NTH Consultants, Ltd., of Detroit, MI, was a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies' (ACEC) 43rd annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for developing the Detroit River International Crossing Study for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
ACEC is the Washington, DC-based engineering industry association representing the business and political interests for owners and principals of approximately 5,700 independent engineering companies throughout the United States.
The Detroit River International Crossing is a bi-national effort to complete the environmental studies for the border crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Decades of solution mining in the region have left brine well cavities that could threaten the stability of a new bridge. The project team used innovative engineering that included drilling 13 1,750-foot-deep wells, and cross-well seismic imaging to generate high-resolution images to determine the brine cavities' presence, size and characteristics. This innovative approach will benefit future projects where standard surface seismic geological techniques are deemed inappropriate or too costly.
The project is among 168 engineering projects from across the nation that are being recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements for 2008. Judging for the prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards took place in February and was conducted by a distinguished panel of 36 engineers and architects, along with representatives from government, media and academia. Criteria for the awards included uniqueness and originality, technical, social and economic value, complexity, and success of the projects in meeting goals.
All award recipients, including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards and the Grand Conceptor Award for the best overall engineering achievement, will be recognized at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, to be held Tuesday, April 28, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC.
ACEC is the business association of America's engineering industry, representing nearly 5,700 independent engineering companies throughout the United States engaged in the development of America's transportation, water and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial and other public and private facilities.
