The Stratton-Bolger Lock and Dam lock capacity and water-level improvements project in McHenry, Illinois, won the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Central Illinois Section.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 29, 2022
Contact: Darrel Berry, Corporate Communications Manager
Hanson Professional Services Inc.
(217) 747-9291
dberry@hanson-inc.com
ASCE section honors lock and dam project, Litteken, Mendenhall
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Stratton-Bolger Lock and Dam lock capacity and water-level improvements project in McHenry and Garrett Litteken, P.E., CFM, and Michael Mendenhall, P.E., S.E., who both work at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Springfield headquarters, were recognized Sept. 29 during the 97th Annual Meeting and Banquet for the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Central Illinois Section (CIS), which was held virtually.
The lock and dam project, completed last year, won the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. The facilities on the Fox River are operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and were aging, deteriorating and unable to meet the demands of traffic from larger boats and water-level requirements. The water-control structures were constructed in 1939, and the lock was built between 1958 and 1960 and could only accommodate four large passing boats at the same time, causing delays of up to three hours. The Hanson team designed improvements to the lock, including doubling its length and capacity, and a new water-level control structure that uses torque-tube crest gates, replacing the outdated gate structure. Innovative designs include a supplemental filling port with a diffuser to raise the water level and keep the level calm during filling, which is safer for boats, and a bypass pipe in the gate structure that guarantees 320 cubic feet of water per second can pass the dam, meeting IDNR’s requirement to supply water to downstream communities.
Garrett Litteken,
P.E., CFM
Litteken, a water resources engineer, was named the Young Civil Engineer of the Year. He joined Hanson in 2013 and provides water resources engineering, including hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for bridge and dam safety projects for local, state and federal clients. He served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer for ASCE’s West Branch and Central Illinois Section. In 2018, he received ASCE CIS’ President Award. He is the secretary of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers’ Central Illinois Section and will serve as the vice president this fall. He also is a member of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management and the Society of American Military Engineers. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and is a licensed professional engineer in several states, including Illinois, and a certified floodplain manager.
Michael Mendenhall,
P.E., S.E.
Mendenhall, a senior structural engineer, was named the Civil Engineer of the Year. He joined the company in 2002 and has provided engineering, planning and design for numerous bridges, structures and retaining walls across the U.S. He is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois, American Institute of Steel Construction, National Society of Professional Engineers and the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, from which he received the Young Engineer of the Year award in 2012. He is an alumni of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Springfield program and was named a 2019 Rising Star in Structural Engineering by Zweig Group’s Civil + Structural Engineer magazine. He also is a board member of the Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) Foundation. He earned an associate degree in engineering science from LLCC and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is a licensed professional engineer in several states, including Illinois, and a licensed structural engineer in Illinois.
ASCE is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. Founded in 1852, ASCE has more than 150,000 members worldwide.
Hanson is a national, employee-owned consulting firm providing engineering, planning and allied services. The firm’s corporate headquarters is located at 1525 S. Sixth St., Springfield, IL 62703. The office may be reached by phone at (217) 788-2450.
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