Worldwide Recognition

Innovation in Roads Project I-69 at State Road 61/56, Pike County, Indiana

Located near Petersburg, Indiana, the junction of I-69 and State Road 61/56 was originally designed as a traditional diamond interchange. Beam, Longest and Neff (BLN) proposed a cost reduction initiative that flipped the layout so that SR 61/56 passed over I-69 instead of under. We executed the $17.5 million redesign, a savings of $5.5 million, while working within the Indiana Department of Transportation’s right-of-way restrictions and still met the project deadline.

We used software to save millions when redesigning an interchange on I-69 in Indiana. Click here to find out what went right on this major design from the project’s designers and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

“Rural Pike County, Indiana, near the small town of Petersburg, is an unlikely locale for saving taxpayers $5.5 million and constructing a long-anticipated expansion of an interstate that will stretch from Mexico to Canada. However, this is exactly what has happened as a result of an interchange redesign proposed by Beam, Longest and Neff, L.L.C. Part of an overall $2.2 billion, nationally-recognized project constructing a portion of I-69 stretching 142 miles from Evansville, Indiana, to Indianapolis, Indiana, the I-69 at State Road 61/56 interchange was originally designed as a traditional diamond interchange with I-69 crossing over SR 61/56.”

National Recognition

  • ENR 2023 – BLN ranked 33 of 50 top international firms and 187 overall.
  • 2018 Grand Conceptor Award for the Ohio River Bridges Project; presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
  • International Award for the Ohio River Bridges Project; presented by the International Road Federation
  • National Award presented by the Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI); Honor Award presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) for the Replacement of SR 66 (Lloyd Expressway) Bridge over Green River Road, Evansville, Indiana
  • National Award for 3.8 Miles of I-465 Including the US 31 Interchange, Indianapolis, Indiana; presented by the National Quality Institute (NQI)
  • National Award for Bridgeport Road, Indianapolis International Airport; presented by the Asphalt Pavement Association
  • National Award for the Replacement of Hamilton County Bridge No. 230, Hamilton County, Indiana; presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Awards

2019 Honorable Conceptor Award

  • Gordie Howe International Bridge  |  Detroit, Michigan

Honor Awards

  • Ohio River Bridges Project  |  Indiana and Kentucky
  • Replacement of Hamilton County Bridge No. 230  |  Hamilton County, Indiana
  • Replacement of SR 66 (Lloyd Expressway) Bridge over Green River Road  |  Evansville, Indiana

Merit Awards

  • I-69 and Union Chapel Interchange   |  Allen County, Indiana
  • 96th Street and Towne Road Roundabout   |  Hamilton County, Indiana
  • Stinesville Road Over Jack’s Defeat Creek Bridge  |  Monroe County, Indiana
  • I-465 and State Road 37 Interchange Modification   |  Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Delaware County Bridge No. 520 Rehabilitation  |  Muncie, Indiana
  • Monroe County Bridge No. 902   |  Monroe County, Indiana
  • 106th Street, Zionsville Indiana  |  Boone County, Indiana
  • Willow Road, Zionsville, Indiana  |  Boone County, Indiana
  • Ford Road Extension,  Zionsville, Indiana | Boone County, Indiana
  • Rehabilitation of 82nd Street over White River  |  Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Rehabilitation of Putnam County Bridge No. 159  |  Putnam County, Indiana
  • Wheeling Avenue Cantilever Walkway   |  Muncie, Indiana
  • Madison County Bridge No. 50  |  Frankton, Indiana
  • New Bridge Construction of Hamilton County Bridge No. 208 (Field Drive)  |  Hamilton County, Indiana
  • College Mall Road Reconstruction Project   |  Bloomington, Indiana
  • Southport Street and Drainage Improvements   |  Southport, Indiana
  • Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges EIS and Preliminary Design  |  INDOT and KYTC
  • Replacement of Madison County Bridge No. 901  |  Madison County, Indiana
  • Shadeland Avenue Wetland Mitigation Site Design  |  Marion County, Indiana
  • George Rogers Clark Park Survey  |  Vincennes, Indiana

Concrete Pavement Awards

Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards

Presented By The American Concrete Pavement Association

  • I-69 Reconstruction and Widening (INDOT)  |  Allen County, Indiana
  • I-465 South Project (INDOT)  |   Indianapolis, Indiana
  • SR 37 Added Travel Lanes (INDOT)  |  Lawrence County, Indiana
  • Airport Expressway  |  Allen County, Indiana

Concrete Achievement Award

Presented By The Indiana Ready Mix Concrete Association

  • Wheeling Avenue Cantilever Walkway, Muncie, Indiana

Additional Honors

  • 2018 Atlas Award from the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors to Ed Sweetland for service above and beyond his profession and dedication to the industry
  • Indiana Partnership for Transportation Quality Award for Rural Bridge Design on Monroe County Bridge #12 – Stinesville Road Over Jack’s Defeat Creek
  • Indiana Partnership for Transportation Quality Achievement Award for Urban Bridge Design on Monroe County Bridge No. 902
  • Commissioner’s Engineering Achievement Award for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Improvements, Anderson, Indiana; presented by the Consulting Engineers of Indiana
  • Engineering Excellence Award for the Fetterman Truss Bridge Project; presented by the West Virginia Department of Transportation
  • Illinois State Highway Toll Authority Exceptional Consulting Engineering Services Award for the Tri-State (I-294) Widening; presented by the Illinois Engineering Council
  • NQI Achievement Award for the Phase II Design for the Rehabilitation of Illinois Route 1, Danville, Illinois; presented by the Illinois DOT
  • Morocco Wastewater Treatment System Improvements, Morocco, Indiana presented by the Consulting Engineers of Indiana
  • Bridgeport Road over North Collector Channel, Indianapolis, Indiana
Canada Awards