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T.Y. Lin International Wins 2021 ASCE OCEA Honor Award for Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative in New York

T.Y. Lin International Wins 2021 ASCE OCEA Honor Award for Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative in New York

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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 been selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as an Honor Award winner in the 2021 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) awards competition. TYLI was the Prime Consultant and Lead Designer for the project, a massive $65 million endeavor that produced a new version of the park that harmonizes with its distinction as an international tourist destination and one of the nation’s greatest treasures.

As an Honor Award winner, the project is now one of nine contenders for the top OCEA Award. The OCEA Award recognizes the project that best illustrates superior civil engineering skills and represents a significant contribution to the civil engineering profession and society. Judging criteria focuses on originality and innovation, resourcefulness in planning and solving design challenges, sustainability, and project planning and delivery.

The Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative implemented a series of more than 16 full-scale, interconnected projects across 400-plus acres. Gone are the days of disrepair, undersized overlooks, inadequate pedestrian circulation, and antiquated systems. Today, the park is a thriving picture of sustainability, state-of-the-art 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 landscape architect, The LA Group, and the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP) to design and progress the construction. Throughout construction, the park never once closed its gates. The park systems, both visible and behind the scenes, are vastly more efficient and realize significant savings in both cost and time to maintain them.

Deemed “a crowning achievement for all involved” by NYSOPRHP, the project spanned five years and touched nearly every major aspect of the park to sculpt a more intimate view of its majestic beauty. All designs complement the site’s historic and natural setting while meeting the park’s contemporary needs.

As a true measure of success, NYSOPRHP was so pleased with the early phases of the project that it added assignments, funding, and timelines to maximize the revitalization, increasing the original budget from $25 million to $65 million. The project exceeded client goals and was completed in accordance with the expanded schedule and budget. The transformation has been a boon to the regional economy, with new hotels and restaurants opening to meet the tourist demand.

The Niagara Falls State Park Transformation Initiative and other Honor Award winners will be recognized at ASCE’s 2021 Convention on October 8, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois, where the OCEA Award winner will be announced.

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