the project’s best interests and did not make suggestions or recommendations to only appease the contractor,” Ambroz wrote. “KPFF truly understands the Port’s commitment to low-maintenance, long-term structural investment and was very responsive with providing excellent customer support during design and throughout construction.”

Together, the structural shape and architecture create a dynamic and light space that brings the Pacific Northwest into the concourse extension.

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Sahale lodge addition combines sustainability, innovation at Mt. Hood Meadows

Submitting Firm: DOWL
Location: Mt. Hood
Client: LRS Architects
Owner: Mt. Hood Meadows
Other Consultants/Key Participants: Bremik Construction, GRI, IMEG (formerly Nishkian Dean), Interface Engineering, LRS Architects, RDH Building Science, Re-Alignment Environmental, Smith & Greene Company

With its majestic views and legendary ski runs, Mt. Hood is one of the most recognizable symbols of Oregon and a significant contributor to its economy and reputation for outdoor recreation. Responsible stewardship and sustainability are critical to maintaining these benefits, particularly in the mountain’s higher elevations, where small changes can be amplified lower down the mountain.

The owners of Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort understood this and placed a significant emphasis on sustainability when assembling a project team to implement their plans for expansion. The resort, on the mountain’s southeast face, had seen its popularity grow considerably since opening in 1967, but by 2019, had not seen a major expansion in more than 20 years.

With plans for a new lodge to the south of the original, the owners selected LRS Architects to lead the design effort. LRS chose DOWL to lead civil engineering design services. John Williamson, LRS project manager, said DOWL’s contributions to the project were much greater.

“Our team would discuss concepts and ideas, after which we would each retreat to our offices and workstations to research the practicality of the solutions presented. Each time, DOWL returned with cost-effective, creative options that fulfilled the lofty spirit of the project in functional, intelligent ways,” he wrote in a letter supporting the project for an ACEC award.

Dubbed Sahale (a Native American word meaning “above”), the 23,500-square-foot addition greatly expands the resort’s dining, rental and education spaces. It features 10,000 square feet of restaurant and patio seating and opened up space in the North Lodge for an additional 670 seats for dining.

The design team faced several challenges, including a building footprint constrained by wetlands and an existing, much-needed parking area; a site grade of 7 percent or more; and yearly snowfall measured in hundreds of inches. Snowmelt and rainfall had previously been handled mainly through temporary retention and redirection into an adjacent, seasonal river, but such techniques did not treat the runoff and contributed to the effects of erosion.

DOWL’s proposed stormwater solution is a low-impact development technique that directs stormwater from the building through a specially designed heated pipe into a swale adjacent to the building. The swale is traversable by skiers during winter months, and directs the treated water into the wetlands to the west and south. Plantings for the swale came from Mt. Hood Meadows’ own specially cultivated seeds of native plants from the mountain.

DOWL made additional contributions to the facility design, providing guidance on access and input on the programmatic layout. Sahale was built partially into the ground on the northern side to connect it to the existing North Lodge via an elevated walkway.

The walkway required careful engineering to maintain grades that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for the two building doorways underneath each side, while still allowing emergency and maintenance vehicles to pass under the walkway.

The team’s efforts will be highlighted in Sahale’s Meadows Learning Center, where summer camp students and resort visitors can see interactive exhibits on the lodge’s sustainability features.

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Willamette Falls Drive Streetscape Improvements benefit businesses, multimodal use

Submitting Firm: Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc.
Location: West Linn
Client/Owner: City of West Linn
Other Consultants/Key Participants: DKS Associates, GeoDesign Inc. (NV5)

Located within the heart of historic Willamette Main Street, this project transformed the Willamette Falls Drive business district by replacing existing auto-centric facilities with a street section that provides a better balance for bicycles and pedestrians.

The City of West Linn, in partnership with the Historic Willamette Main Street nonprofit, developed preliminary concepts for the corridor’s revitalization. In addition to the multimodal improvements, their goal was to provide ample places along the corridor for businesses to offer outdoor seating and amenities, creating a more inviting storefront atmosphere for restaurant patrons and window shoppers.

The HHPR team worked with the pair to refine the design elements, develop construction documents, and assist in overseeing construction details. The project incorporated intersections, innovative parking treatments, cycle track, and physical separation of restaurants and businesses from the roadway.
The two primary elements were the grade-separated cycle track with protected intersections and back-in angled parking. The section was capped off with the addition of landscaping, street furniture, and a state-of-the-art holiday lighting and sound system that will enhance the out-of-car experience and promote businesses within the corridor.

The holiday lighting and sound system required the integration of electrical circuits, conduit for the lighting controls and poles for Wi-Fi and speaker placement. The team worked with the holiday lighting contractor throughout construction to incorporate these components into the streetscape project.

The project needed to begin in winter 2020 to maximize construction when restaurants and businesses along the corridor relied less on their outdoor spaces. In a rare positive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shutdown of businesses in March 2020 presented an opportunity to change the construction staging and expedite aspects of construction that were most impactful to the adjacent businesses.

Erich Lais, PE, assistant city engineer for West Linn, credited the HHPR team with quickly developing unique design details for effective construction of the project.

“The HHPR team provided outstanding coordination and exceeded my expectations throughout all aspects of the project,” he wrote in a letter recommending the project for an ACEC honor. “The team coordinated the complex construction details, and worked closely with us during construction to provide staging solutions to keep this busy commercial corridor open and available to the public. The result is a vibrant, multimodal corridor for the city of West Linn.”

One of the primary challenges for the design team was integrating facilities for each mode with the elevation grade difference across the corridor. The team developed two different cross section templates to address grade, and then developed detailed grading of each curb along the corridor to match between the existing road and the building entrances.

The curbs were designed for consistency along the corridor so that pedestrians crossing the bicycle facility have a consistent and informed experience. This was modified through construction to include additional striping and modifications to curb heights to help address concerns and potential tripping hazards associated with the corridor.

This approach to safely accommodating all modes within the corridor provides a truly Complete Street for the Willamette Falls Drive business district and community.

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Submitting Firm: David Evans and Associates Inc.
Location: Columbia River Gorge
Client/Owner: Oregon Department of Transportation and Western Federal Lands Highway Division
Other Consultants/Key Participants: Conway Construction Company, GRI
Additional Stakeholders: Historical Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee, Multnomah County, Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department, Union Pacific Railroad, U.S. Forest Service

After being abandoned for multiple decades and reconstructed in 2009, the Oneonta Tunnel was damaged by the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire and rendered unusable. ODOT and Western Federal Lands Highway Division partnered to rehabilitate the tunnel, which is part of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.

David Evans and Associates Inc., which worked on the 2009 restoration, and GRI performed a conditions assessment of the tunnel and Oneonta Bluff. After using innovative technologies to safely assess conditions, the team performed preliminary engineering to rehabilitate the tunnel to its pre-fire condition and analyzed the rockfall hazard from the bluff. Rock scaling was recommended as mitigation, and ODOT was able to expedite a majority of the rock scaling efforts ahead of tunnel construction.

The fire destroyed the tunnels interior timber canopy and waterproof membrane, and shotcrete experienced inconsistent damage. The rock dowels survived the fire and retained their integrity. The asphalt surface and timber tunnel portals were destroyed and needed to be replaced. Complying with the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area standards and recreating the historic look of the original tunnel created challenges that the team overcame through collaboration.

The tunnel reopened in spring of 2021, and is serving the community and tourists once again.

“Collaboration and progressive technologies were the main contributors to the success of the project. We are sincerely grateful for services and participation from all key project partners that led to safely reopening the historic Oneonta Tunnel for recreational use,” wrote Thomas Braibish, ODOT, and Matthew Miller, WFLHD, in recommending the project for ACEC recognition.

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Submitting Firm: Otak
Location: Clark County, Washington
Client/Owner: Clark County
Other Consultants/Key Participants: GRI, Lee Contractors, SWCA Environmental Consultants

The Manley Road and Stream Improvements Project is a mile-long roadway safety improvement project on a rural county road. The project area included a complex stream enhancement design with the replacement of four fish barrier culverts.

The roadway design included adjusting the horizontal and vertical alignment of the roadway to improve steep grades, sharp curves, and short sight distances. The design and construction phasing took into account an operating quarry that is located within the project area that required relatively heavy truck access. The culvert replacements varied in complexity from steep (12 percent) slopes and large drops to much flatter areas prone to deposition and frequent flooding. The stream parallels the road through the middle portion of the project and was pinned up against the 20-foot road embankment.

The project restored fish passage and stabilized the streambanks through bottomless culverts, detailed cascade-pool channel design, and bioengineered bank stabilization techniques.

The project required a large team of many disciplines including surveyors, biologists, geomorphologists, structural engineers, transportation engineers, hydraulic engineers, construction inspectors and contractors.

“OTAK has been quick to respond to issues throughout construction. During a storm event in January 2021, heavy rainfall coupled with a plugged culvert upstream of our work led to that culvert washing out. … OTAK quickly arrived onsite to assess the damage and make recommendations on how to address the issues the storm created,” wrote Brad Fisher, PE, Clark County Public Works project engineer, when recommending the project for ACEC recognition. “Budget was becoming an issue in the second season of work on this project. OTAK ensured that we covered the necessary work … and that we came in on budget.”

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Submitting Firm: David Evans and Associates Inc.
Location: Fort Rock
Client/Developer/Owner: Southern Current LLC
Other Consultants/Key Participants: Aubrey Silvey, Bonneville Power Administration, Brent Beaverly, Burns & McDonnell, DEPCOM Power Inc., EASSE Engineers, MidState Electric, NewSun Energy, Soltage LLC, Vertech

The Rock Garden Collector/20MW Substation connects the two, 10MW Rock Garden and Fort Rock IV solar arrays to the BPA transmission grid via a seven-mile transmission line. This solar development is one of the first solar generation/renewable generation sites in Oregon directly connected to BPA.

The project was initialized by NewSun Energy, a power plant development group focused on renewable energy opportunities in the western United States. NewSun teamed with David Evans and Associates in the early stages to navigate the new challenge of connecting a private solar generation facility to a federally owned transmission system in Oregon. DEA brought local experience, relationships with stakeholders, and technical knowledge of existing systems and compatible substation and T-line solutions. Southern Current, a developer of large-scale solar and energy storage projects, came on board to provide financing, project management and photovoltaic design engineering capabilities. DEPCOM Power was the construction contractor.

DEA led the detailed design of the collector (substation) portion of the solar arrays and the T-lines, and was involved with project design through construction, commissioning, and operational turnover. The firm noted it is most proud of the assistance it provided in communication work with local utility and landowners for routing and the real-time support it provided BPA during commissioning and energization. The project was energized on schedule in June 2020 and sold in September 2020.

“Using open and trusted communication, the team was able to overcome project challenges and deliver this green energy project, on time, supporting us through commissioning and sale,” wrote David Brueck, PE, vice president of Engineering, Procurement & Construction with Southern Current, in supporting DEA and the project for an ACEC award.

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Submitting Firm: Kittelson & Associates Inc.
Location: North Plains
Client/Owner: City of North Plains
Other Consultants/Key Participants: 3J Consulting, GRI, Otak
Firms Donating Time/Services: Aikens Electrical, Omega/Morgan, Subcom Excavation

For many years, North Plains Veterans Park remained just a dream of a group of citizens and veterans to honor those who sacrificed so much for their country. For small communities with constrained budgets, such projects often go unrealized because other priorities compete for scarce funds.

Tony Roos, principal engineer with Kittelson & Associates, is a U.S. Army veteran and former president of the Portland Post of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). Though city leaders approached him only for a letter of support from SAME, Roos took on the entire site design pro bono and brought in four other design firms with ties to SAME and ACEC. In all, the design team contributed more than 800 hours to the project.

On Veterans Day 2020, residents and other supporters celebrated the park’s opening. Its centerpiece is a 100-foot flagpole that is visible from Highway 26 and is a new landmark for North Plains. The park’s features include commemorative plaques for each branch of the military and POWs; benches; a water fountain; the town’s first electric vehicle charging station; LED lights; a bike rack and repair station; and a pervious concrete parking lot that allows storm drainage to percolate down into the soil.

The design includes a brick paver patio surrounding the flagpole. Residents were invited to purchase personalized bricks to raise funds for the project. Though materials were delayed due to the pandemic, the project was completed on time with the final bricks placed the morning of the grand opening.

In addition to managing the project and providing civil engineering design, Kittelson & Associates did the illumination design, including flag uplighting, permitting and 3D visualization to support the brick paver fundraising effort to purchase materials needed to build the park.

Aikens Electrical donated time to construct the flagpole foundation, which is six feet in diameter and 12 feet deep. The prime contractor, Subcom, donated all trucking costs. Omega Morgan donated crane time to raise the flagpole.

The new park was built on property owned by the Galaway family, long-time North Plains residents, and Vern Galaway served in the 18th Marine Combat Engineers during World War II. The site borders Ghost Creek and required a sensitive area certification from Clean Water Services. The design minimized encroachment into the sensitive area and reseeded all disturbances. Thanks to the pervious concrete pavement used in the parking lot, no stormwater runoff flows directly into Ghost Creek, protecting the endangered turtle populations and the general habitat.

One giant oak tree had to be removed from the site to accommodate the parking lot and allow the wind to reach the flag. This tree was donated to a nearby veteran for firewood.
“From the beginning of the project, Kittelson and the design team were working side by side with the City to develop this permanent tribute within our community,” wrote Blake Boyles, North Plains public works director, in a letter supporting the project for ACEC recognition. “Thanks to our partnership with the Kittelson team, our dream for a Veterans Memorial Park has been realized.”

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