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Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative in New York Wins 2021 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award

Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative in New York Wins 2021 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award

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T.Y. Lin International (TYLI), a globally recognized full-service infrastructure consulting firm, announces that the Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative in Niagara Falls, New York, has won the 2021 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). TYLI was the Prime Consultant and Lead Designer for the $65 million project, which created a new version of the park that underscores its distinction as an international tourist destination and one of the nation’s greatest treasures.

Established in 1960, the OCEA Award recognizes the project deemed to embody the best in civil engineering and which represents a significant contribution both to the civil engineering profession and to society as a whole. ASCE established the annual OPAL awards to celebrate outstanding engineering achievements and recognize the contributions of civil engineers worldwide. Nine OCEA Honor Awards were announced in January, and the winner and two runners-up were announced October 8, 2021, as part of ASCE’s virtual National Convention.

The Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative implemented a series of more than 16 full-scale, interconnected projects across 400-plus acres. As a result, gone are the days of disrepair, undersized overlooks, inadequate pedestrian circulation, and antiquated systems. Today, the park is a thriving picture of sustainability, innovation, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility for its nine million annual visitors.

TYLI orchestrated the efforts of 13 individual firms and worked in close partnership with the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP) and the landscape architect, The LA Group, to design and advance the construction. Park systems, both visible and behind the scenes, are now vastly more efficient and realize significant savings in both cost and time to maintain them. As an added benefit to NYSOPRHP, the park never once closed its gates throughout construction.

“T.Y. Lin International and our project partner, The LA Group, delivered a comprehensive design plan that complements the historic and natural setting of Niagara Falls State Park while meeting the park’s contemporary needs,” said Robert Radley, P.E., TYLI East Region Director. “On behalf of the entire project team, we thank the American Society of Civil Engineers for recognizing the Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative with the 2021 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award.”

Deemed “a crowning achievement for all involved” by NYSOPRHP, the project spanned five years and touched nearly every major aspect of the park to present a more intimate view of its renowned beauty. The transformation has also been a boon to the regional economy, with new hotels and restaurants opening to meet the tourist demand.

ASCE’s introductory video on the Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative can be viewed here.

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