Published: May 26th, 2025
Last Friday, McElhanney was honoured with an Award of Excellence at the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies BC (ACEC-BC) Gala, celebrating outstanding work in BC’s consulting engineering community.
We’re proud to share that, in collaboration with BGC Engineering Inc., we won in the Projects Under $2.5M category for our work on the Othello Road – Location C project in Hope, BC. Read on to learn more about this award-winning project.
Winner: Award of Excellence, Projects Under $2.5M
Client & Project Owner: BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit
Recovery from the 2021 Atmospheric River Event in BC provided an opportunity to rethink traditional approaches to mitigating scour and erosion of road embankments adjacent to watercourses, with a focus on integrating environmental benefits into project development life cycles.
When the Coquihalla River shifted 125m north – eroding 550m of riverbank and threatening Othello Road – McElhanney was engaged to lead engineering and environmental design. In collaboration with BGC Engineering and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit, our team implemented an innovative solution: four large groynes designed to redirect high-velocity river flows.
This approach reduced erosion risk, protected the road, and supported long-term habitat restoration. More than 5,000 native trees and shrubs were planted to stabilize the riverbank, support revegetation, and enhance local ecosystems. A temporary river diversion kept construction on track while minimizing environmental disruption. Together, these efforts not only protected a vital transportation corridor but also strengthened climate resilience and delivered lasting environmental benefits for the region.
Read more here.
Congratulations to all the ACEC-BC award winners this year! Our thanks go to the staff, clients, and partners whose commitment and collaboration made this success possible.
Learn more about the ACEC-BC Awards here.