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From a visitor center at Washington State University with a budget of under $2 million to a dock removal job that took place in just three months, this year's Best Projects competition showcases a broad range of work from across Alaska, Oregon and Washington. The winners caught the judges' attention based on such criteria as teamwork, overcoming challenges and contribution to the industry and community.
The judges reviewed 22 projects in 14 categories, completed between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. They chose nine to take home the top prize for a specific category and 10 others to claim an award of merit. Two of the four judges are safety experts, and they reviewed seven projects entered in a separate safety portion of the contest. Category winners will go on to compete in Engineering News-Record's national Best of the Best competition.
The judges had two weeks to review and score each entry on a scale of 1 to 10. Once their scores were tallied, two separate conference calls were held—one for the main contest and one for the safety portion—in which judges hashed out which projects they felt were deserving of category and/or merit awards.
The judges also chose the region's Best Project of the Year out of this year's three finalists: the $60-million Bow Lake Recycling and Transfer Station; the $45-million St. Anthony Hospital Pendleton project; and the $152-million I-5 Willamette River Bridge. After much review and debate, the judges awarded the title to the I-5 Willamette River Bridge, noting the project's "elegant design" and minimal effect on the environment.
The judges also selected the I-5 Willamette project as this year's Excellence in Safety winner. While the judges commended several projects on safety efforts, they narrowed their selection down to just two: the I-5 and the $29-million Resident Inn by Marriott by Portland Downtown/Pearl District. In the end, the latter was honored with an award of merit.
Click below to view this year's winners.
Best Overall Project/Best Highways & Bridges/Best Safety Project
Award of Merit: Highways/Bridges
Award of Merit: K-12 Education
Award of Merit: Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Developments
Award of Merit: Residential/Hospitality
Award of Merit: Residential/Hospitality
Award of Merit: Small Project (Under $10 Million)
Award of Merit: Small Project (Under $10 Million)
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