Wilbur Smith Associates of Columbia is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 44th annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for the Robert Edge Sr. Parkway in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. ACEC is the Washington D.C. – based business association representing approximately 5,700 independent engineering companies throughout the United States.

During peak summer months, traffic congestion in North Myrtle Beach complicates travel for both visitors and residents. The new parkway that links the Carolina Bays Parkway (S.C. Route 90) and Main Street (U.S. Route 17) provides an additional crossing of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway improving mobility throughout the area.

The $54 million project also includes a new 2.7–mile four–lane highway, a 1,000–foot long bridge, a 10–foot wide multi–use path, and a landscaped gateway leading into downtown North Myrtle Beach. In addition to facilitating routine traffic, the new route provides a much needed new evacuation route during hurricanes and other major storms.

The project is among 163 engineering projects throughout the nation that are being recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements for 2009. Judging for the prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards – known industry–wide as the “Academy Awards” of the engineering industry – took place in February, conducted by a distinguished panel of more than 30 engineers and architects, along with representatives from government, media, and academia.

Criteria for awards include uniqueness and originality, technical, social and economic value, complexity, and success of the projects in meeting goals.

All winners, including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards, and the “Grand Conceptor Award” for best overall engineering achievement, will be recognized at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala to be held Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C