The Second Penang Bridge, the longest sea crossing in Southeast Asia, has recently clinched the Brunel Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the United Kingdom.

ICE is one of the world’s most respected professional associations, with a history of almost 200 years, and its highly prestigious Brunel Medal recognizes civil engineering excellence. This is the first time it has been awarded to a Southeast Asian project and it is the third project outside of the United Kingdom to be honored.

The award was reported in both international and local media including UK Construction Online and Bernama.

In awarding the Brunel Medal, ICE emphasized that the project is “a vivid example of how civil engineering can overcome the merciless forces of nature and direct its resources to sustainable use.”

AECOM’s work on the 24-kilometer (14-mile) long Second Penang Bridge helped deliver one of the largest sea crossing projects in the recent history of bridge construction around the world. The project accomplished several engineering feats, including:

• Advancing the art and science of modern cable-stayed bridge design and construction.
• Engineering a seismic resilient and tsunami resistant long-sea crossing by design.
• Carrying out one of the deepest bored pile operations to a depth of 127 meters (416 feet).
• Installing 5,168 concrete spun piles, a record number in bridgework construction.
• Conducting the biggest Statnamic load test ever, to assess the load carrying capacity of the bridge’s foundations.
• Implementing a major load testing on the structure before bridge opening.

Dr. Robin Sham, global long-span and specialty bridges director, was AECOM’s project director for its comprehensive consultancy services to China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd. (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company.

“The Second Penang Bridge project pioneered numerous innovations in design and construction. The natural hazards in that region and the extreme difficulty of construction in a hostile marine environment spurred our problem solving creativity,” shared Dr. Sham. “The project is a fine example of design, build, finance and operate procurement, and it is a catalyst for further economic expansion in Malaysia.”

The bridge was officially opened in March 2014. The ICE awards ceremony in October 2015 followed shortly after the international launch of the project book “The Second Penang Bridge — a glorious chapter in modern bridge engineering.” In this landmark project, AECOM worked closely with CHEC and China Highway Planning and Design Institute to provide feasibility studies, detailed design, site supervision and construction engineering.