The American Council of Engineering Cos. of California unveiled the 2011 winners of its annual Engineering Excellence Awards, recognizing the best designed engineering projects of the year.

Projects from 19 communities throughout the state, as well as two projects outside the state and designed by California-based companies, were recognized this year.

This year’s Grand Prize, the “Golden State Award,” is awarded to AECOM and Corgan Associates, in association with Fentress Architects, for their work on the Sacramento International Airport's Big Build. 

Last year’s Golden State Award winner, T.Y. Lin International, which won in 2010 for its work on the East Tie In Structure temporary detour on the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Project, picked up one of eight Honor Awards this year for its work on the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, a single cable, self anchored suspension bridge completed last March and linking Balboa Park to the bay front in San Diego.

Sixteen of the 22 winners are currently being recognized at the State Capitol in panels displayed on the wall outside the governor’s office. The Golden State winners will be entered into the national awards for the organization, which will be announced in April.

Honor Awards – Biggs Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. for BNSF Railroad Underpass at G Street; Degenkolb Engineers for Stanford Law School, William H. Neukom Building; HNTB Corp. for Happy Hollow Pedestrian Bridge; International Bridge Technologies, Inc. for Coast Meridian Overpass; RBF Consulting for Camp Pendleton Seawater Desalination Feasibility Study; SSFM International/Moffatt & Nichol Joint Venture for Submarine Drive-In Magnetic Silencing Facility; T.Y. Lin International for Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge; and URS Corp. for the I-5 Gateway. 

Merit Award recipients – AECOM for Harris Reservoir Replacement; Atkins, City of San Francisco Planning Department, S.F. Redevelopment Agency and Lennar Urban for Candlestick Point/Hunters Point Shipyard Phase II EIR; HNTB Corp. for Stevens Creek Corridor Park and Restoration; Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for Energy and Emissions Strategic Plan/Encina Wastewater Authority; Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for Freeport Pipeline Facilities; Kjeldsen, Sinnock & Neudeck, Inc. for San Joaquin County Flood Contingency Mapping FEMA Pilot; Parsons Brinckerhoff for
Hazel Avenue Improvement Project - Phase I; Penfield & Smith Engineers, Inc. for Launch Vehicle Alignment Survey; and Sasaki Associates, Inc. for Wilmington Waterfront Park.

Small Firm Category Merit Recipients – Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group, Inc. for Los Banos Community Center; Green Valley Consulting Engineers for Laguna Force Main Replacement and Morris Street Pump Station Improvements; and Nasland Engineering for SIO Stormwater Pollution Control Plan.