Sam Schwartz Engineering earns national award from ACEC for BQX project

Washington, DC Sam Schwartz Engineering of New York City has earned a National Recognition Award for engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 50^th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) for developing a concept plan for the Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) streetcar project.

ACEC is the Washington, D.C.-based business association of the engineering industry representing 5,000 independent engineering firms throughout the U.S.

 The proposed 16-mile BQX will offer a wide-reaching solution to limited waterfront-corridor mobility in areas of Brooklyn and Queens that have historically suffered from limited transit access and overburdened infrastructure. Engineers developed the concept plan with an eye toward the future, identifying innovative, yet cost-effective technology for efficiently meeting this goal.

 For example, the BQX will make extensive use of on-board power sources, rather than the standard overhead catenary wire, making the overall system more resilient and less intrusive, while also reducing visual and environmental effects. Exclusive lanes and traffic signal priority will also help the BQX cut travel times along its route by more than 50%, carrying more passengers per vehicle than today’s busses.

Sam Schwartz Engineering provides planning, engineering, design, and construction inspection services. 

The project is among 162 engineering achievements from throughout the nation and the world being recognized by ACEC as the year’s finest examples of engineering excellence, and eligible for additional top national honors. Judging for the awards program—known industry-wide as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry”– took place in February, conducted by a national 30-member panel of built environment leaders, along with experts from government, the media and academia. Award criteria focuses on uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, and generating excitement for the engineering profession.

Recognition of all award winners including top commendations— 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 to be held Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. 

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,000 independent engineering firms and more than 500,000 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 1909 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.