Winning Project will be announced in October

RESTON, Va. — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) announced today the 2026 recipients of its Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award nominations, which recognize exemplary civil engineering projects. The award honors projects that exemplify state-of-the-art engineering skills and provide major contributions to the communities in which they are built, in addition to advancing the civil engineering profession. Of the eleven nominees, a winner and two runners-up will be announced during the annual OPAL Gala, which is scheduled for October 15, 2026 in Reston, Virginia.

“Each of these projects nominated for ASCE’s Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award exemplifies the purpose of the civil engineering profession, to build the infrastructure that improves quality of life for people, while protecting public health, safety, and welfare,” said ASCE President Marsha Anderson Bomar, Ph.D. “The people who planned, designed, and built these impressive projects worked tirelessly to deliver innovative and resilient infrastructure projects to communities. These projects will inspire the future of civil engineering and future innovative projects.”

The 2026 OCEA nominees are as follows:

  • Cairo Metro Line 3 - Phase 3 (Cairo, Egypt) — This 11-mile (17.7 kilometer) extension of Cairo’s metro system aims to reduce the city’s travel congestion and provide a reliable modern transportation system for more than 1.5 million people. The project improved accessibility with 15 stations connecting key areas of city with the central business district and aims to reduce transportation time and accident rates.
  • Carlsbad Desalination Plant Intake & Discharge Facility (Carlsbad, California) — This state-of-the-art seawater intake and discharge facility replaces a previous facility linked to a now decommissioned powerplant. The new facility creates a sustainable and resilient water supply that delivers 50 million gallons a day to the San Diego County Water Authority. The plant’s design minimizes the impact of future droughts on the water supply and can remain in operation during events like tidal level fluctuations, sea level rise, and tsunamis.
  • Central Business District Tolling Program (New York) — Built as part of New York’s implementation of the city’s Congestion Relief Zone, this advanced tolling technology helps manage traffic and improves urban mobility. The toll collection system uses devices that blend into the city’s existing infrastructure to minimize the visual impact. Since the tolling program started in January 2025, the Congestion Relief Zone has seen an 11% reduction in vehicle traffic, increased transit ridership, and reduced travel times.
  • Complete 540 Phase 1 (Raleigh, North Carolina) — The $1.3 billion Complete 540 Phase 1 project is a transformative toll corridor that connects Wake County to regional destinations, significantly reducing congestion and improving travel time for thousands of commuters. This 18-mile expressway exemplifies innovation, resilience and sustainability, integrating cutting-edge design, environmental stewardship, and inclusive contracting.
  • Exploration Green Detention Facility (Houston, Texas) — This flood control and green space project transformed a defunct golf course in Clear Lake, Texas into five stormwater detention ponds with 500 million gallons of capacity. It is designed to withstand a 100-year storm event, the facility protected homes during Hurricane Harvey, and now safeguards thousands of residents. In addition to flood mitigation, the project features more than six miles of trails, restored wetlands, native habitats, and other recreational amenities.
  • Hyperion Advanced Water Purification Facility (Playa Del Rey, California) — This water purification facility delivers 1.5 million gallons of water a day and is a cornerstone in the City of Los Angeles’ vision for a water-resilient future. Every drop of purified water produced by the Hyperion APWF directly offsets a drop of potable water. The APWF plays a key role in advancing a future water supply strategy that aims to meet up to 50% of Los Angeles’ potable water demand with purified recycled water, turning wastewater into a vital, sustainable resource for millions of people.
  • I-64 Improvement and Record-setting Kanawha River Bridge (Putnam County, West Virginia) — This project replaced one of the state’s most traveled bridges that was also a frequent traffic chokepoint due to the inability to expand the previous bridge. The project expanded the new bridge to three travel lanes in each direction, along with a lane for drivers to merge when getting on and off the highway. The design build process led to a cost-effective project, simplified construction, and reduced the impact on river traffic.
  • Lake Washington Ship Canal Large Lock Miter Gate Replacement (Seattle, Washington) — The Ballard Locks are the busiest locks in the United States and also a major tourist attraction, serving approximately 50,000 vessels and more than 1 million pedestrians each year. They connect Lake Washington to Puget Sound while maintaining the level of the lake and separating fresh and salt water. This project included decommissioning the 240-ton, century-old miter gate leaves and replacing them with two newly fabricated 165-ton leaves. The replacement minimizes the need for future maintenance closings and ensures the Locks continue to function in prime condition to serve the public efficiently.
  • Portland International Airport, Terminal Core Redevelopment Phase One (Portland, Oregon) — This $2 billion redevelopment of Portland International Airport is one of Oregon’s largest public infrastructure projects. Covering over 1 million square feet, it transforms Portland International Airport with a striking mass timber roof, seismic upgrades, expanded spaces, and cutting-edge sustainability features. This ambitious modernization enhances capacity, resilience, and the passenger experience.
  • Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion (Seattle, Washington) — The Open Ocean Pavilion provides visitors to the Seattle Aquarium an immersive experience to see marine life. It contains more than 500,000 gallons of water and includes a 30-foot-wide window that resists more than 1.1 million gallons of water pressure. It is designed to withstand a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and can withstand the strongest windstorm. The project expanded the aquarium and facilitated an accessible connection between Pike Place Market and the Puget Sound and is the final piece of Seattle’s urban planning waterfront redevelopment vision.
  • Southeast Treatment Plant Headworks Project (San Francisco, California) — This new 250 million gallon a day plant processes up to 80% of San Francisco’s wastewater flow and replaced two aging facilities. The vertical design conserves land while allowing the plant to increase grit removal capacity to ten times the industry norm. It is designed to withstand a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and 36 inches of sea level rise and will operate continuously in extreme conditions. The project also included investments in public art, odor mitigation, and workforce development.
  • Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway: I-66/Nutley Street Interchange (Fairfax County, Virginia) — Northern Virginia’s $3.7 billion Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway Project introduced a safer, more efficient I-66/Nutley Street Interchange, benefiting drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. The design allowed for keeping an existing bridge and eliminated the need for a second one. It also included extensive safety measures like grade-separating pedestrian crossings and roundabouts to protect both pedestrians and drivers. The redesigned interchange stands as a testament to modern, thoughtful infrastructure planning.

Additional information about ASCE’s OCEA honors is available here. Information about the 2026 OPAL Gala at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, VA is available here.

About the American Society of Civil Engineers

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.