2021 ACEC Nebraska Engineering Excellence Awards

ACEC NEBRASKA ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK FEBRUARY 21-27, 2021 Celebrating the state’s top engineering projects and the firms behind them

SPECIAL SECTION FEBRUARY 21, 2021

S2

ENGINEERS

| Sunday, February 21, 2021

Omaha WOrld-herald

2021 ENGINEERING AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE Each February, the American Council of Engineering Companies-Nebraska celebrates the innovation and creativity of its member firms in conjunction with National Engineers Week. This special section spotlights the best of the best in ACEC Nebraska’s 2021 awards program.

GRAND AWARD CATEGORY—Transportation Firm: Olsson Client: nebraska department of Transportation Project: u.S. Highway 281 over niobrara river emergency repairs

In March 2019, a rare bomb cyclone hit Nebraska,resulting in record snowfall, heavy rains, flooding and massive ice build-up against Spencer Dam about five miles south of Spencer, Nebraska, causing a breach and severe flooding downstream. Floodwaters from the breached dam wreaked havoc

on U.S. Highway 281, an important route maintained by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT). Flooding also created a new river channel, washing away approximately 1,300 feet of the existing U.S.281 embankment.

NDOT reached out to Olsson transportation professionals to help restore the roadway and bridge. They began this emergency repair project March 22, 2019, within eight days of the destruction. Because access to the site was limited, Olsson used drones to photogrammetrically map the project area and collect the information needed to properly engineer corrective measures. Olsson’s in-house geomorphologist and hydraulics specialists analyzed the channel’s instabil-

ity so bridge engineers could account for it in the designs of the temporary and permanent bridges. Olsson environmental professionals worked to ensure all proposed solutions would comply with the emergency Clean Water Act (CWA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Ultimately, two bridge structures were designed to restore access to this area. By committing key senior design staff to this emergency project, Olsson’s final design plans went out for bid on May 1, 2019 — just six weeks after NDOT’s notice to proceed. A temporary,one-lane bridge restored traffic on U.S. 281 within four months. The permanent bridge replacement, and associated roadway and approaches, opened on Oct. 15, 2020.

Olsson nabbed ACEC Nebraska’s 2021 Grand Award for emergency repairs to U.S. Highway 281 over the Niobrara River after floodwaters wreaked havoc in spring 2019.

Creighton University 24th Street Road Diet & Beautification

FHUENG.COM

Cutting-edge technology for real-time asset management jeo.com Lincoln, Nebraska Downtown Irrigation Management Plan ACEC 2021 Engineering Excellence Merit and Category Winner Engineering | Architecture | Surveying | Planning

Omaha WOrld-herald

ENGINEERS

Sunday, February 21, 2021 |

Emergency Repairs of U.S. Highway 281 Bridge / North Central Nebraska

We’re Olsson, a nationally recognized engineering and design firm that provides outstanding service even in the most difficult times. Learn more about how we improve the communities we serve at olsson.com.

S3

S4

ENGINEERS

| Sunday, February 21, 2021

Omaha WOrld-herald

2021 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: HONOR AWARDS CATEGORY B Building/Technology Systems Category Winner Firm: Hdr Client: Sentara Healthcare Project: Sentara norfolk General Hospital expansion and renovation, norfolk, Virginia Building on top of an occupied building is never easy. Building on top of a hospital without interrupting the operation of the hospital below is especially difficult.

More than 30 years ago, when the River Pavilion and the Kaufman Pavilion were designed for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, they were designed as fiveand six-story concrete buildings. In 2015, to accommodate the hospital’s growing needs, three new floors and a helipad were added on top of the existing buildings. As part of the project, upgrades and expansions to the existing electrical and mechanical distribution systems were undertaken, including air handling units, steam and chilled water piping and electrical distribution. To account for the required additional electrical capacity to serve the new vertical square footage being added to an aging existing infrastructure, the existing service electrical distribution to the towers were replaced and additional generator capacity added. Although the construction was complex, with more than 2,000 temporary system shutdowns required to build the addition, close coordination between the design team, contractor, fabricator and erector resulted in a project that caused minimal disruption, allowing the facility to maintain operation 24/7 during construction and providing much-needed new space.

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Expansion and Renovation, an HDR Category B project in Virginia.

CATEGORY B Building/Technology Systems Firm: alvine engineering Client: rand elliott architects Project: Folding Light: Oklahoma Contemporary arts Center Folding Light, architect Rand Elliott’s vision for the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, provides the Oklahoma City community with a new home for artistic expres-

sion. The building itself is a work of art, as the exterior changes color with the sunlight and features a 70-foot “lantern” at night. With very few right angles found anywhere in the structure, the unique shape provided many opportunities for engineering innovation, especially in lighting design, where lighting tracks had to be custom cut to fit. The lighting design team provided many creative solutions in the galleries, as well. More than 200 light switches in the ceiling allow gallery staff the flexibility in beam and dimming needed to adapt to each exhibition without stretch-

ing the budget. After a full-scale lighting mockup meeting with the architect, owner and Alvine team, LED lighting was chosen for the entire building to not only save energy, but to protect artwork against potentially damaging infrared light. To save energy, areas of the building use systems that allow excess heat in one room to be used in another room.

In the end, Alvine Engineering’s mechanical design provided a level of precision that has impressed the center’s early exhibitors and lighting design that provides gallery-class lighting while remaining within budget.

UNMC | NEBRASKA MEDICINE CATHETERIZATION AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY (EP) LABS

DELIVERING HIGH PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS

Elevate the Human Experience through Design offices worldwide dlrgroup.com

ENGINEERS

Omaha WOrld-herald

Sunday, February 21, 2021 |

CATEGORY B Building/Technology Systems Firm: Farris engineering Client: university of nebraska-Omaha Project: unO arts & Sciences Hall renovation

The Arts & Sciences Building at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is the oldest building on the Omaha campus, and was showing its age in the interior environment. The major scope of this project involved providing new finishes to the corridor and classroom spaces and upgrading the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and lighting systems throughout the building.

Farris designed a new air handling system to be built within the existing air handling unit casing to greatly improve the airflow, temperature and humidity within the learning environment. Farris designed new high-efficiency lighting throughout the building to increase energy efficiency and give the building a brighter, more modern feel, as well as create a welcoming education space. Perhaps the most challenging aspect to this project involved coordinating the phasing of construction to allow the building to remain fully occupied and functional throughout construction.

CATEGORY C Structural Systems Category Winner Firm: Hdr Client: Sentara Healthcare Project: Sentara norfolk General Hospital expansion & renovation, norfolk, Virginia

Building on top of an occupied building is never easy. Building on top of a hospital without interrupting the operation of the hospital below is especially difficult.

Over 30 years ago, when the River Pavilion and the Kaufman Pavilion were de-

Repairs to flood-damaged bridges and roadways in the Niobrara area earned Alfred Benesch & Company an honor award for structural systems.

signed for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, they were designed as five- and six-story concrete buildings with provisions for two future floors framed in concrete. When the design team started designing the vertical expansion in 2015, the hospital’s needs had changed. The location of some of the existing elevators did not work with the desired floor plans. In addition, the hospital needed three new floors and a helipad on top of the existing buildings.

By changing the structural system from concrete to steel, the weight of the new structure was reduced enough to add an additional floor to each building. Where the existing elevators could not continue up into the new space, several new elevator towers were built outside of the footprint of the existing building with a bridge extending back to the hospital floors.

act quickly.

To find a solution, the bridge design team had to balance currently available materials with river modeling and soil and bedrock information coming in as the design progressed. While a temporary bridge would suffice, Union Pacific designed a permanent, reliable structure capable of withstanding the river environment’s demands.

To design piers that would withstand 30 feet of possible soil removal, 250,000 pounds of ice load and velocities reaching 13.4 feet per second, the team turned to 5-foot-diameter drilled shafts with permanent steel casings.

The project enables a critical service: fuel for Omaha Public Power District’s power plant. The plant provides more than 1,300 megawatts of energy and consumes 135 train cars of coal every day — without a convenient alternative line for rerouting trains. Overcoming tight work confinements, scarce materials and rigid security measures, the team’s efforts were nothing short of heroic. Just 59 days after the collapse, the first Union Pacific train crossed the bridge, four days ahead of schedule.

CATEGORY C Structural Systems

CATEGORY C Structural Systems

Firm: Hdr

Firm: alfred benesch & Company

Client: union Pacific railroad Company

Client: nebraska department of Transportation

Project: emergency repair of bridge 465.91, Falls City over the Platte river

In March 2019, Nebraska was hit by winter storm Ulmer, a “bomb cyclone” that blanketed the state with 3 feet of snow.

With frozen ground and a 60-degree temperature swing, historic floods overtopped levees, dams and riverbanks and undermined Union Pacific Railroad’s Falls City Subdivision bridge over the Platte River.

The bridge outage, paired with flooding throughout the Midwest and limited rerouting capabilities, required the team to

S5

Project: niobrara West bridges er-12-5(122), Cn 32320

In March 2019, west of Niobrara, Nebraska, record flooding and the failure of the Spencer Dam caused the Highway 12 Bridge over the Mormon Canal to be swept away and the Highway 12 Bridge over the Niobrara River to be partially washed away with the remaining bridge spans heavily damaged. More than 30 Benesch team Please see HONOR AWARDS, Page S6

2144392-01

civil environmental geotechnical structural engineering

land

surveying

www.td2co.com

Planning, Engineering, Environmental & Field Servicess www.eacg.com

0000112824-02

S6

| Sunday, February 21, 2021

ENGINEERS

Honor Awards From S5

members in seven office locations worked together to deliver a set of biddable plans in just three weeks. This $45 million project included repairs to the existing bridge over the Niobrara River, reconstruction of a new bridge over the Mormon Canal and repairs to the roadway connecting the bridges. During construction, traffic was restored by designing and installation of a temporary bridge to provide access over the Mormon Canal while a new permanent bridge was built. Construction of a temporary shoofly to maintain traffic and reconstruction of damaged roadway sections were also included. The project was completed on schedule and fully opened to traffic in September 2020, 18 months after the catastrophic damage and years ahead of a typical timeline for this type of project.

A Category F winner for Olsson: Wellfields Emergency Consultation, City of Lincoln.

Cottonwood Ranch, a winning Category G water resources project for HDR.

Omaha WOrld-herald

CATEGORY F Water and Waste Water Firm: Hdr Client: City of Columbus Project: Wastewater Treatment Facility design

In 2012, the City of Columbus’s wastewater treatment facility was nearing its capacity to serve the existing residents/industries as well as future growth and upcoming nutrient limits, resulting in the immediate need for expansion to secondary treatment.

In addition, the current facility was located on the river side of the levee, leaving it vulnerable to flooding and the very real risk of discharge of raw sewage into the Loup River during flood events. HDR developed a plan based on numerous criteria, including overall life-cycle costs, which recommended expansion of the plant to a 3.2 million gallon per day (MGD) WWTF with the entire CATEGORY F facility to be relocated to the protected side of the levee. HDR designed the new WWTF Water and Waste Water in three phases spanning from 2012 to 2020.

Category Winner The city now has increased treatment capacity in a sustainable facility located on Firm: Olsson the protected side of the levee system, Client: City of Lincoln, Lincoln Water System providing reliability for the long-term. The expansion was delivered on schedule and Project: Wellfields emergency Consultation was accomplished for 20% less cost than In March 2019, heavy rain, snowmelt, originally estimated. and ice jam break-ups caused historic flooding across much of eastern Nebraska. CATEGORY G Flooding caused power outages in and Water Resources around the Lincoln Water System (LWS) wellfields and a temporary loss of water Category Winner production capacity. Citizens were forced Firm: Hdr to delay everyday chores and contend with low water pressure. LWS contacted Client: Platte river recovery Implementation our team at Olsson to assist with flood Program recovery efforts at the wellfields. The city Project: Cottonwood ranch broad-Scale was in the middle of mandatory water recharge Project restrictions. Olsson accessed the well fields to assess conditions and provided drone The Platte River Recovery Program deimages and videos of inaccessible areas veloped a pioneering approach to better and structural inspection of the island manage target flow deficits in the Platte bridge. In the weeks that followed, team River for the health of the ecosystem and members were on-site daily to coordinate the people who depend on it. The Program the repair of wells and broken mains. They is enhancing, recovering and protecting also managed construction on roads to the habitat lands in Nebraska. HDR was sewellfields. When power was restored, field lected for design and implementation of a inspectors started and tested the horizontal broad-scale groundwater recharge project collector wells and the transmission mains at Cottonwood Ranch. The project involved on the east bank, the island and those design and construction of eight water reconnected to the water treatment plant. tention cells, over roughly 400 grassland The team coordinated with the Lower acres, created by approximately 6.5 miles Platte North Natural Resources District of earthen berms of no higher than 6 feet and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for tall. When flows in the Platte River exceed repair of breaches to the Platte River levee. target levels, excess flows are diverted Quick thinking, responsive services and the through the CNPPID’s Phelps Canal to firm’s commitment to Lincoln helped end the Cottonwood Ranch project via a new the city’s mandatory water restrictions in 42-inch conveyance pipeline. Water is less than a week. impounded in the eight retention cells at

ENGINEERS

Omaha WOrld-herald

Modernize the feel of Creighton’s campus.

Create a signature gateway to North Omaha.

Transform historic 24th Street to support all modes of transportation and improve public safety.

After an initial traffic study to analyze alternatives, a lane reconfiguration on 24th Street from Cass Street to Cuming Street changed the street from four lanes to one lane each direction. The gained right-of-way allowed for the addition of previously nonexistent bike lanes, grassy treed medians between northbound and southbound traffic, and the construction of two Metro bus stops.

Additionally,a roundabout constructed at the CATEGORY H intersection of 24th Street and Cass Street slows vehicle speeds, increasing vehicle and Transportation pedestrian safety, and is a stunning entrance Firm: Felsburg Holt & ullevig to the campus. This “front door” is further defined with extensive streetscaping using Client: City of Omaha, Creighton university pavers with a concrete base, monuments Project: 24th Street road diet and along the street and sustainable landscaping beautification (OPW 53457 with granite edging. Today, this section of 24th Street serves a diverse swath of the Creighton University and the City of community, provides safe and easy access Omaha had some tall orders for the 24th to Creighton University and North Omaha, Street Road Diet and Beautification project. and is one of the most complete multimodal They wanted to: projects in the state.

Sunday, February 21, 2021 |

depths of 12 inches or less, creating suitable habitat for the endangered whooping crane. At the same time, water is slowly recharging the groundwater, and it is ultimately returned back to the Platte River to increase the river’s flow. The goal is for those flows to occur when flows are below target levels to reduce the shortage. Flume gates on the berm structures allow remote operators to maintain desired water levels and manage the movement of water from cell to cell. The final design integrated innovative techniques and modeling to provide a design that optimizes resources and is technically sound, implementable and cost-effective.

HDR’s Category F honor was for a wastewater treatment facility for the City of Columbus.

www.transystems.com

Engineers | Architects | Planners

&

ADAPTING THRIVING

ENGINEERING ■ SURVEYING ■ PLANNING ■ DESIGN

RE-IMAGINING

C o l l a b o ra t i o n #eweek2021

SNYDER-ASSOCIATES.COM

Engineers inspire

WONDER

DELIVERING THE TRANSPORTATION EXPERIENCE

S7

S8

ENGINEERS

| Sunday, February 21, 2021

Omaha WOrld-herald

2021 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS: MERIT AWARDS CATEGORY A Studies, Research & Consulting Engineering Services Category Winner Firm: JeO Consulting Group Client: City of Lincoln Project: Lincoln downtown Irrigation Management Plan The City of Lincoln hired JEO Consulting Group (JEO) to develop an irrigation management plan for the greater downtown area. The study area was confined to all city-owned irrigation systems and corresponding landscaping areas within downtown, generally defined by Pinnacle Arena Drive to 21st Street and Lincoln Mall to S Street. The plan offers a strategic vision — and actionable recommendations — to improve and maintain the City of Lincoln’s greater downtown irrigation system over the next five to 10 years. And with a vivid, interactive mapping application as a key deliverable (StoryMap), community leaders can actively learn about their city’s irrigation system and actionable plan to improve it.

Category B Building/Technology Systems Firm: Hdr Client: Metropolitan utilities district Project: Florence Water Treatment Plant Chemical building rehabilitation

The Florence Water Treatment Plant (FWTP) is the oldest and largest water treatment facility in the Metropolitan Utilities District’s system. Constructed in the late 1880s, it has been delivering safe and reliable water to the Omaha metropolitan area since that time. The Chemical Building was originally constructed in the mid-1950s, and upgrades and improvements were needed, including improved chemical storage, handling and feed systems and architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation improvements throughout the building. The FWTP remained operational throughout the construction of the project, during which time it continued to supply safe and reliable water to District customers. The renovation was more complicated compared to construction of a new facility, but it demonstrated the value, costeffectiveness and sustainability of innovative rehabilitation solutions.

AJ BROWN IMAGING

Farris Engineering’s renovation of UNL’s East Campus Student Union includes inviting spaces for studying and socializing.

Category B Building/Technology Systems Firm: Morrissey engineering Client: university of nebraska Medical Center Project: unMC — nebraska Medicine Catheterization/electrophysiology (eP) Labs

Morrissey Engineering provided mechanical, electrical, lighting and technology design services for a seven-suite cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology lab, located in the existing Durham Outpatient Center. Also included are 20 private postop recovery rooms that can also be used by other programs within the hospital as flexible recovery spaces.

Category B Building/Technology Systems Firm: Farris engineering Client: university of nebraska-Lincoln Project: university of nebraska, east Campus Student union renovation

The renovation and expansion of UNL’s East Campus Student Union was designed to provide an inviting space for students and visitors alike. The renovation of this building serves as a catalyst for the future transformation of the East Campus. The 43-year-old building has been upgraded to include a new central atrium, new dining marketplace, expanded ballroom and new retail components including a Starbucks café. Additionally, a new south entrance connects the Union facility to the future Legacy Plaza, which connects the Student Union to the newly renovated library, newly renovated UNL Dairy Store and the Massengale Residential Center. Special features of this renovation include unique areas and ledges throughout the building for quiet study or collaborative work and a modern bowling alley for UNL’s Bowling Team. The cafeteria was moved from the second floor to the first floor and upgraded to provide a “selective choice” dining experience. Mechanical and electrical systems were upgraded to provide for improved energy efficiency and aesthetically pleasing lighting.

CATEGORY C Structural Systems Firm: Hdr Client: City of Omaha Project: 26th & Q Street bridge replacement

Since its completion in 1950, the Q Street Bridge between 26th and 27th Streets has served as the heartbeat of connectivity and economic development in South Omaha. Its $14.5 million replacement will provide decades of new service life for the bridge and restore a safe and reliable passageway for motorists and pedestrians.

The structural deficiencies and nearconstant maintenance of the previous time-worn bridge required a complete redesign and reconstruction. The project team faced several challenges during design and construction of the new bridge.

Its proximity to adjacent buildings and railroad tracks created tight right-of-way Please see MERIT AWARDS, Page S10

ENGINEERS

Omaha WOrld-herald

Sunday, February 21, 2021 |

Our mission is very simple.

WE WORK TO IMPROVE OUR WORLD. We’re Olsson, a nationally recognized engineering and design firm that adds purpose to every project we create. We’re looking for people who are passionate about making their communities better. olsson.com/careers

World-class experience. Local delivery.

Jacobs is a local project delivery company serving Nebraska with innovative and adaptable solutions.

Transportation and Aviation Environmental Program Management/ Construction Management Water and Wastewater

We’re Hiring in Omaha!

Find out more at www.jacobs.com or follow us @jacobsconnects

S9

S10

ENGINEERS

| Sunday, February 21, 2021

Olsson’s Brittni Yates: One to watch in engineering

Merit Awards From S8

conditions and concerns for construction impacts on the environment. The HDR team suggested innovative construction materials and methods to avoid these risks. Through widely accessible public information meetings and broadly distributed communication materials, the team was able to increase public awareness, enthusiasm and education about the benefits and need for the project.

CATEGORY G Water Resources Firm: burns & Mcdonnell Client: City of Omaha Project: dundee elementary School Green Infrastructure

Dundee Elementary School was experiencing a lack of vegetation and erosion on the north side of the school.

The City, using grant funding, hired Burns & McDonnell and Vireo to correct the drainage and erosion problems, while incorporating an outdoor classroom. New walkways were designed to be wider to allow for more pedestrian traffic, with stone blocks installed to not only provide additional seating, but also to funnel foot traffic to keep it off the vegetation.

Stormwater was diverted using bioswales and swales, permeable pavers and rain harvesting. The rain harvesting can also be used to water the native plants or be used for class storm water demonstrations.

Permeable pavers were installed in an access driveway notorious for snow and ice buildup. The area surrounding the classroom was landscaped to be an upland savanna mimicking the prairie.

CATEGORY H Transportation Firm: burns & Mcdonnell Client: nebraska department of Transportation Project: Junction u.S. 6/adams Central avenue, adams County, nebraska

Burns & McDonnell provided engineering services to develop, refine and select a preferred improvement alternative and develop final plans for improvements to the intersection at U.S. 6 and Adams Central Avenue. The intersection has a history of right-angle crashes, and the

Omaha WOrld-herald

Schemmer’s Pine Lake Road Improvements in Lincoln included measures to protect wetlands in the area. The project won a transportation merit award in Category H. goal of this project was to cost-effectively reduce the rate and severity of crashes and accommodate increased traffic from a new elementary school adjacent to the intersection. Alternatives investigated included stop control, traffic signalization and a roundabout. The process included input from the Adams Central School District, Adams County Public Works, local law enforcement, neighborhood groups and the trucking industry. Ultimately, the engineering analysis aligned with the public’s preference. To accelerate the construction schedule, NDOT switched funding sources for the project and negotiated a cost split with Adams County and Adams Central Schools.

CATEGORY H Transportation Firm: alfred benesch & Company Client: City of Omaha Project: 156th Street, West dodge road to Corby Street

As western Omaha has grown, the development has outpaced improvements to many major roadway segments, and 156th Street between West Dodge Road and Maple Streets is one of those segments.

Starting back in the late 2000s, the City, working with Benesch, began the steps to improve this corridor from a substandard two-lane roadway to the four-lane facility serving its vehicular and pedestrian users.

With federal funding assistance, the roadway was widened and sidewalks and/ or multi-use trails were added to increase safety and support the increasing traffic volumes. Several concrete walls were built to reduce noise from increased traffic to neighboring properties.

CATEGORY H Transportation Firm: Schemmer Client: nebraska department of Transportation Project: n-79 Improvements — agnew north and South — Lancaster and Saunders Counties

Schemmer was selected for design services for a project that included 8.46 miles of Highway N-79 in Saunders County north and south of Agnew with the addition of 8-foot shoulders to upgrade the roadway to the minimum design standards for increased traffic volume predictions. Thirty roadway culverts, two bridge-sized reinforced concrete box culverts and obsolete bridges over Wagon Tongue Creek and North Oak Creek were replaced. The project was constructed under detour.

CATEGORY H Transportation Firm: Schemmer Client: City of Lincoln Project: Pine Lake road Improvements, 61st Street to Highway 2

The project involved Pine Lake Road from east of 61st Street to Highway 2. Included are four lanes, turn lanes and raised median.

The 1.5-mile paved urban roadway project includes a new box culvert for Beal Slough, the primary drainage-way in south Lincoln.

Schemmer conducted a complete hydrology and hydraulic study to determine the appropriate size of the new structure. Erosion control on this project is critical due to its location to a major creek and adjacency to wetlands, requiring appropriate measures to protect this delicate environment.

COnTenT FOr THIS SPeCIaL SeCTIOn PrOVIded by aCeC nebraSKa.

Brittni Yates, a professional engineer with Olsson, has been named the 2021 Young Professional of the Year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Nebraska.

Yates, a technical leader on Olsson’s Nebraska Water/Wastewater team, earned a bachelor’s degree in civil enYates gineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from South Dakota State University.

She has been with Olsson since 2018 and has extensive experience providing project management, planning, engineering design and construction management services for water quality and water treatment projects.

“I believe in living life with purpose, passion and inquisitiveness,” she said.

“I value travel and global awareness, and I’m committed to learning as much as I can about water quality and treatment.”

Yates’s industry involvement includes the Engineers Club of Omaha, the Water Environment Federation and the Nebraska Water Environment Association.

She is also active in the Nebraska chapter of the American Water Works Association, Engineers Without Borders and the Alpha Omega Epsilon Engineering Sorority at South Dakota State.

ABOUT THIS SECTION This special section was produced by the Omaha World-Herald in collaboration with the american Council of engineering Companies-nebraska.

On the cover: aCeC nebraska’s 2021 Grand award winner in the category of transportation: Olsson’s emergency bridge repair project near Spencer, nebraska.

Photo courtesy of Olsson.

ENGINEERS

Omaha WOrld-herald

Folding Light: Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Sunday, February 21, 2021 |

ALVINE

Engineering

ACEC Honor Award Winner

Photography: Scott D. McDonald Gray City Studios

Engineering Innovation Our people are our greatest asset.

IMPROVING OUR WORLD ONE PROJECT AT A TIME. We congratulate Brittni Yates, technical leader and water/wastewater engineer in our Omaha office, for being named the ACEC Nebraska Young Professional of the Year, and for adding purpose to everything she engineers. olsson.com

S11

S12

| Sunday, February 21, 2021

ENGINEERS

Bridging the gap between idea + achievement We’re proud to celebrate Engineers Week with our employees and our community partners — people who make great things possible. hdrinc.com

| Celebrating Engineers Week February 21-27, 2021

Omaha WOrld-herald