Louisiana ASCE picks state's top civil engineering projects
Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 2:56:46 PM
Louisiana ASCE picks state's top civil engineering projects

BATON ROUGE - Fifteen Louisiana projects - including the venerable Louisiana Superdome, the iconic New Orleans streetcars and the new John James Audubon Bridge - have been designated as the state's top civil engineering projects by the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The organization, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in Louisiana this year, made the announcement at Saturday's Centennial Celebration in Baton Rouge, which drew more than 250 members and guests. The projects were included on a list developed by the Louisiana ASCE's History and Heritage Committee and ultimately chosen by a separate committee of former presidents of the state organization and civil engineers from around Louisiana.

The winning projects, project owners and project categories are:

  • New Orleans Drainage and Pump Stations, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Small Flood Control
  • Mississippi River Levees, US Army Corps of Engineers, Large Flood Control
  • Old River Control Structures, US Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways
  • Port of New Orleans Facilities on the Mississippi River, Port of New Orleans, Industrial Facilities
  • Shell Cognac Platform, Shell Oil Company, Oil and Gas Structures
  • Coastal Marsh Restoration, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Environmental
  • McNeill Street Pumping Station, City of Shreveport, Water and Wastewater Systems
  • Spliced Piles for High Rise Construction, Edward Morphy (individual credited with the innovative technique), Construction Innovations
  • Strategic Petroleum Reserve, US Department of Energy, Operational Innovations
  • John James Audubon Bridge, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development,
    Material Performance Innovations
  • New Orleans Streetcars, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, Small Air and Surface Transportation
  • Interstate 10 through Maurepas/McElroy Swamp (Ascension Parish to St. John the Baptist Parish), Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Large Air and Surface Transportation
  • Texas Street Bridge, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Small Transportation Structures
  • Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission, Large Transportation Structures
  • Louisiana Superdome, Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, Building Structures
Bob Jacobsen, P.E., president of the Louisiana ASCE, thanked committee members for donating their time to select the projects
and for planning and hosting Saturday's Centennial Celebration.

Jacobsen noted that DOTD Secretary Sherri LeBas was the featured speaker and gave a stirring address on what being a civil engineer has meant to her. "The audience really appreciated her remarks," Jacobsen said.

Civil engineers are responsible for the building blocks of our society, and Louisiana has some of the best in the world, Jacobsen said.

"When you look at what civil engineers have done in Louisiana over the past 100 years, it truly is phenomenal," he said. "We have built the longest bridges, the busiest ports and some of the strongest structures anywhere."

Jacobsen noted that some of Louisiana's biggest challenges for civil engineering may lie ahead. "Restoring the protecting Louisiana's coast is going to take everything we've got," he said. "But when you look how well our profession has met the challenges of the past, I'm optimistic about our future."

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.