Today marks the start of the start of the madness.
ASCE Civil Engineering Landmark Madness, to be more precise.
It’s a month-long battle royale, pitting 16 of the most important civil engineering achievements against one another, and your vote will decide the champion.
The inaugural bracket features a “Sweet 16” of the greatest railways and roadways as selected by ASCE History and Heritage Committee members.
Voting on the first-round matchups opens Monday, March 9, and runs through Sunday, March 15. The landmark that receives the most vote in each matchup moves on to the next round; and voting resets for another Monday-through-Sunday cycle until a champion is crowned.
“The landmarks are extremely important,” said Chuck Spinks, P.E., M.ASCE, an ASCE life member and longtime member of the History and Heritage Committee.
“The plaques are one of the very best avenues ASCE has to reach the general public. Literally thousands of people learn about civil engineering, reading the plaques on the landmarks.”
With ASCE preparing to celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2027, civil engineering history is in the air – so launching the first Landmark Madness tournament is fitting this spring. It’s a great chance to learn more about the rich legacy of civil engineering.
ASCE’s Historic Civil Engineering Landmark program recognizes historically significant local, national, and international civil engineering projects, structures, and sites – nearly 300 in all.
The tough part, though, is going to be figuring out who to vote for. Every contender is a classic.
Spinks isn’t shy about which way he leans, rails or roads. After all, he has served as a docent at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, and is lending his expertise to a PBS documentary in the works about Grenville Dodge, chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad.
“I’m voting for all the railroads of course. Those are much more important than simple roads!” Spinks said, laughing. “But it will all be interesting to see. There are some landmarks in the tournament that many will know a lot about, but some others probably not as well-known.”
Learn more about ASCE Civil Engineering Madness and cast your vote on the first-round matchups.
Get ready for ASCE2027
2027 is going to be a big year for ASCE. It marks the Society's 175th anniversary, and, amid all the celebrations, ASCE is launching ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience – a first-of-its-kind event bringing together big thinkers from all across the infrastructure space, March 1-5, 2027, in Philadelphia.
