Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge toll plaza wins ACEC of Michigan award

Updated Mar 18, 2017

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The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Michigan presented a Merit Award to the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge toll plaza reconstruction completed in 2015.

The award “recognizes worthy projects based upon application of new or existing techniques; future value to engineering and surveying professions; social, economic, and sustainable design considerations; exceeding client needs; and project complexity.”

The project, which serves as a major U.S.-Canada border crossing, added a new administration building and seven toll lanes, which replaced five toll lanes and the original building that was 53 years old.

“This project represented a major milestone for the IBA,” says International Bridge Administration General Manager Peter Petainen. “The original administration building and toll plaza infrastructure were constructed in 1960 and in great need of replacement. The result was a bi-national project that has exceeded expectations of our bridge customers, the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority, the IBA, and facility owners Federal Bridge Corp. Ltd. and MDOT.”

CDM Smith led a bi-national design team to work on the project using a “multi-disciplinary” construction manager general contractor (CMGC) process.

“CDM Smith joined the project in 2006 as an environmental planning firm and went on to lead the team of engineers and architects, including local firms EPOH and STEM Engineering, through the planning, design, and construction inspection process,” says IBA Bridge Engineer and Project Manager Karl Hansen. “The lead construction team had bi-national representation, including CDM Smith, Northwest Design Group, EPOH, RA Engineers and Inspectors, and DeVere Construction.”

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