Two Projects Honored with ACEC of Missouri Engineering Excellence Awards
We're proud to announce that two TREKK projects were recognized at the ACEC of Missouri Engineering Excellence Awards - Evergy Distribution Manhole Inspection Program and the Grandview I-49 Outer Road Conversion Design-Build project.
The Evergy Distribution Manhole Inspection Program received a Grand Award from ACEC Missouri and is also the recipient of an ACEC National Recognition Award. The project was honored for its innovative and safe approach to performing thousands of utility vault inspections in the Kansas City metro. Evergy established its Distribution Manhole Inspection Program to identify electrical, structural, and maintenance issues within the distribution system to comply with mandatory statewide inspections, make proactive repairs, and improve long term capital planning. Manhole structure inspections typically required confined space, often in a wet or harsh environment.
Evergy made it a priority to identify a safer and more efficient method to complete the inspections and refine the overall Distribution Manhole Inspection Program. They selected TREKK to help meet this goal. As an expert in infrastructure investigations, TREKK developed an unmanned entry technology, the TREKK360 camera, with safety in mind. TREKK used the TREKK360 and infrared camera technology to safely complete the inspections from the surface and transfer data.
The Distribution Manhole Inspection Program using the TREKK360 and infrared camera technology provided a safer, cost-effective way to access and maintain Evergy’s complex subsurface infrastructure. This customized approach identifies maintenance issues and allows Evergy to make proactive decisions based on more complete data, providing safer, more efficient service to its 1.7 million customers.
The Grandview I-49 Outer Road Conversion Design-Build project received an Honor Award in the Transportation Category. This project successfully reconfigured several ramps and interchanges to provide safer conditions, including the introduction of three roundabouts to the corridor. The project enhances economic development, improves traffic operations and provides safety benefits along the I-49 corridor in Grandview, Missouri.
The I-49 outer road system in the City of Grandview (City) was converted to one-way traffic in the 1980s. The City had long planned to revert the outer roads back to two-way traffic to decrease travel time and improve opportunities for economic development. To achieve this goal, the City facilitated the first MoDOT Local Public Agency-led design-build contract with the Radmacher Brothers Excavating and TREKK Design Group design-build team.
The conversion extends nearly 3 miles from MO-150 north to Harry S. Truman Drive, including interchanges at 140th Street and Main Street. These roads carry thousands of vehicles per day as they enter and exit I-49 or complete local trips through Grandview. Through this section, the outer roads are home to many businesses, and side streets lead to residential neighborhoods.
The project team showed exceptional commitment and coordination to successfully deliver the project on budget and on time. An emphasis on safety led to the reconfiguration of several ramps and interchanges to provide safer conditions, including the introduction of three roundabouts to the corridor.