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The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently selected six finalists from 27 nominations for its 2003 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award, including Southern California's nearly one-year-old Alameda Corridor.


The awards recognize civil engineering projects' innovation, technical excellence, community benefit and artistry.


A 20-mile line linking the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to transcontinental rail yards near downtown L.A., the Alameda Corridor consolidates rail traffic from four existing branch lines. The corridor enables trains to travel between the ports and downtown in less than 45 minutes compared with more than two hours pre-construction.


Designed to accommodate 100 trains a day, the corridor currently averages 35 daily trains. Although targets haven't yet been met, Alameda Corridor officials expect the line to reduce crossing traffic delays 90 percent; train emissions, 28 percent; and idling car and truck emissions, 54 percent.


Other OCEA finalists are the HOST Park Seawater Supply Pipeline in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; the Quadracci Pavillion addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum; the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in L.A.; the rebuilt portion of the Pentagon damaged in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on Washington, D.C.; and the World Trade Center Disaster Site Recovery project in New York City.


The winner will be announced May 1 at ASCE's fourth-annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.



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