Rendering of Clear Creek Parkway in Shawnee, Kan.
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Kansas, a professional association of private-practice consulting and engineering firms, has selected McClure Engineering Company (MEC) as the winner of its 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards competition in the Transportation Category. Clear Creek Parkway was one of 10 category winners and was recognized by the statewide award program as a project that demonstrates an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value.
Clear Creek Parkway is a new roadway in Shawnee, Kan., that connects surrounding communities through current and planned residential, recreational, and retail developments. Not only does it serve as a vital thoroughfare for motor vehicle traffic, but as the City of Shawnee’s first complete concrete street, it also will require less overall maintenance over the next 30 years.
The one-mile, three-lane road includes a roundabout with a golf cart underpass to accommodate the Shawnee Golf & Country Club Course, an LED lighting aesthetic that synchronizes with the K-7 bridge lighting design, a drainage diaphragm behind repaired dams to ensure the roadway remains dry under all circumstances, and more.
MEC partnered with Terracon and Landworks Studio to provide the initial survey, preliminary and final design, construction staking, observed construction, and final as-built survey and drawings. The team was met with several challenges, including wetland and streambank mitigation, the moving of select utilities, and the preservation of historical Native American settlements.
“Coordination of the overall project roadway design with City staff, partners, and the adjacent development interests were critical to developing a corridor that properly utilizes green street features, coordinates with the community’s goals for growth, and demonstrates the City of Shawnee’s commitment to providing first-class infrastructure on schedule and on budget,” said Paul Parks, PE, senior project manager.
To meet these goals, all parties agreed to a cost-effective and integrated project delivery approach that allowed for an accelerated project schedule.
“Understanding the project challenges, MEC assembled a project team that met or exceeded our expectations for quality, communication, and collaboration,” said Paul Lindstrom, PE, senior project engineer for the City of Shawnee. “This project deserves recognition as an example of forward thinking and effective cost control, while working within and dealing with terrain challenges to meet the needs of our growing community.”
