Broadway project receives engineering award

The project that revamped Broadway has received recognition from state engineering and landscape organizations.

At the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting Monday night, Mayor Harry Rediger announced the city received the 2014 Engineering Excellence Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri for the Broadway Corridor Project.

City engineer Casey Brunke attended the awards banquet last weekend to accept the award on behalf of the city. She said it was one of 15 to take home that award.

Brunke said the city worked with Horner & Shifren, the consultants hired for the Broadway project, on the application for the competition last fall. Because the city is a municipality and not a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies, she said Horner & Shifren submitted the application. Because the city was the client for the project, however, she said it received an honor award with the consulting firm.

Kuhlmann Design Group took home a Grand Award for their work on Isle Casino Cape Girardeau. The project was one of 11 to receive that honor.

Brunke said the competition is open to engineering companies across Missouri, even if projects are completed in another state. According to the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri website, project entries are judged on "excellence in design, the degree to which the clients' needs are met, as well as benefit to the public welfare and to the private practice of engineering." A third-party panel of judges reviews and scores the projects, Brunke added.

On Saturday, the city will receive a second award for landscaping. SWT Design, the firm hired for landscaping for the Broadway project, submitted an application to the St. Louis Chapter of the American Society of Landscape and Architects. When the group hosts its annual Winter Party and Awards Celebration on Saturday, both the city and the landscaping firm will receive awards.

"I didn't even know SWT submitted an application for that award," said Brunke. "So it was nice [to find out about the award]."

At Monday night's city council meeting, Rediger said the Broadway Corridor Project was "truly a community project" and that the community is "reaping the benefits of the project." Since the $4.7 million project's completion in 2012, 14 businesses have opened along Broadway. A yearlong outdoor sculpture exhibit also will be on display on the street April 4.

Brunke said the awards were "great recognition for the consultants and the city," and she hoped they would encourage more tourists to visit the city.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Broadway Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.