March 2006

Mead & Hunt named Judge’s Choice Award Winner by ACEC and MSPE

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC) and the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) presented the annual Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards Saturday evening, February 25, 2006, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.  Tulip City Airport Tunnel in Holland, MI, presented by Mead & Hunt, Inc., received the Judge’s Choice Award for Board Design.

Mead & Hunt was responsible for design and construction of this 885-foot, four-lane tunnel under the proposed runway extension at the Tulip City Airport in Holland, Michigan.  This $20 million, five-year-long project included the design and construction of the tunnel, land acquisition, relocation of local roads, and construction of a 1,260-foot runway extension.  This was the largest single capital improvement project ever undertaken by the city of Holland.

The tunnel was necessitated by the Federal Aviation Administration’s design standard that expanded runway safety area requirements from 300 feet to at least 600.  To adhere to the FAA requirements with the least disruption to the surrounding communities, Mead & Hunt designed the tunnel to run under Tulip City Airport’s main runway.  This innovative design solution allowed for the required safety area expansion while actually increasing the runway usability by larger aircraft.  Extending this runway enables the airport to serve larger corporate and cargo aircraft thereby improving the surrounding communities’ ability to compete in the global marketplace.  This was one of the first tunnels constructed at a general aviation airport using FAA funding.

Hatch Mott McDonald (New York) performed most of the fire/life safety system design, and HH Engineering (Detroit) assisted with construction oversight of the tunnel structure.

Mead & Hunt provides professional services in the fields of infrastructure, water resource engineering, highway and bridge engineering, aviation engineering, architecture and building engineering, historic preservation, military engineering, and environmental studies to clients throughout the US.  Founded in 1900, Mead & Hunt is a privately held, employee-owned corporation nearly 300 employees in offices nationwide.  For more information, contact Ron Engel, Manager, at 517/321-8334 or .