Wilson & Company Inc. of Denver recently earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement on the replacement of the Pecos Street Bridge over Interstate 70 in Denver in the American Council of Engineering Cos.’ 49th annual Engineering Excellence Awards.

Photo courtesy of CDOT

It took only one weekend closure of I-70 to replace the heavily used Pecos Street Bridge.

It took only one weekend closure of I-70 to replace the heavily used Pecos Street Bridge, due in part to Colorado’s first application of accelerated bridge construction. The ABC method saved money and prevented as much as a year and a half of major disruptions to local and through traffic.

Over several weeks, a new superstructure was built alongside the existing bridge, allowing both Pecos Street and I-70 to remain open as usual. A carefully staged closure of the freeway over a summer weekend gave crews enough time to demolish the old structure and literally roll the new 2,500-ton bridge into place using self-propelled modular transporters.

Wilson & Company partnered with the Colorado Dept. of Transportation and contractor Kiewit Infrastructure on the project.

The project is among 170 engineering projects throughout the nation and around the world recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements and eligible for one of the top 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards. Judging for the Engineering Excellence Awards—known industry-wide as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry”—took place in February and was conducted by a panel of more than 30 engineers, architects, government officials, media members and academics. Awards criteria include uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, complexity and success in meeting goals.

Final winners, including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement, will be announced at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, a black-tie event to be held April 21 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.