Welcome to the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers

Upcoming CSCE Events in 2020:

September 15 - 13th Annual Achievement in Civil Engineering Awards

CSCE Members,

Firstly, we would like to thank all of the firms who submitted a project for a 2020 ACE Awards, and to those who submitted individual awards. We had a lot of great applications/nominations this year and we are excited to announce the winners.

As previously coordinated, due to the ongoing pandemic, we will not have an in-person ACE Awards ceremony in 2020. However, we are still awarding the 2020 winners and will hold the in-person ceremony with distribution of plaques in conjunction with the 2021 ACE Awards dinner.

Now for the awards!

PROJECT AWARDS

Construction Value >$20 million

ACE Award: The Mattabassett Regionalization Pump Station Project; Applicant: Tighe and Bond

Description: Middletown’s Regionalization Project replaced an aging water pollution control facility with a new pump station and force main. This will improve Long Island Sound water quality and allow for redevelopment of the City’s Connecticut River waterfront.

Merit Award: Gateway Commons - Costco Development & I-95 Ramp / Route 161 Improvements; Applicant: BL Companies, Inc.

Description: BL provided survey, design, and inspection services for the site development associated with a new 138,000 SF Costco Warehouse and off-site roadway improvements in East Lyme, CT. Construction and inspection began in Spring 2019 and was completed in November 2019 for over $28M.

Construction Value <$20 million, >$5 million

ACE Award: Short Term Control Plan Improvements For Cost Effective Combined Sewer Overflow Reduction; Applicant: Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (GNHWPCA)

Description: GNHWPCA implemented a program of analysis, design & construction that resulted in a 40% reduction in CSOs at a cost of less than $1 per gallon of CSO Reduction per Year.

Merit Award: Superstructure Replacement of US Route 1 over I-95; Applicant: WSP USA Inc.

Description: The superstructure replacement of U.S. Route 1 over I-95 utilized SPMTs to perform a superstructure replacement within the most heavily travelled corridor in CT. The original 3 season conventional construction project was reduced to one season with ABC techniques. Traffic was returned to U.S. Route 1 and I-95 ahead of schedule each of the weekend closures.

Merit Award: I-95 Over Oxford Street Design Build; Applicant: GM2 Associates Inc.

Description: Bridge # 00653, I-95 over Oxford Street carries 9 lanes of I-95 through the most traveled section of Providence RI. The bridge was replaced using ABC techniques by "leapfrogging" across the highway one lane at a time using 6 stages and 10 steps of construction, with each stage lasting a week. The new superstructure was built using NEXT-D Beams and included a structurally isolated TL-5 moment slab barrier retrofit along the Eastern Wingwalls. The project was a Design Build project under RIDOT with J.F. White Contracting Co. as Contractors and GM2 Associates, Inc. as the Designer.

Construction Value <$5 million

ACE Award: South Benson Marina Dredging & Beach Nourishment Project; Applicant: RACE Coastal Engineering

Description: The Town of Fairfield, CT Hydraulic Marina/Channel Dredging & Material Repurposed for Beach Nourishment.

Merit Award: Emergency Culvert Replacement: CTDOT PROJ #0096-0207; Applicant: Siefert Associates, LLC

Description: An Emergency Culvert Repair project on Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT, quickly transformed into Emergency Culvert Replacement due to the discovery of severe deterioration of existing culvert pipe. A deep cut of 32 ft. was required to install the 8-foot diameter culvert while maintaining 2-way traffic throughout the construction process.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Employer of the Year: CHA

CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA) (including the recently acquired CME Associates, Inc. (CME), which joined CHA in January 2020) has been a strong supporter of the Connecticut Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). We believe solutions of exceptional value are found through the passion and ingenuity of inspired professionals and we know inspired employees bring a fresh perspective to the most demanding project challenges. To that end, CHA is committed to cultivating passion and ingenuity in its career technical professionals through supporting professional development.

Educator of the Year: Byungik Chang

Dr. Chang’s passion inspires and motivates students to become leaders of the future generation. His exemplary hard work and dedication to Civil Engineering has resulted in his student’s establishing successful careers and the University of New Haven’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department to become bigger. His contributions to everyone and everything in his community and state has made him flourish among other scholars.

 Young Engineer of the Year: Brian Eastman

Brian started at Keller in 2011 as a Field Engineer and it was clear from the start that he gives 110% into any endeavor. He is well-equipped at handling demanding responsibilities. A prime example of this is how he relocated himself from Rhode Island to Connecticut to open Keller’s new office. Since opening the Connecticut office, he has been involved in numerous landmark projects, and established loyal relationships within the engineering community. Throughout his 10 years of experience as a geotechnical engineer, he has been involved in the design and construction of numerous projects ranging from earth retention to deep foundations. Brian has led Keller teams on numerous high-profile projects such as Yale University, Smith College Neilson Library, Contract E (CT DOT) and Danbury Dock Yard (Walk Bridge). Brian is an expert geotechnical engineer and strong project manager who will work towards the appropriate solution on his projects using sound engineering judgement.

President's Award: Amy Petrone

Amy has been a staple in CSCE for years, orchestrating both behind the scenes and at in-person meetings. Amy is a continual advocate for diversity and inclusion at CSCE. Amongst the many hats she wears, Amy works tirelessly to take meeting minutes, coordinate marketing campaigns, and to act as a cornerstone for between officer transitions. Deservingly so, Amy is a multiple-time recipient of this award, and yet could be appropriately awarded every year! CSCE thanks Amy for her continued dedication to our organization.

Benjamin Wright Award: Rabih Barakat

Mr. Barakat has been involved with the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers for many years including as president from 2010 to 2011. Mr. Barakat has been involved as the chair for the Government Engineers for a number of years, where he helps facilitate DOT Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Chief Engineers and others to have conversations with the industry at large. He was instrumental in providing crucial data for the Bridge Section of the CSCE Report Card, Connecticut’s first Infrastructure report card, where there was a big focus on bridges. His current role at the Connecticut Department of Transportation is Principal Engineer in the Bridge Unit. He runs and manages a team that delivers dozens of bridges every year. Through his work, he has pushed to bring innovation and cost saving measures to the unit including schedule processes. Mr. Barakat’s career and commitment to the engineering community is large, from improving processes to providing impacts to the community itself. He is a deserving recipient of the Benjamin Wright Award.

Congratulations to all of the award recipients!

For further information regarding the project and individual awards please reference the CSCE website, http://sections.asce.org/connecticut/. Project information and photos will be posted in the coming days.

Thank you, The CSCE Board Members