Centennial Highlights

Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers

2014 Centennial Celebration Gala




Awards

As part of celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Louisiana Section has chosen to honor significant Civil Engineering projects in the state of Louisiana. Given that we can boast of hundreds of outstanding projects—spanning all corners of the state and many disciplines and technical achievements—the Section developed a special selection process.

The first step in the process was preparing a “Master List” of exemplary projects considered worthy of historical distinction. To create this Master List the Section published an initial set of 66 projects, prepared by our History and Heritage Committee, on our website and solicited additional online nominations from the state-wide membership. The six-week nomination process was publicized in the Section’s Journal and in emails to the membership. Each Branch then formed a special committee to finalize the Master List, which ultimately grew to over 150 projects! With the Master List completed, the Section formed a Centennial Awards Committee—comprised of eight Section past presidents (two from each Branch)—to select the award Categories, Finalists, and Recipients.

The first order of business was to review the Master List and develop appropriate categories for the Centennial Awards. Three subcommittees were formed to examine various proposals. In the end, the Centennial Awards Committee decided on twelve discipline and three innovation Categories.

With the Categories set, the Committee then proceeded through a multi-round process to select Finalists and Recipients. Each Committee member was first asked to submit three project nominees in each Category. From this first “short list” of nominated projects in each Category the Committee members were asked to choose their favorite two. Any project that received less than two votes was then eliminated, resulting in a second short list generally reflecting a consensus of between four and six projects for each Category. Each Awards Committee member was then asked to rank their top three in each Category. Finalists in each Category were determined according to total score.

Any project receiving five or more votes for top place in a Category was deemed the Recipient. No Recipient was a unanimous selection, but many did receive seven first place votes. For several Categories the competition was very tight, and an additional round was needed to select the Recipient. In these cases, a majority of Committee members determined the Recipient from among two or three top ranked projects.



15 Categories of the Centennial Awards and the Award Recipients

  • Flood Control - Small:
    New Orleans Drainage and Pump Stations
    New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board
  • Flood Control – Large:
    Mississippi River Levees
    US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Waterways:
    Old River Control Structures
    US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Industrial Facilities:
    Port of New Orleans Facilities on the Mississippi River
    Port of New Orleans
  • Oil & Gas Structures and Facilities:
    Shell Cognac Platform
    Shell Oil Company
  • Environmental:
    Coastal Marsh Restoration
    Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
  • Water and Wastewater Systems:
    McNeill Street Pumping Station
    City of Shreveport
  • Construction Innovations:
    Spliced Piles for High Rise Construction
    Edward Morphy
  • Operational Innovations:
    Strategic Petroleum Reserve
    US Department of Energy
  • Material Performance Innovations:
    John James Audubon Bridge
    Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
  • Air and Surface Transportation – Small:
    New Orleans Streetcarv New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
  • Air and Surface Transportation – Large:
    Interstate 10 through Maurepas/McElroy Swamp
    Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
  • Transportation Structures – Small:
    Texas Street Bridge
    Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
  • Transportation Structures – Large:
    Lake Pontchartrain Causewayv Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission
  • Building Structures:
    Louisiana Superdome
    Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District


Awards and the Award Recipients

  Flood Control - Small
Morganza Floodway
New Orleans Drainage & Pump Stations
Whiskey Bay Pilot Channel
Flood Control - Large
IHNC Storm Surge Barrier
Mississippi River Levees
Old River Control Structures
Waterways
Eads Pass / Jetties
Old River Control Structures
Red River Navigation Project
Industrial Facilities
Barksdale Air Force Base
Port of New Orleans Facilities on the Mississippi River
Waterford 3
Oil & Gas Structures and Facilities
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port
Shell Cognac Platform
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Environmental
Coastal Marsh Restoration
New Orleans Lakefront Improvements
Teche-Vermilion Freshwater Diversion Works
Water & Wastewater Systems
McNeill Street Pumping Station
New Orleans Sewerage System
Toledo Bend Reservoir
Construction Innovations
Eads Pass / Jetties
Interstate 10 through Maurepas/McElroy Swamp
Spliced Piles for High Rise Construction in New Orleans
Operational Innovations
Port Fourchon
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Wood Screw Pumps in New Orleans
Material Performance Innovations
Charenton Canal HPC Bridge
Hale Boggs (Luling) Bridge
John James Audubon Bridge
Spliced Piles used for Buildings and Bridges
Air & Surface Transportation - Small
New Orleans Streetcar
Railroad/Traffic Center Swing Span Bridge
Union Passenger Terminal
Air & Surface Transportation - Large
Barksdale Air Force Base, Interstate 10 through Maurepas/McElroy Swamp
Port of New Orleans
Transportation Structures - Small
Houma Tunnel
I-110 Airline Highway Interchange
Texas Street Bridge
Transportation Structures - Large
Huey P. Long Bridge
I-10 Atchafalaya Basin Bridge / Crossing
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
Building Structures
Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana State Capitol Building
One Shell Square




Special Edition Centennial Posters

The Louisiana Section is pleased to present these six Special Edition Posters honoring 100 years of outstanding civil engineering projects throughout the state.

The posters are nominally priced at $15 each.

The posters were created by Stun Design, an award winning graphics firm which previously assisted the Section with our 2012 Report Card graphics. The following five posters comprise a set:

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks, Louisiana Section
Historic Civil Engineering Projects, New Orleans Branch
Historic Civil Engineering Projects, Baton Rouge Branch
Historic Civil Engineering Projects, Acadiana Branch
Historic Civil Engineering Projects, Shreveport Branch

A sixth Education Poster (block style) has also been prepared for donating to schools.

Individual or multiple posters can be purchased in any combination. Posters can also be ordered by sending an email request to your local Branch Poster Contact. Delivery, payment, and any special arrangements are at the discretion of each Branch, so discuss these with the Branch Poster Contact:

NO, Debbie Mitchell, Assis.to Steve Johns, Branch President, Debbie.Mitchell@WSNelson.com
BR, Joey Coco, Branch President, jcoco@forteandtablada.com
Acadiana, Tyler Roy, Branch President, troy@wilcomarshbuggies.com
Shreveport: Mitch Guy, Branch President, mguy@cdg-apec.com


Poster 1

Poster 2

Poster 3

Poster 4

Poster 5

Education Poster



Walter E. Blessey, 1979

Thomas L. Jackson, 2003



Milestones

  • 1877 ASCE held a national conference in New Orleans
  • 1897 Benjamin M. Harrod became National President
  • 1914 Louisiana Association of Members of the American Society of Civil Engineers founded with 48 members. Meetings held at the Cabildo in New Orleans on the first Monday of January, April, July, and October
  • 1921 Association changed its name to the Louisiana Section
  • 1932 Student chapter formed at Louisiana State University and A&M College
  • 1933 Student chapter formed at Tulane University
  • 1937 Section contributed to the special WPA historical report on Foundations in New Orleans and Vicinity
  • 1939 Section published first volume of the quarterly “LaSec News"
  • 1949 Student chapter formed at Louisiana Tech University
  • 1953 Shreveport Branch founded
  • 1955 ASCE members assigned to Section reach 609, with 283 paying Section dues of $3.00
  • 1957 Student chapter formed at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
  • 1962 New Orleans and Baton Rouge Branches founded
  • 1971 Student chapter formed at Southern University and A&M College
  • 1979 Shell COGNAC Offshore Platform awarded Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement
  • 1979 Walter E. Blessey became National President
  • 1981 Student chapter formed at University of New Orleans
  • 1982 Student chapter formed at McNeese State University
  • 1982 Acadiana Branch founded
  • 1982 Louisiana Offshore Oil Port awarded Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement
  • 1982 Eads South Pass recognized as National Historic Landmark
  • 1984 Hale Boggs (Luling Destrehan) Bridge awarded Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement
  • 1990 New Orleans Branch initiated Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference and Show
  • 1990 New Orleans Branch started the Geotechnical and Structures Technical Committees which later became chapters of the Geo-Institute and Structural Engineering Institute
  • 1992 Section started publication of the quarterly Journal: The Louisiana Civil Engineer
  • 1997 Section Board voted to support continuing education requirements
  • 1999 McNeill Street Pumping Station recognized as National Historic Landmark
  • 2002 Section launched website
  • 2003 Thomas L. Jackson became National President
  • 2005 Following Hurricane Katrina, Section provided relocation assistance to displaced New Orleans members; two members served on independent NSF and State levee failure investigation teams
  • 2007 Section initiated Section “Wall of Fame” awards for lifetime achievement
  • 2008 Section Journal won National Outstanding Newsletter for Large Sections, and repeated in ’09, ’10, ’11, and ’12
  • 2008 Section started chapter of Transportation and Development Institute
  • 2012 Section compiled and published first Report Card for Louisiana’s Infrastructure
  • 2012 Huey P. Long Bridge recognized as National Historic Landmark
  • 2012 Section started chapter of Coastal, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute
  • 2013 Lake Pontchartrain Causeway recognized as National Historic Landmark
  • 2014 IHNC Surge Barrier awarded Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement
  • 2014 Section membership stands at 2,254; Branch memberships at: New Orleans 914, Baton Rouge 714, Acadiana 435, and Shreveport 191