The Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton and Hancock was officially dedicated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on June 17.

For more information about the bridge and the dedication, see MDOT's news bulletin.

If you're interested in having an emerging leader from your firm participate in a future Emerging Leaders Program, please visit our website to claim a spot on the waiting list for the 2023 class!

Projects from across the  state compete each year for the coveted "Eminent Conceptor" Award. In early November, a panel of judges will evaluate the projects based on innovation, complexity, client satisfaction and future value to the profession. Intents to enter this year's competition are due August 19, with completed project submittals due by September 23. 

Award recipients will be recognized on March 11, 2023 during the awards gala, which will be held at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. Visit the ACEC/M website for more information.  

On June 16, members of the ASCE Michigan Section and Upper Peninsula Branch held a ceremony to re-dedicate the Redridge Steel Dam as an ASCE Michigan Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Originally dedicated in 1985, the Redridge Dam was constructed in 1901 and is one of only 3 steel gravity dams built in the United States. It is located approximately 11 miles west of Houghton, Michigan. The dam was a great engineering achievement at the turn of the Century. Owned by the Copper Range Company, the dam supplied enough water to wash 5000 tons of rock daily. The dam still stands today but has had some modifications, including openings cut into the steel face to act as a weir.

A new plaque will be placed at the trailhead leading to the dam. Special thanks to Andrew Rossell, ASCE MI Section President; Audra Morse, MTU Professor & Department Chair; Alice Roache, ASCE UP Branch President, and many others for attending the ceremony and replacing the damaged plaque at the site.

On September 21, 2022, ACEC/Michigan will be holding an Ethics Webinar. The Michigan Professional Engineers Board has implemented changes to the General Rules for Continuing Education requirements for all licensed Professional Engineers. The new Rules require 2 CEUs in Ethics under Rule 339.16040: “Of the 30 hours, at least 2 hours of continuing education must be earned in ethics, as it relates to professional engineering.”

Experienced presenters from AXA XL and PCIA will lead the discussion. Registration is on the ACEC/M website. 

The ASCE Executive Committee has selected Deborah H. Lee, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE to receive the 2022 ASCE President's Medal for “her leadership of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute to provide for the technical, educational, and professional needs of its members, and to serve the public in the use, conservation, and protection of natural resources, and enhancement of human well-being.”

MDOT is requesting responses to the Questionnaire by Friday, August 19, 2022 (4:00pm EST). Deliver responses to the Questionnaire via email to Jim Schultz at MDOT (schultzj3@michigan.gov). Following the August 19th deadline, the MDOT Team plans to offer respondents the opportunity to schedule individual meetings. These meetings will tentatively be scheduled in early September and will focus on the questionnaire and associated responses.

All ASCE members are invited to attend. With an outstanding program and social events planned, this is an excellent way to kick off in-person meetings again (see event flyer). Additional information and registration for the conference is available on the ASCE website.

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) recently released two Notices of Intent (NOI) to issue Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2022. DOE also opened an application period (ending September 30, 2022) under the formulae grant program for grid modernization.  

DOE issued NOIs to fund two programs that will advance carbon capture demonstration projects and expand regional pipeline networks to transport carbon dioxide for permanent geologic storage or for conversion into valued end uses, such as construction materials. The two programs – the Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program and the Carbon Dioxide Transport/Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Program – are funded by a more than $2.6 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Read the announcement.

DOE has opened the application period for States, Tribal nations, and territories to apply for the $2.3 billion formula grant program designed to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters exacerbated by the climate crisis. The Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid program is established by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered through DOE’s new Building a Better Grid Initiative. The application deadline is September 30, 2022. Read the announcement.

September 8-9: ACEC/M Emerging Leaders Program

September 21: It's A Matter of Ethics Webinar

September 22 & 28: ACEC/M CEO Roundtables

October 16 - 19: ACEC National Fall Conference

February 2: MDOT-ACEC Partnering Workshop

March 11: Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards Gala

May 11: Michigan Infrastructure Conference