Julie Powell, of Adna, and Jenaya Lawrence, of Onalaska, walk along the Willapa Hills Trail in 2016.
The primary consultant for bridge replacements on the Willapa Hills Trail was honored this month with an industry award recognizing “unique or innovative” work on the project.
Otak, a design and engineering firm with offices in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and the United Arab Emirates, was awarded a Best in State Gold Award for “unique or innovative applications” in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ annual Engineering Excellence Awards for 2017.
ACEC Washington, a professional trade association representing consulting engineering, land surveying and affiliated firms, recognized 42 projects this year. Entries are evaluated by a five-member panel.
In 2007, a flood destroyed two bridges along the Willapa Hills Trail at Spooner Road and Doty-Dryad Road.
Otak was hired to manage the projects to replace the bridges, engineer the bridges and do trail design, landscape architecture and construction support.
The team analyzed the river to place the new bridges above flood levels. A total of 10 bridge options were evaluated for each site.
Otak modified the selected option to allow contractors to assemble the bridge in a remote location, and maintained the strength of the structure, according a Daily Journal of Commerce publication on the ACEC awards.
Together, the bridges cost $3.4 million.
