Louisiana ASCE to give Centennial Awards to state's top civil engineering projects
Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 1:15:22 PM
Louisiana ASCE to give Centennial Awards to state's top civil engineering projects

The Huey P. Long Bridge. The Old River Control Structure. The Louisiana Superdome.

Those are just three Louisiana projects that civil engineers have given us over the past 100 years, creating some of the most impressive and innovative structures in the world. The fact that these and other projects are still cornerstones to our infrastructure decades after they were built is testament to their significance.

To celebrate ASCE's 100th anniversary in Louisiana, the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers is hosting a Centennial Celebration Gala on August 9 in Baton Rouge. In addition to honoring the association's century of support for the profession, the event will recognize the top civil engineering projects and innovations in 15 categories of achievement across the state.

"Louisiana gives us abundant natural resources and unrivaled beauty, but it also presents unique challenges to the civil engineer," said Bob Jacobsen, P.E., president of the Louisiana ASCE. "Our profession has worked with three of the hemisphere's wildest rivers, designed bridges through North America's largest swamps, and built some of the most beautiful and lasting facilities in the world. And today we're playing a big role in restoring one of our planet's most important ecosystems."

The August 9 ceremony will reveal the Louisiana Centennial Award recipients in 15 civil engineering categories, selected from a list of 46 finalists. The award finalists and recipients have been determined by a special team of eight Section past presidents, representing all regions of the state.

"Our past presidents did an awesome job of stepping back and looking at what civil engineers accomplished here in our state," Jacobsen said. "How do you choose among the Huey P. Long Bridge, the I-10 Atchafalaya Bridge and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway? Each represents an outstanding achievement in bridge design, and all three are right here in Louisiana!"

The Centennial Celebration Gala is being held on August 9 at the Renaissance Hotel, 7000 Bluebonnet Boulevard, Baton Rouge. The Gala begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by the awards dinner at 7 p.m. Sherri H. LeBas, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, is the guest of honor and will give a special address. Tickets, which include two drinks and dinner, are only $75.00 apiece and are available at ccgala2014@gmail.com.

Here are the Louisiana ASCE's nominees for Centennial Awards in Civil Engineering. Some nominees are included in multiple categories:

Transportation Structures (Large)
Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans, I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge/Crossing, Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

Transportation Structures (Small)
Houma Tunnel, Texas Street Bridge, I-110 Airline Highway Interchange

Air & Surface Transportation (Large)
Barksdale Air Force Base, Port of New Orleans, I-10 through Maurepas/McElroy Swamp

Air & Surface Transportation (Small)
Union Passenger Terminal, New Orleans Streetcar, Railroad/Traffic Center Swing Span Bridge

Flood Control (Large)
IHNC Storm Surge Barrier, Mississippi River Levees, Old River Control Structure

Flood Control (Small)
New Orleans Drainage & Pump Station, Whiskey Bay Pilot Channel, Morganza Floodway

Waterways
Red River Navigation Project, Old River Navigation Project, Eads Pass/Jetties

Water & Wastewater Systems
Toledo Bend, McNeill Pump Station, New Orleans Sewer Pump Station

Building Structures
One Shell Square, New Louisiana State Capitol Building, Louisiana Superdome

Oil & Gas Structures and Facilities
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), Strategic Petroleum Reserves (Salt Domes), Shell's Cognac oil platform

Industrial Facilities
Waterford 3, Port of New Orleans facilities, Barksdale Air Force Base

Environmental
Teche-Vermilion Freshwater Diversion Works, New Orleans Lakefront Improvements by WPA, Louisiana Coastal Marsh Creation/Restoration

Construction Innovations
I-10 through Maurepas/McElroy Swamp, Spliced Piles for high-rise construction in New Orleans, Eads Pass/Jetties

Operational Innovations
Strategic Petroleum Reserves (Salt Domes), Port Fourchon, Wood Screw Pumps in New Orleans

Material Performance Innovations
Spliced Piles for buildings and bridges, Hale Boggs (Luling) Bridge, Charenton Canal HPC Bridge, John James Audubon Bridge

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.

The Louisiana Section of ASCE was founded in 1914 and has more than 2,000 members in four branches: Acadiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport. Our Fundamental Canon: Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties. For more information, visit www.lasce.org.