The American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) awarded RETTEW a 2022 Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence for its State Route (SR) 115 Improvement Project.

“This project demonstrates how a balance can be achieved between roadway reconstruction and natural environments through careful planning, engineering, and environmental mitigation,” said Clayton Bubeck, president and CEO of RETTEW. “SR 115 now provides a safer roadway connecting the local and regional areas with the Pocono Raceway, adds capacity during normal and special event use, and provides a healthier ecosystem.”

The Pocono Raceway draws huge crowds during race weekends, with the majority traveling by SR 115. During these events, traffic on SR 115 is restricted to one direction, creating challenges for local residents and obstructing emergency vehicles. The area is environmentally sensitive, with roads winding through high-quality wetlands, and frequent flooding often occurred from a nearby stream. RETTEW designed a roadway to limit the impacts to both the adjacent properties and the environmentally sensitive areas. RETTEW also restored and realigned Keiper Run Creek and an unnamed tributary by using stream design techniques.

The criteria ACEC/PA uses in selecting Diamond Award projects includes uniqueness, future value to the engineering profession, public perception, sustainable development considerations and complexity. Collectively, the winning firms have strengthened the country’s infrastructure, enhanced public safety, raised the profile of the engineering profession, and offered sustainable, economic solutions for clients and taxpayers. The ACEC/PA Diamond Awards were presented at a gala held virtually on Jan. 27.

“It is so important to consider the environmental impact of our infrastructure and find ways to decrease that impact,” said Leeann Sherman, executive director of ACEC/PA. “RETTEW and its partners made outstanding strides to lessen the effects that SR 115 has on our environment and set a great example for other project leaders to do the same.”

ACEC/PA is devoted exclusively to the promotion and enhancement of the business interests and profitability of consulting engineering and related firms with offices in the commonwealth. Its goal is to enable member firms to provide quality engineering services in the best interest of clients and the public.