The American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin
presented Ayres a 2019 Engineering Excellence State Finalist
Award for the project’s design.
Connected to the highway improvements was the design
of an eagle viewing area with parking off the Rose Street
exit. Previously birdwatchers unsafely parked on the
shoulder of the highway ramp to view eagles feeding in the
springtime. The Cities of Onalaska and La Crosse also took
the opportunity to improve their water and sanitary sewer
facilities within the project area, and Ayres included these
plans with the roadway plans to allow for one contractor to
coordinate all the work in the area.
WLIA recognizes Ayres
project manager
The Wisconsin Land Information
Association recently awarded its 2019
Outstanding Contribution Award to Adam
Derringer , a project manager in Ayres
Associates’ aerial mapping group. The
Outstanding Contribution Award is given
to an individual or organization that has made a substantial
contribution to WLIA activities or the Wisconsin Land
Information Program.
Derringer has been an active member, supporter, and
advocate for WLIA for many years. He continued to stay
involved even after his term as WLIA president, serving as
WLIA’s representative on the Wisconsin Land Information
Council and several WLIA committees.
US 34 project earns honors
Engineering News-Record magazine has awarded its Best of
the Best and Project of the Year honors to the project that
provided permanent repairs to the US 34 corridor along the
Big Thompson River near Loveland, Colorado. The highway
was severely damaged during devastating September 2013
flooding. Ayres Associates played a key role in the project.
The foremost periodical of engineering and construction
news, ENR announces regional award winners each year in 20
categories and then chooses Best of the Best national award
winners among those regional winners. Finally, from those 20
national winners, it picks a single Project of the Year.
US 34 was named Project of the Year, in part because it
finished two years early and maintained a safe construction
record despite hazardous site conditions. The Colorado
Department of Transportation project was designed by lead
firm Jacobs Engineering and subconsultants including Ayres.
Ayres provided the hydraulic analysis and engineering that
30│ TRENDS
guided the early design steps in a project that had to reckon
with the immense destructive forces of the Big Thompson
River, whose fury after a 21-inch rain event over a few days
in northern Colorado killed eight people and did $2.9 billion
in damage, including 23 miles of destruction along US 34, 12
miles of which was virtually erased from the landscape.
Design innovations noted by ENR included installing partially
grouted riprap beneath the surface along a 2-mile stretch of
US 34 to create a more solid foundation, protecting bridge
approaches with rocks, moving the road away from the river
where possible, and in some cases rerouting the river to make
the roadway more resilient in future floods along this busy
tourist route.
Traffic engineer given ITE’s highest honor
The Institute of Transportation Engineers
(ITE) has bestowed its highest individual
recognition for professional achievement
on Ken Voigt , senior traffic engineer.
Voigt has been elected to ITE Honorary
Membership in recognition of his 52 years
of service to his profession and decades
of service to ITE.
Voigt has completed hundreds of high-profile projects
ranging from urban pedestrian/bicycle enhancements to
large, complex corridor management projects that involved
capacity improvements and intelligent transportation
systems (ITS) applications. Voigt has conducted traffic safety
studies, roadway operation analysis, traffic calming, and
neighborhood street system design.
Voigt is an ITE past International President and has served
as a leader on every level within ITE, advocating for new
programs and enhancing the value of membership. He was
instrumental in initiating the Collegiate Traffic Bowl and ITE’s
Journal of Transportation. Voigt has continued his active
participation and leadership in ITE, including his service on
the transportation Consultants Council, Sustainability Task