RESTON, VA. — The five finalists for the 2012 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award have been announced by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Established in 1960, the OCEA program recognizes projects for their contribution to the well-being of people and communities, their resourcefulness in planning and design challenges, and their innovative use of materials and techniques.

Selected from the nominees, the 2012 finalists are:
• Cherry Island Landfill Vertical Expansion Project, Wilmington, Del.
• Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, Boulder City, Nev.
• Nacimiento Water Project, San Luis Obispo County, Calif.
• Willamette River Combined Sewer Overflow Tunnel Program, Portland, Ore.
• US 191 Colorado River Bridge, Moab, Utah

The OCEA award winner will be announced on March 22, 2012, during ASCE’s annual Outstanding Projects and Leaders Awards (OPAL) Gala in Washington, D.C. Also recognized during the event will be the five OPAL Award honorees (one each for construction, design, education, government and management), the Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research winner and the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation winner.

Additional information on the OCEA award program and the OPAL Awards Gala can be found at www.asce.org/opal.