The American Society of Civil Engineers Pittsburgh Section has announced its annual awards “to celebrate and raise public awareness about civil engineering and the contributions that civil engineers make to our society.”

It recognizes important projects and people in the region, including the Pittsburgh Union Progress’ Ed Blazina. He’s the winner of the ASCE Pittsburgh Journalism Award, for his coverage of projects and people including some of the other award winners.

For example, Blazina reported on the Chestnut Street Rehabilitation Project, completed by the city of Pittsburgh in July. That project wins an ASCE Award of Merit.

Blazina also wrote in that story about Michael E. Panzitta, the city senior project manager who oversaw the project for the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, whom ASCE named Young Government Civil Engineer of the Year.

All the winners will be honored at the Engineers Week Awards Banquet on Feb. 22 at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania, Downtown. The keynote speaker is Cam Baker of Sippel Steel Fab in Ambridge, whose topic is “Reaching New Heights: Steel Fabrication and Construction at Victory Heights and the Pittsburgh International Airport.” For details and tickets, visit https://www.asce-pgh.org/event-6007968.

“Almost everything I write about at some level involves engineers, either directly or indirectly, so it’s a real honor that their professional group sees value in my work. It’s especially humbling and gratifying to be recognized since that work has been appearing in our strike publication for more than two years,” says Blazina, who also was the recipient of the Journalism Award for excellence in the coverage of civil engineering in 2018.

ASCE Pittsburgh awards committee chair Tom Bartroney lauded Blazina’s hustle and “high quality and informative” reporting, saying that even while “faced with the difficult situation of the ongoing strike, Ed has not relented in keeping the public and engineering community informed on projects that impact the daily lives of Pittsburghers.” 

Other 2024 award winners:

  • Civil Engineering Achievement Award: Charleroi Locks and Dam Project by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and DIZ.
  • Sustainability Award: Dornbush Green Stormwater infrastructure Project by UpStream PGH, the city of Pittsburgh, Ethos Collaborative, Cronin Enterprises LLC and East Hills Consensus Group.
  • Service to the People Award: Lisa Brown, founder and executive director of Watersheds of South Pittsburgh, which focuses on the issues of flooding, stormwater runoff and degraded water quality in the Saw Mill Run and Streets Run watersheds.
  • Civil Engineer of the Year: Mark Styler, Ph.D., American Geotechnical and Environmental Services project manager for various transportation projects owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
  • Young Civil Engineer of the Year: Daniel Phillips of Kleinfelder.
  • Professor of the Year: Steven Sachs, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Government Civil Engineer of the Year: Benjamin Devore, PennDOT District 11 Allegheny County maintenance manager.
  • Employer of the Year: Alsocan.

You can find more about the awards criteria, past winners and more at http://www.asce-pgh.org.

The photo on the right (Ed Blazina/Pittsburgh Union Progress) shows the improvements to Chestnut Street in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood, while the photo on the left (courtesy of the city of Pittsburgh) shows the street used to have streetcar tracks bracketed by potholes and displaced bricks. The $1.5 million project unveiled Tuesday, July 16, 2024, removed the tracks, rebuilt the base, installed new bricks and created brighter and wider crosswalks with ADA ramps. (Jennifer Kundrach/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
Pittsburgh Union Progress

The PUP is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pittsburgh Union Progress

The PUP is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.