Associated honoured at Consulting Engineers of Alberta Showcase Awards Gala

Tonight in Edmonton, the Consulting Engineers of Alberta hosted the 27th edition of their annual Showcase Awards Gala. This year, a total of 54 project submissions from member firms were evaluated by a panel of judges to recognize technical excellence across a range of disciplines. We're proud to share that three of Associated Engineering's projects were selected as award winners!

In the Studies, Software and Special Services category, the Award of Excellence was presented to the Closing the Infrastructure Gap for First Nations project! The Assembly of First Nations and Indigenous Services Canada needed to understand the actions and investments required to close the infrastructure gap for First Nations across Canada by 2030. Associated Engineering documented, for the first time, the costs of maintaining, renewing, upgrading or expanding existing infrastructure while considering climate adaptation and energy management. Level of service improvements to accessibility, drinking water, and all-season road access were examined. This study recognises and emphasises the inequity and societal difficulties associated with substandard infrastructure, as well as the opportunities and benefits that may be realised by narrowing the infrastructure gap.

An Award of Excellence in the Sustainable Design category was bestowed upon the Northwest Inner City Upper Plateau Separation, a multi-year project designed to alleviate flooding in the community of Sunnyside in Calgary! Associated Engineering proposed and designed a 765 metre long, 3.4 metre diameter microtunnelled inverted siphon, the largest microtunnel in North America, to intercept stormwater from the upslope communities, and divert it directly to the Bow River. Trenchless construction was preferred to minimize disturbance to the Sunnyside community and to traverse varying geology from the upper plateau to the Bow River. This passively operated solution has the benefit of saving both capital and operational costs.

In the Project Management category, the Confederation Way Sanitary Sewer Bypass project received an Award of Merit! This project provides a robust sanitary sewer trunk for the Timberlea Neighborhood in Fort McMurray, that traverses unstable slopes, crosses several pipelines, shallow utilities, two interchanges and passes through the built-up neighbourhood of Timberlea and a busy wastewater treatment plant. Using a trenchless technology, Horizontal Directional Drilling, Microtunnelling, and Pilot Tube Auger Boring minimized impact on the environment and the public.

Lastly, we're very pleased that one of our distinguised alumni and long serving staff members, was recognized with the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Distinguished Achievement. During his career with Associated Engineering, Herb Kuehne held numerous senior management positions, including Senior VP of Civil Infrastructure, Senior VP and General Manager of our Ontario operation, and he also served on the Board of Directors of Associated Engineering. His contributions to the Alberta consulting engineering industry include serving as Past President of the Consulting Engineers of Alberta, and nationally on the ACEC Canada board of directors.