NYS DOT commissioner Matthew Driscoll (far left) and ACEC New York chair Charles Gozdziewski (far right) stand onstage with representatives from WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff as they accept the 2016 Empire Award.

New York, NY On Saturday, March 19^th, 700 consulting engineers and clients attended the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York’s (ACEC New York) 49^th annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala at the Waldorf Astoria. Awards were presented to ACEC New York member projects in the following categories: studies, research, and consulting services; building/technology systems; structural systems; surveying and mapping technology; environmental; waste and storm water; water resources; transportation; energy; industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities; and special projects.

“The buildings, transportation, water and energy systems, and more that we honor are essential to the well-designed, efficient, and amazing world that our children and our children’s children will inherit and inhabit, both here in New York and around the world,” said Charles Gozdziewski, chair of ACEC New York. “Our organization recognizes that daily life as we know it would not be possible without the efforts of the people we honor through Engineering Excellence, and it is crucial that we take this time every year to recognize these often unsung accomplishments.”

ACEC New York also honored two exceptional New York government entities through named Awards of Merit. The Award of Merit honorees for 2016 are the New York City Department of Transportation, and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York for their commitment to improving the infrastructure of New York through their policies and programs. Proceeds from the event benefitted the ACEC New York Scholarship Fund, formally the New York Consulting Engineering Scholarship & Educational Fund.

Diamond Awards were presented to the 28 most exceptional projects, both within New York State and worldwide. Matthew Driscoll, Commissioner for the NYS Department of Transportation, acted as the master of ceremonies for the Diamond Award presentations.

The Empire Award, the top-rated project designed and built entirely within New York State, was announced that night and presented to WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff for No. 7 Line Subway Extension. This project involved a 1.5-mile extension of the MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) No. 7 Subway Line from Times Square to Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. The extension includes twin tunnels from Times Sq. to a new terminal station located 125 ft. below 34^th St. and Eleventh Ave., the first new subway station built in New York in 25 years.

A complete listing of the award-winning projects is available on the Engineering Excellence page of ACEC New York’s website (acecny.org).

ACEC New York is a proactive coalition of 290 firms representing every discipline of engineering related to the built environment—civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical—and affiliated companies. Our shared goals are to further the business interests of our membership, enhance the quality and safety of the environment we live and work in, and help ensure the vitality of our communities. For more information, visit www.acecny.org.