Four VHB projects earned national honors at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2026 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) Gala in Washington, DC on May 5. In a record-breaking year for the EEA competition—often calledThe Southport Swing Bridge Rehabilitation and the Dresden–Talbot 500kV Transmission Line – Accelerated Siting Survey received National Recognition Awards. VHB was also a key subcontractor on Arup’s National Recognition Award-winning Wharf District Resiliency Plan.
South Coast Rail
The landmark $1.2B SCR Expansion Project has restored a critical passenger rail connection from Massachusetts’ underserved South Coast to Boston after 65 years, catalyzing regionwide revitalization. When the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)—whom VHB has been supporting on SCR since its inception in the 1990s—phased the SCR program, the VHB-HNTB Joint-Venture team’s design leveraged an existing freight corridor to help them start service five years sooner and for more than $2B less.
Expediting permitting by minimizing wetland impacts, designing dozens of permit-independent “early-action” projects, and implementing an innovative soil management plan that saved $20-30M, the JV team smoothly delivered one of the MBTA’s most complex projects, keeping construction on track through the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions.
Southport Swing Bridge
A treasured landmark both integral to local industry and the only land passage between Maine’s Southport Island and the mainland, the Southport Swing Bridge is one of New England’s last remaining operational historic swing bridges. Leveraging reality capture and contractor input during design (CID), VHB’s innovative, interdisciplinary approach to rehabilitating the bridge preserved that history while solving structural, mechanical, and electrical deficiencies and in-water constructability challenges—all within a compressed schedule to meet federal funding requirements.
Dresden–Talbot 500kV Transmission Line
To support Georgia Transmission Corporation’s resiliency-strengthening Dresden–Talbot 500kV Transmission Line project, VHB completed a historic resource survey covering a 1,200-mile study area roughly the size of Yellowstone National Park in just four months. Using a custom Esri Field Maps application and a comprehensive GIS-based decision-support system, VHB’s field teams collected high-quality data, giving Georgia Transmission a scalable, repeatable data asset to site the Dresden–Talbot line quickly, minimize impacts to historic properties, and strengthen regulatory relationships.
Wharf District Resiliency Plan
A first-of-its-kind, community-led coastal resilience initiative, the Wharf District Resiliency Plan proposes an array of innovative solutions to equitably safeguard over 60 acres in one of Boston’s most flood-prone neighborhoods. Supported by VHB’s regulatory strategy and analysis, the plan garnered unanimous support from all 16 community waterfront property owners and is projected to help the region avoid approximately $1.9 billion in flood damages through 2070.
“These awards highlight the breadth of VHB’s capabilities and our commitment to finding innovative and imaginative solutions,” said Steve McElligott, SVP, Executive Markets Lead. “It’s an honor to get national recognition for our work across markets to solve complex challenges and create more resilient, sustainable communities.”
Learn more about the markets VHB serves and explore how our technology-enabled engineering solutions help address our clients’ challenges in the built environment.
