Morrison-Maierle Receives Three 2007 Engineering Excellence Awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Montana

Morrison-Maierle, Inc., a “Top 500 Design Firm” offering planning, design, surveying, and construction engineering services throughout the western United States, received three 2007 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Montana.

Morrison-Maierle received the ACEC-Montana Grand Project Award for the Lake Frances Raw Water Intake and Pump Station in Conrad, Montana. This project also won the Honor Award in the Water and Wastewater category. Morrison-Maierle worked with the City of Conrad to develop a long-lasting and affordable solution to securing the community’s sole water supply following several years of severely low lake levels. Morrison-Maierle proposed an innovative approach using Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), thereby lowering costs and alleviating environmental concerns. A 2,300-foot, 24-inch diameter high-density polyethylene pipe was installed under Lake Frances and a raw water pump station and 40 foot deep concrete wet well were constructed. This project is the longest installation of this diameter of pipe using the HDD method in Montana. MMI also assisted the City in obtaining $4 million in grants and loans. Now the residents of Conrad have a raw water intake and pump station that secures a reliable, sustainable drinking water source well into the future.

The Missouri River Ferry Rehabilitation Project won the Honor Award in the Transportation category. MMI provided services to the Montana Department of Transportation to replace the Carter, Virgelle, and McClelland/Stafford ferry boats and their support facilities. The replacement of these 60+ year old ferries, located in Blaine, Chouteau, and Fergus counties, was required due to ever increasing maintenance costs and passenger delays. The overriding goal of the design team and MDT was to maintain the historic flavor and integrity of the ferry systems without compromising the safety and functionality of the ferry boats. Through intense stakeholder coordination and consideration of extreme environmental conditions, the design team rehabilitated the three cable ferry systems so that they will serve the owners and users for years to come.

ACEC of Montana represents engineering companies employing engineers across the state. ACEC of Montana is an association that works with member firms to enhance and promote the engineering profession in the state of Montana. The Engineering Excellence Awards Program recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value, and ingenuity. Judges included representatives from education and government.