Jacobs-Designed Corridor Improvement Project Delivers Enhanced Mobility, National Honors

Positively impacting the environment, local communities and traffic flow… and earning industry recognition for it? Just another day’s work for our Jacobs team.

Our work as lead designer on the I-5 Steilacoom-DuPont Road to Thorne Lane Corridor Improvement project in Washington state recently received the honor of Gold Award National Finalist in the Transportation category at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)’s 2024 Engineering Excellence Awards. 

Jacobs served as the lead designer to general contractor, Guy F. Atkinson, on the project, which widened 4.5 miles of I-5 and reconstructed two interchanges that provided grade separation over an existing Sound Transit rail line and access to both Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and the community of Tillicum. 

“Implementing critical infrastructure systems like this I-5 corridor improvement project establishes the backbone of productive and economically strong communities,” says Jacobs Senior Vice President West Katus Watson. "The recognition from ACEC is a testament to the dedication of Washington Department of Transportation and the Jacobs/Atkinson Design-Build team to design and construct roadway improvements that keep residents safer and more connected to the community resources that matter most.”

The team developed an Alternative Technical Concept (ATC) to enhance the conceptual plan and simplify and minimize potential future widening in the area. The ATC included redesigning the Thorne Lane interchange from a “dog bone” bridge design (roundabouts at either end of a single bridge) to a two-bridge design – simplifying the structural design, eliminating grade-related safety issues, and improving traffic staging and local access during construction. 

About transportation at Jacobs

Our solutions help plan, develop, finance, design, construct, maintain and operate smart transportation infrastructure that connects people and communities around the world. Jacobs brings value through cost-effective solutions and services ranging from transportation planning, design, engineering and construction management to land development, environmental permitting and support with innovative financing measures and public-private partnerships.