Stantec's U.S. 17 "super-street" project in Leland, N.C. was recently honored as a finalist in the national 2007 Engineering Excellence Award competition hosted by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).
Completed last fall, the $3 million project upgraded a 1.3-mile section of U.S. Rte. 17, creating one of the state's first modified "super-streets." The super-street design allows left-turn movements from the main corridor while side-street traffic uses signalized U-turn lanes to access the main street. This concept allows the two directions of travel on the main street to operate independently of one another, providing better traffic flow and reduced congestion. It also improves safety, since drivers are no longer crossing both lanes of traffic to make left turns from side streets.
The project earned the 2007 Grand Award from the North Carolina chapter of ACEC earlier this year and was honored as a national finalist at the ACEC awards gala in Washington, D.C. on May 8. Another Stantec project, Creekside Village in Pennsylvania, was also recognized as a national finalist.
ACEC's annual Engineering Excellence Awards program recognizes innovation, expertise, and ingenuity in engineering achievement. This nationally acclaimed program is considered the "Academy Awards" of the engineering industry and puts attention on the accomplishments and contributions of private engineering firms for members of Congress, federal agencies, and the national media.