ASCE section honors rail bridge over lake, Naffakh, Wilkinson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 13, 2024

Contact: Darrel Berry, Corporate Communications Manager
Hanson Professional Services Inc.
(217) 747-9291
dberry@hanson-inc.com

ASCE section honors rail bridge over lake, Naffakh, Wilkinson

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — BNSF Railway Co.’s Sandpoint Junction Connector project in Idaho and Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Nada Naffakh, P.E., and Dennis Wilkinson, P.E., S.E., were recognized Sept. 12 during the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Central Illinois Section (CIS) Centennial Banquet in Springfield.

The Sandpoint project, completed last year, won the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award in the large project category. The project’s goal is to provide relief to rail and highway traffic congestion in the Sandpoint, Idaho, region, and includes a 4,875-foot-long bridge over Lake Pend Oreille, the largest lake in the state. The Hanson team included permitting support from Jacobs and geotechnical engineering from Delve Underground. The design team collaborated with BNSF and Ames Construction to design and build a 2.5-mile stretch of second main track. Extensive environmental permitting and regional best management practices during construction were used to mitigate impacts to endangered species of fish and recreational activities when the new bridge was built next to the active existing bridge. Incorporating efficiencies and sustainable elements into the design; working to protect the lake, fish and other aquatic species; and addressing the needs and concerns of the community and stakeholders allowed the project team to complete this significant infrastructure capacity improvement nearly a year ahead of schedule.

Naffakh, a traffic engineer at Hanson’s Peoria office, was named the Young Civil Engineer of the Year. She joined Hanson in 2019 and provides services for roadway projects, including creating traffic models, developing traffic volumes, performing capacity analyses, conducting intersection design studies and creating signal plans. She is president of ASCE’s Illinois Valley Branch, served as its vice president in 2022 and will be the co-chair of its Index Card Bridge Building Competition. She is a social and geographical representative for the City of Peoria Transportation Commission and a 2021 graduate of the Peoria Area Community Leadership School. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois.

Wilkinson, a vice president and the geostructural practice lead and chief facilities structural engineer, was named the Civil Engineer of the Year. Wilkinson, who works at Hanson’s Springfield headquarters, joined the firm in 2000 as an intern, becoming full time in 2001. He has provided structural design services for multistory buildings, foundations, mechanical equipment screen walls, mezzanines and special supports. He received an associate degree in pre-engineering from Springfield College in Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UIUC. He is a licensed professional engineer in multiple states, including Illinois, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands; a licensed structural engineer in Illinois, Arizona and Utah; and a member of ASCE, American Concrete Institute, American Institute of Steel Construction, Central Illinois Chapter of Healthcare Engineers, Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers and the Society of American Military Engineers.

ASCE is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. Founded in 1852, ASCE has more than 150,000 members worldwide.

Hanson is a national, employee-owned consulting firm providing engineering, planning and allied services. The firm’s corporate headquarters is located at 1525 S. Sixth St., Springfield, IL 62703. The office may be reached by phone at (217) 788-2450.

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