Media Contact:

Gayle Fields , ASCE
202-326-5143

"The Kansai International Airport is the first airport on the sea, and an outstanding example of engineering ingenuity and commitment to the public's well-being. It is fitting that it, among other superior airports built in the last century, would be chosen by ASCE for this special honor," said ASCE President Robert Bein, P.E.

Established in 1999, the Monument of the Millennium award honors the civil engineering profession's contribution to the quality of life and well being of people and communities worldwide. The award recognizes the creative spirit and ingenuity of the profession and serves as a symbol of engineering at its finest moments in history. Civil engineering projects selected as millennium monuments inspire generations of engineers to continually 'get it done' in the face of those who would say 'it can't be built.'

"Kansai enabled Japan to meet the increasing demand for air transport in the Kansai region, and to alleviate the public's growing concerns about the high level of noise generated by the Osaka International Airport and the scarcity of land. It will continue to play a leading role in the expansion of 21st century Japanese economy, and play an increasingly prominent role in the economic, cultural and social exchanges between nations as far-flung as South Africa and Brazil," said Bein.

The Monument of the Millennium award comes as a result of ASCE's participation in the National Academy of Engineering's Greatest Achievements project, in which more than 30 other engineering societies canvassed their membership to determine the Top 10 engineering achievements of the last century. Airport development and design is one of the ten civil engineering achievements that made the short list for inclusion in the Greatest Achievements Top 10 list. The other civil engineering achievements include water transportation, dams, highways, long-span bridges, rail transportation, skyscrapers, sanitary landfills and waste disposal systems, wastewater treatment and disposal, and water supply and distribution. One millennium monument has been selected for each of the nine remaining achievements, and ASCE will designate all of them later this year.

While each monument exemplifies the use of engineering ingenuity to overcome major design and construction challenges, this is not the sole criterion. Kansai was selected because, like the great civil engineering works of previous centuries, it uplifts the human spirit and creates civic and national pride in the communities it serves; uses state-of-the art design and construction techniques to preserve the natural environment; and makes a significant contribution to regional and world economies. Most importantly, all of these monuments created a positive change in the way people lived and how they conducted business.

Since its opening in September 1994, the annual number of international passengers using the hub has increased from 2.5 million to more than 25 million. Located in the southeast Osaka Bay, approximately three miles off shore, KIX features an extensive variety of user-friendly, modern amenities, including shopping areas, a children's play room, an unmanned intra-airport transportation system, and a state-of -the-art ventilation system. Because of its location off shore, it is the only airport in the world that is able to function on a 24-hour basis without violating any noise regulations. The airport serves 24 cities in Japan with 69 departures daily and 72 cities in 30 other countries with 693 departures.

One of the most controversial and challenging aspects of KIX was its construction on soft ground, causing the airport's foundation to 'sink' over time. To compensate, engineers designed an innovative differential settlement correction system to level the floors of all the airport's facilities and constructed column bases to accommodate hydraulic jacks to enable periodic lifting and adjustment of the lowest floors of the structures.

To accommodate an ever-increasing demand for air transport, the KIX authority launched the second phase of its construction in 1999 to add an additional runway, significantly increasing the airport passenger and cargo capacities.

KIX is the second of ten projects to receive this distinction from ASCE. The first, the Panama Canal, was designated as the millennium monument representing water transportation in December 1999. During 2001, ASCE plans to designate as Monuments of the Millennium a remarkable project for each of the remaining eight achievement areas.

Founded in 1852, ASCE represents more than 123,000 civil engineers worldwide and is the United States' oldest national engineering society.