The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) announced the winners of its 2024 Project Awards. This year, three finalists were chosen, and the winner was announced at the annual awards luncheon presentation on October 24, 2024. ICRI presented the Project of the Year Award to Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates out of Minneapolis, Minnesota and their 3rd Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation project.  

In addition to the Project Awards, ICRI announced the winners of their Annual Safety Awards program. The Safety Award was created to recognize those judged most successful in creating, implementing and growing a strong safety culture in the repair and restoration industry. Awarded with the Award of Merit in the Contractor category was Western Specialty Contractors, Inc. The Award of Excellence in the Manufacturer/Supplier category was Sika Corporation- Chattanooga Plant. Then the President’s Award for Safety was given to Carolina Restoration & Waterproofing, Inc., a C.A. Lindman Company.

Also awarded were the ICRI Sustainability Awards. To promote sustainability in concrete repair, ICRI grants these awards to projects which exemplify the concept and demonstrate a commitment to the repair and restoration profession. Determined by a task group within ICRI’s Sustainability Committee after reviewing every project that was submitted for consideration for the 2024 ICRI project awards program. The 2024 Sustainability Award of Excellence was presented to The Granite Club Garage Rehabilitation Project – Submitted in the Parking Structures Category by WSP Canada Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Sustainability Award of Merit was presented to the Yaquina Bay Bridge Cathodic Protection Rehabilitation project submitted in the Transportation Category by Vector Corrosion Technologies, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 

Project of the Year Winner Highlight

After nearly three years of rehabilitation for a total construction cost of approximately $150 million, the historic 3rd Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis re-opened on October 28, 2023. Originally constructed in 1918 and rehabilitated twice before, decades of exposure in the harsh northern climate had again resulted in extensive concrete deterioration.

Based on comprehensive bridge inspection and condition assessment, field and laboratory testing of the in-place concrete, and studies of various rehabilitation alternatives, the decision was made to rehabilitate the bridge by replacing the superstructure and repairing the original concrete arches and piers to extend the bridge’s service life another 50 years. The rehabilitation design included several unique and innovative strategies to achieve the design goals. Multiple concrete repair methods were allowed in the specifications, and the successful contractor utilized primarily wet-method shotcrete on the arches and piers, including hand-finished board form lines in the most visible areas.

Over 100,000 square feet of concrete surface repairs were installed. Various types of cathodic protection technology were included in targeted areas, both inside and outside the concrete repairs, and testing was performed to verify initial and ongoing performance. Overall, the project is an excellent example of a very large concrete repair project that was completed successfully through innovation and collaboration between owner, designer, concrete repair experts, contractors, and material suppliers.

ICRI awarded six additional 2024 Awards of Excellence. Detailed descriptions of the winning projects can be found in the November/December 2024 issue of the Concrete Repair Bulletin and at icri.org.

Historic Category                    City of Westminster, Maryland Historic Clocktower Rehabilitation
 Westminster, Maryland
 Submitted by Concrete Protection & Restoration, Inc.

Longevity Category                 Baltimore Design School
 Project of the Year Finalist
 Baltimore, Maryland
 Submitted by Sika Corporation

Parking Structures Category   Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport North
 and South Domestic Terminal
 Atlanta, Georgia

                                                Submitted by Walker Consultants 

Parking Structures Category   NEIU Parking Structure Repairs

Project of the Year Finalist

                                                Chicago, Illinois

                                                Submitted by Graef

Parking Structures Category   The Granite Club Garage Rehabilitation Project

                                                Toronto, Ontario, Canada

                                                Submitted by WSP Canada

Transportation Category         A Testament to Longevity: Yaquina Bay Bridge Cathodic
 Protection Rehabilitation

                                                Corvallis, Oregon

                                                Submitted by Vector Corrosion Technologies

ICRI Also Awarded Eight Awards of Merit

Historic Category                    Reviving Heritage: Surfside's Journey from Historic
 Landmark to Luxury Haven

                                                Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

                                                Submitted by Kline Engineering and Consulting 

Historic Category                    Conservation of Costantino Nivola's Concrete Play Horses
                                                 New York, New York
                                                 Submitted by Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc. 

Historic Category                    Jackson Lake Lodge Façade Restoration
                                                 Moran, Wyoming
                                                 Submitted by Bulley & Andrews Concrete Restoration 

Masonry Category                  Historic First Baptist Church - Exterior Masonry Repairs
 Asheville, North Carolina
 Submitted by WxTite LLC 

Parking Structures Category Repairs and Waterproofing of CBD Parking Garage, Malden, MA Malden, Massachesetts

                                                Submitted by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger 

Special Projects Category      West Virginia Capitol Stairs
 Charleston, West Virginia
 Submitted by Structural Group, Inc. 

Special Projects Category      Stegeman Coliseum Concrete Ceiling Structural Repairs
 Athens, Georgia
 Submitted by United Restoration and Preservation, Inc. 

Transportation Category        YVR Runway Dowel Bar Retrofit Project
 Langley, British Columbia, Canada
 Submitted by CanWest & Westcoast Slot Cutting JV