Untitled Document

photos above and below courtesy Idaho Airships

Meridian Interchange, Broadway Bridge
win Engineering Excellence awards

Reconstruction of the Meridian Interchange and Broadway Bridge recently won second- and third-place honors in the "Transportation" category of the annual Engineering Excellence Awards. A third ITD District 3 project, the Gold Fork Bridge rebuild near Donnelly, won first place in the Structural Systems category of the same contest and was profiled earlier in the Transporter.

The projects were profiled and the award given at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Idaho Engineering Excellence Awards luncheon April 10 in Boise. ACEC of Idaho represents the consulting engineers of the state

The Meridian Interchange, originally built in 1965, opened to traffic late in 2015. It is the fourth award thus far for the project.

“The Meridian Interchange project has been recognized nationally and locally for its expedited delivery and enhancement to the community, said GARVEE Program Manager Amy Schroeder. “The dedication of the project delivery and construction teams, as well as our partnership with the City of Meridian and ACHD, made this project a huge success.”

Parametrix, the consulting engineer on the Meridian Interchange project, submitted the award nomination.

The Broadway Avenue Bridge, a downtown landmark and the only route over the Boise River on the east side of Idaho’s capitol city, opened to traffic on Sept. 9, 2016 – just nine months after closing for total replacement.

The bridge was widened to three lanes in each direction. The new four-span bridge includes three travel lanes in each direction, full sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of the bridge, curved railing with night lighting, and belvederes that overlook the river. In addition, upgrades were done to the Greenbelt that run under the bridge and roadway improvements performed between University Avenue and Front Streets along Broadway.