Baker Wins National Award from American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) has awarded Michael Baker Jr., Inc., a unit of Michael Baker Corporation (NYSE MKT:BKR), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) its 2012 Engineering Excellence Award for the development of the Analysis and Design of Skewed and Curved Steel Bridges with LRFD Reference Manual.

Based on the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (Fifth Edition, 2010), the new reference manual incorporates Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) guidance into the unique requirements for the design and fabrication of curved and skewed steel bridges.

The Baker team developed the 1,470-page reference manual, an instructor’s guide, course participant workbook and training presentation to train novice and seasoned engineers to apply LRFD principles to the design of complex curved steel bridges. This ground-breaking reference manual will assist bridge engineers throughout the United States in moving toward full LRFD implementation and in better understanding the behavior and design of curved or skewed steel bridges.

This reference manual is the first comprehensive guide to incorporate LRFD into the analysis and design of curved and skewed bridges. The team that authored the reference manual and course materials included: Bridge Software Development International, Ltd. (BSDI); HDR Engineering, Inc.; and PerformTech, Inc., which provided technical expertise in computerized bridge design, fabrication and construction of curved and skewed steel bridges, and instructional system design. The reference manual provides a seamless blend of theoretical instruction and practical design examples and case studies that clearly illustrate the design concepts. The manual includes extensive step-by-step design examples for a curved I-girder bridge and a curved tub -girder bridge, which pull together all of the manual’s concepts and design procedures.

Michael Baker Corporation (www.mbakercorp.com) provides engineering, design, planning and construction services for its clients’ most complex challenges worldwide. The firm's primary business areas are architecture, aviation, defense, environmental, geospatial, homeland security, municipal & civil, oil & gas, rail & transit, telecommunications & utilities, transportation, urban development and water. With more than 3,000 employees in over 100 offices across the United States, Baker is focused on creating value by delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for infrastructure and the environment.