EA Partners, PLC, of Lexington, has earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 53rd annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) for designing improvements to the intersection of U.S. Route 68 and KY 73 east of Auburn.
Long the site of frequent, serious crashes, the intersection is now considered to be substantially safer thanks to one of the first applications in Kentucky of the innovative Restricted Crossing U-turn (RCUT) design. Instead of allowing motorists on KY 73 to go straight across U.S. Route 68 or turn left, the RCUT intersection directs all traffic to turn right. Those needing to go another direction utilize a custom turn lane to make a safer U-turn. A loon, or extra wide apron, located across from the U-turn allows extra space for commercial vehicles to complete their turns.
Along with expediting the project’s design and construction, EA Partners ensured there were no impacts to water, fiber-optic, gas, and other existing utilities. Design was completed a month early, with the construction cost nearly a quarter-million dollars lower than originally estimated.
The project is eligible for additional honors as part of a record 203 entries this year representing engineering excellence from throughout the nation and the world. Judging for the awards program—known industry-wide as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry”– took place in February and was conducted by a national 35-member panel of built environment leaders, along with experts from government, the media and academia. Award criteria focused on uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, and generating excitement for the engineering profession.
Recognition of all award winners including top winners—20 Honor Awards, 16 Grand Awards and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement—will take place at the annual EEA Dinner and Gala, a black-tie event originally scheduled to be held in April, but will now be held in September on a date and location to be determined.
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,200 independent engineering firms and more than 600,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial and other public and private facilities. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 52 state and regional organizations.