FORT PROVIDENCE (June 10, 2013) – The Deh Cho Bridge Project has been recognized for its innovative design and construction, aesthetics, positive community participation and harmony with the environment. Dr. Matthias Schueller of Infinity Engineering, the project’s design engineer, accepted the award on behalf of the project team.
The recognition was given at the 30th annual International Bridge Conference, held June 2-6 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Deh Cho Bridge Project received the prestigious Gustav Lindenthal Medal which is awarded annually for a recent outstanding achievement in bridge engineering. Past winners included France’s Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, and the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, which crosses Paranoá Lake in Brasilia, Brazil.
Minister of Transportation David Ramsay says the award shows the quality of the redesign and construction of the Deh Cho Bridge. “All residents of the Northwest Territories can be proud of the world class achievement the Deh Cho Bridge Project represents,” he said. “This recognition speaks well to the hard work and dedication of those who oversaw this project and brought it to a successful completion.”
The Gustav Lindenthal Medal is named for one of the most celebrated bridge engineers in North America. Gustav Lindenthal brought innovation and an aesthetic approach to some of the best known bridges in the United States. The design and engineering for the Deh Cho Bridge continues in that tradition.
In addition to the Gustav Lindenthal Medal, the Deh Cho Bridge recently received the Award of Merit for Soft Engineering at the 2013 Awards for Engineering Excellence sponsored by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of British Columbia. It was also recognized for its innovative steel construction by winning the 2013 CISC British Columbia Steel Design Award of Excellence.
For more information:
Earl Blacklock
Manager of Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Transportation
Tel: 867-873-7712
Cell: 867-445-3494
Email: earl_blacklock@gov.nt.ca
BACKGROUNDER
The International Bridge Conference, which was held this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, annually recognizes outstanding achievements in bridge engineering. Categories of achievement meriting an Award of Distinction are:
- John A. Roebling Medal for individual lifetime achievement;
- George S. Richardson Medal for outstanding achievement in bridge design;
- Eugene C. Figg, Jr. Medal for outstanding achievement for bridge engineering considered an icon to the community for which it is designed;
- Arthur G. Hayden Medal for outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating vision and innovation in special use bridges;
- Abba G. Lichtenstein Medal for outstanding achievement in bridge engineering demonstrating artistic merit and innovation in the restoration and rehabilitation of a historical bridge; and
- Gustav Lindenthal Medal for an outstanding structure that is also aesthetically and environmentally pleasing.
For more information on the awards, go to http://www.eswp.com/bridge/awards.htm
The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of British Columbia represents 90 consulting engineering companies in British Columbia. For more information on the Award of Merit for the Deh Cho Bridge, go to www.acec-bc.ca/media/20068/acecbcAwards13-5M.pdf.
The Canadian Institute of Steel Construction represents Canada’s structural steel, open web steel joist, and steel platework fabricating industries. The organization formed in 1930 as a non-profit industry association that promotes good design and safety and the effective use of structural steel. Its website is at www.cisc-icca.ca/.