April 20, 2026

APWA Washington announces 10 Project of the Year winners

Photo by Heywood Chan, YE-H Photography [enlarge]

The city of Seattle took home three awards for projects at the waterfront, including this new public restroom.

The American Public Works Association Washington Chapter held its Project of the Year Awards on Thursday at the Hilton Vancouver hotel.

A total of 10 projects, and seven agencies, from across the state were honored this year. Agencies competed to earn the title of Project of the Year in the categories of sustainability, disaster/emergency, environment, structures, and transportation in a variety of cost divisions.

Each of the winning projects are publicly owned and show a high degree of excellence in construction, management and administration, APWA Washington says. The awards honor the teamwork between agencies, consultants, and contractors that make the winning projects possible.

A big winner of the night was the city of Seattle which was honored for three projects related to the massive waterfront revamp that debuted last summer.

The winners are as follows:

Photo courtesy city of Tacoma [enlarge]

One of the winners was a fender repair project at Tacoma’s Hylebos Bridge.

Division: Less than $5 Million

Category: Emergency

Project name: Hylebos Bridge Fender Repair

Agency: City of Tacoma

Contractor: Quigg Brothers, Inc.

Consultant: KPFF

After a vessel collision severely damaged the west protective fender system of the Hylebos Bridge along the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma, the city implemented temporary stabilization and completed expedited permanent repairs within three months of impact, replacing the damaged structure with a modern, environmentally friendly fender system while maintaining active shipping traffic and restoring safe bridge and navigation operations at a cost of approximately $2.3 million.

Category: Environment

Project name: Swan Creek Channel Restoration

Agency: Pierce County Planning and Public Works - Surface Water Management

Contractor: Active Construction Inc.

Consultant: Natural Systems Design + CGS

The Swan Creek Channel Restoration Project restored approximately 2.5 miles of Swan Creek that runs through Pierce County with a focus on restoring a natural sediment transport regime and improving stream and riparian habitat by adding large wood to the system to stabilize channel bed and banks and improve channel conditions for salmon and macro invertebrates.

Category: Structures

Project name: Seattle Waterfront Restroom

Agency: City of Seattle, Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects

Contractor: Bayley Construction

Consultant: Hoshide Wanzer Architects + Interiors

The Waterfront Restroom is a key amenity in Seattle's Waterfront Seattle redevelopment, providing a centrally located, accessible, high-capacity, and sustainably designed public restroom that enhances the waterfront experience for thousands of daily visitors. The restroom has six individual all-gender stalls and is staffed during open hours.

Category: Transportation

Project name: Quincy Square on Fourth Street

Agency: City of Bremerton

Contractor: Active Construction Inc.

Consultant: Consor North America, Inc.

Inspired by music legend Quincy Jones, the Quincy Square project transformed a downtown Bremerton street into a vibrant community gathering space that features pedestrian-focused elements like an outdoor stage, concrete piano keys, shade trees, and flexible seating. The street also has new public art including a large bronze sculpture of Jones' face.

Division: $5M - $25M

Category: Environment – Small Agency

Project name: Marina Pump Station Improvements

Agency: City of Port Orchard

Contractor: Stellar J

Consultant: RH2 Engineering

The Port Orchard Marina Pump Station Improvement Project addressed tidal and geotechnical challenges while maintaining uninterrupted sewer service. Climate-resilient design, energy-efficient systems, and strong stakeholder coordination protect the Sinclair Inlet and ensure reliable, long-term service for the community.

Category: Transportation – Small Agency

Photo courtesy ACI [enlarge]

The city of Ridgefield and the project team were honored for this new roundabout and street widening work.

Project name: 50th Avenue Roundabout and Pioneer Widening Project

Agency: City of Ridgefield

Contractor: Active Construction, Inc.

Consultant: Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc. (HHPR)

Construction Manager: Consor North America, Inc.

The 50th Avenue Roundabout and Pioneer Widening Project transformed Ridgefield's primary east-west gateway into a safe, modern, multimodal corridor that supports growing traffic demands while strengthening community connectivity and local economic growth.

Photo by Travis Gallatin - Fueled Photography [enlarge]

This construction photo of the Monroe Avenue Northeast Infiltration Facility gives a sense of the project’s scale. The facility serves a 245-acre sub basin in the Renton Highlands and President Park neighborhoods.

Category: Environment and Sustainability

Project name: Monroe Avenue NorthEast Infiltration Facility

Agency: city of Renton

Contractor: KLB Construction, Inc.

Consultant: Otak, Inc.

The city of Renton's Monroe Avenue Northeast Infiltration Facility is the largest of its kind in the state of Washington. It provides water quality treatment and large-scale infiltration for 260.3 acres of stormwater runoff to reduce flooding in vulnerable areas of the Renton Highlands neighborhood and protect the Cedar River from pollutants, playing a vital role in protecting the Renton community and the environment.

This project won in two categories – Environment $5m-25m and Sustainability.

Category: Transportation

Project name: Southeast First Street Improvements Project

Agency: City of Vancouver

Contractor: Colf Construction

Consultant: MacKay Sposito

The Southeast First Street Improvements Project in Vancouver transformed nearly a mile of substandard roadway into a safe, multimodal urban corridor through phased public–private improvements that added sidewalks, separated bike lanes, key intersection upgrades, modern lighting, and stormwater infrastructure to support the area's rapidly growing residential and commercial development.

Division: $25M - $75M

Category: Structures

Project name: Seattle Waterfront Pier 58

Agency: City of Seattle, Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects

Contractor: Pacific Pile & Marine

Consultant: Jacobs

Waterfront Seattle's Pier 58 is a newly rebuilt, inclusive waterfront park that blends marine‑themed play, ecological restoration, community‑driven design, and flexible public gathering spaces into a vibrant destination on Seattle's transformed central waterfront. It was the final major project to be completed in the $800 million waterfront revamp.

Division: Greater than $75M

Category: Transportation

Project name: Seattle Waterfront Main Corridor

Agency: City of Seattle, Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects

Contractor: Gary Merlino Construction

Consultant: Jacobs

As part of Seattle's rebuilt central waterfront, the Main Corridor Project created a multimodal, inclusive “waterfront for all,” featuring a new park promenade, improved transit and pedestrian infrastructure, public art, and vibrant community spaces.

“These projects exemplify the very best of public works —delivering innovative, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure that strengthens communities and enhances the quality of life for residents across Washington State,” Kristina Nelson, APWA Washington Chapter Award Committee chair said.

APWA is an international organization with over 30,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA supports those who operate, improve, and maintain public works and infrastructure through advocacy, education, and member engagement. APWA has 63 chapters in North America.