L.I. Smith Receives National Recognition

WASHINGTON (March 9) — L.I. Smith and Associates, Inc. (LIS) of Paris, Tenn., earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 59th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA). The award comes for the firm’s role in the redesign of the I-55/E.H. Crump Boulevard Interchange in Memphis.

LIS worked with Bell Construction to provide comprehensive surveying and mapping services throughout the effort to efficiently upgrade an interchange that carries more than 60,000 vehicles each day. LIS’s work directly guided the precise placement of roadways, bridges, drainage systems and utilities, while continuously tracking construction progress to ensure full compliance with plans and specifications, and early identification of issues.

By leveraging advanced technologies, such as GPS surveying, 3D modeling and drone imagery, LIS helped minimize delays, reduce costly rework and improve safety and efficiency as the plans evolved and construction progressed. This hands-on, technology-driven approach enabled the project team to adapt quickly and keep work moving forward. The upgraded interchange includes two new flyover bridges that allow I-55 traffic to flow freely without slowing or merging into local traffic. A new multi-lane roundabout at Crump Boulevard and Riverside Drive improves local access and replaces outdated ramp movements with safer, more intuitive traffic patterns.

Judging for the awards program took place in February and was conducted by a national 32-member panel of built environment leaders, along with experts from government, the media and academia. Award criteria focused on uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value and excitement generated toward the engineering profession.

All 240 award winners—including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards, and the announcement of the prestigious Grand Conceptor Award for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement—will attend the 2026 EEA Gala on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC, to accept their awards.

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,200 independent engineering firms and more than 600,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial and other public and private facilities.

Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.