Widseth Smith Nolting recently received a Project of the Year Honor Award from the City Engineers Association of Minnesota (CEAM) for Alexandria’s Second Avenue/Third Avenue Corridor Street Reconstruction Project. The annual competition recognizes engineering achievements based on the significance and overall benefit of the project. Entries were judged on the basis of significant public benefit or service; significance, complexity, innovation, and creativity; and impact to the environment.

The project consisted of the multi-year reconstruction of Second and Third Avenues through central and downtown Alexandria. This corridor is the busiest in Alexandria, with one of the highest traffic counts in west-central Minnesota. Major portions of the project included construction of Second Avenue, reconstruction of Third Avenue, and design and construction of two separate multi-cell water quality ponds.

The project involved major construction through a fully developed business area heavily dependent upon summer tourism. The major issues of traffic and business disruption were addressed by incorporating extensive planning, creative design, construction sequencing controls, and public involvement. The project is an example of how city, state, and local businesses can work together to complete a very difficult project with immense success. While the project began with great apprehension among the businesses, it was completed with all parties praising the effort.

WSN is a multi-disciplined firm of over 140 employees providing engineering, architectural, land surveying, and environmental services. Its offices are located in Alexandria, Baxter/Brainerd, Bemidji, and Crookston, Minnesota; and Grand Forks, North Dakota.