Completion of the final 5.73-mile section of the Fayetteville Outer Loop has earned the project two engineering honours, recognising its transportation design and delivery. The new segment strengthens connections between communities around Fayetteville, Interstate 95 and the surrounding region, which includes a major U.S. military community.
The American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina awarded the project a Grand Award in the Transportation category and its People’s Choice Award through the organisation’s Engineering Excellence Awards.
STV served as lead designer alongside the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Balfour Beatty/Branch Civil joint venture, which delivered the design-build project.
Engineering adjustments during delivery reduced the project’s right-of-way requirements by 96.6 acres and avoided the relocation of nine residences. The design team also reduced impacts on wetlands and streams.
Following Hurricane Florence, STV worked with NCDOT to incorporate planned Interstate 95 widening and flood-resilience improvements into the active project. Coordinating these measures during delivery was intended to avoid the need for future reconstruction associated with those improvements.
Construction methods also addressed traffic management and work-zone safety. An on-site conveyor system transported embankment material, reducing the volume of trucks travelling along Interstate 95 and limiting disruption to road users.
The project required coordination across roadway design, structures, drainage, geotechnical engineering and construction operations.
The ACEC North Carolina awards add to the project’s previous industry recognition. The Fayetteville Outer Loop received the top transportation honour from the Design-Build Institute of America’s Southeast Region earlier in 2026, followed by a national Award of Merit in the Transportation category.
The project demonstrates how integrating engineering design with construction planning can address property constraints, environmental considerations and traffic disruption on major highway projects. For public owners and design-build teams, coordinating resilience measures with planned infrastructure improvements can also help reduce the need for later construction interventions.
Source: STV Inc.
