The American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts has named Collins Engineers, Inc. with offices in Warwick as a winner of their 2016 Silver Engineering Excellence Award for work on the Ashley Falls Road Bridge Design Using GRS-IBS in Andover, Massachusetts.

The 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards were announced at the recent ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence and Awards.

Collins Engineers, Inc. with offices in Dedham, Massachusetts and Warwick received the award for its work on replacing the bridge carrying MA Route 7/Ashley Falls Road over the Housatonic Railroad in Sheffield.  The Massachusetts Department of Transportation project employed the use of a new technology developed by the Federal Highway Administration called Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS).  The use of GRS-IBS results in a bridge requiring less maintenance with an increased design life.  Collins Engineers, Inc. designed the replacement bridge using this technology.

“The winning projects exemplify ingenuity and professionalism and represent the breadth of engineering’s contribution to our everyday lives,” said ACEC/MA President David Vivilecchia. “They are outstanding examples of how engineers connect communities, provide safe and reliable water and energy, and make our buildings safe and efficient. The professional engineers and their colleagues at our member firms are dedicated to working on quality infrastructure, which wouldn’t otherwise exist. These outstanding projects are but a few examples of the quality work designed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island engineering firms.”