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TEMPE, Arizona – Kleinfelder, a leading design firm with complimentary engineering and environmental capabilities, received both the Judge’s Choice Award and People’s Choice Award at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Arizona’s 35th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet, held Saturday, October 24, 2015, for its work on the US 89 Bitter Springs Landslide Repair Project.

Kleinfelder placed first out of 22 entries for The Judge’s Choice Award, which represents “significant contributions to the engineering community and the socio-economic environment in northern Arizona.” The People’s Choice Award is voted on by attendees at the banquet.

Kleinfelder’s award-winning project, completed for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), involved a geotechnical investigation of a landslide that occurred in the steep slopes of Echo Cliffs. The movement created a large crack and displacement of the US 89 roadway, severing a major transportation corridor and significantly impacting local residents and communities for two years.

Working closely with ADOT under emergency repair mode, Kleinfelder quickly characterized the landslide mass and designed a remedial long-term stabilization plan to reopen the road and restore normal travel conditions in the area. Kleinfelder’s integration of geotechnical and geologic engineering services was instrumental to the project’s success, providing ADOT a thorough understanding of conditions and repair options.

Construction of the remedial design—consisting of a gravity buttress and widened new cut through the ancient landslide—was finished in early 2015, with Kleinfelder monitoring construction activities and additional ground movement to ensure safe and successful completion. Kleinfelder managed the project from its office in Tempe, Arizona, with geologic modeling and design from the Santa Rosa office and leveraging resources from multiple offices across the company.

“This project site lies in a complex geologic setting, so development of engineering solutions relied on a thorough understanding of the geology,” said Bill McCormick, project engineering geologist for Kleinfelder. Keith Dahlen, project manager, added, “This project truly demonstrates the value of using a multiple disciplinary approach of geology and geotechnical engineering to design infrastructure improvements to reopen the roadway.”

Project team members accepting the Judge’s Choice Award include (from left to right): Dave Peterson, Bill McCormick, and Keith Dahlen from Kleinfelder, Steve Monroe from ADOT, Matt Trembly from FNF Construction, and Marc Moncilovich from Kleinfelder. Also pictured is ACEC President Fernando Galvez (far right) and City of Mesa City Engineer Beth Huning (left back row).

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.