(The American Society of Civil Engineers issued the following press release on April 7.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Alameda Corridor, a 20-mile-long freight rail line linking the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach to the transcontinental rail yards near downtown Los Angeles, was selected as one of six finalists for the 2003 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The OCEA winner will be announced at the fourth annual Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Awards gala dinner in Washington, D.C., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on Thursday, May 1.
The Corridor consolidates rail traffic from four existing branch lines, allowing trains to run between the ports and downtown in less than 45 minutes. Prior to construction, the trip could take more than two hours. The Corridor’s signature feature, a $783-million mid-corridor railway trench, is a below-grade open trainway that is 30 feet deep and lies between two adjacent major roadways. A training and development program was established to provide over 1,000 Corridor residents with jobs. More than 30 percent of the actual construction was performed by local residents.
“The Alameda Corridor is a perfect example of how civil engineering ingenuity can offer solutions that are both beneficial to the environment and the local economy,” said ASCE President Thomas L. Jackson, P.E., F.ASCE. “The Corridor applies engineering innovation toward creating a better quality of life for the people in southern California.”
Public safety has increased due to the shift in rail traffic to the Corridor, which eliminates at-grade crossings and considerably reduces train movements at nearly 200 grade crossings on the branch lines. As the result of a 90 percent delay reduction at traffic crossings, train emissions will be reduced by 28 percent and emissions from idling cars and trucks will be reduced by 54 percent, providing multiple environmental benefits. In addition, by the year 2020, train movements along the Corridor are projected to nearly triple, increasing from 35 movements per day to over 100.
Other 2003 OCEA finalists include the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles; the HOST Park Seawater Supply Pipeline in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; the Quadracci Pavilion, an addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum; the Phoenix Project — rebuilding the portion of the Pentagon damaged in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack; and the World Trade Center Disaster Site Recovery. The six finalists were selected from 27 nominations this year.
The OCEA program was established in 1960 by the American Society of Civil Engineers. OCEA winners, which have included the relocation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the World Trade Center Towers, are selected on the basis of their contribution to the well-being of people and communities, resourcefulness in planning and design challenges, and innovations in materials and techniques.
The OPAL awards honor outstanding projects and professional civil engineers for lifelong contributions in five categories — public works, construction, management, design and education. The OPAL awards were inaugurated in April 2000. For more information on the OPAL awards gala, please contact Patricia Montgomery at 703-295-6101 or visit www.asce.org/opal
Founded in 1852, ASCE represents 130,000 civil engineers worldwide and is the nation’s oldest engineering society. ASCE celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002.