Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) has announced the winners of the 2014 Aon Engineering Excellence Awards, which saw Aurecon, Aecom and Jeffares & Green take the top spots in this year’s various project categories.

The yearly Aon awards, held in Midrand on Tuesday, recognised exceptional achievements in the engineering industry.

Aecom was named the winner in the category for projects valued in excess of R250-million for its work on the Spring Grove dam and appurtenant works for the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Spring Grove dam, completed in 2013 as the main component of Phase 2 of the Mooi-uMngeni transfer scheme, increased the yield of the system from 334-million cubic metres a year to 394-million cubic metres a year.

Aecom also received a commendation in this category for its work on the Komati water supply augmentation scheme, also for the TCTA, while GIBB secured a commendation for the Kalagadi manganese railway siding project for Kalagadi Manganese.

Meanwhile, Aurecon was awarded the top award in the category of projects valued at between R50-million and R250-million for the Malmesbury Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) for the Swartland municipality.

The company upgraded and incorporated the treatment works to a 10 Ml/d membrane bioreactor plant for the treatment of both domestic and industrial wastewater.

Jeffares & Green and Aurecon were commended for their respective projects, namely the Electron Road waste management facility for the eThekwini municipality and the Grundfos office and warehouse project for Growthpoint properties.

Aurecon, however, won the category recognising projects valued at less than R50-million for the development of the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (Sanral’s) KwaMashu interchange upgrade.

The company had been tasked with converting the standard diamond interchange on the multilane N2 national freeway north-west of the Durban central business district to a diverging diamond interchange – a new single loop partially-directional systems interchange – to improve road and pedestrian traffic safety, reduce congestion and delays and allow the interchange to be free flowing.

GIBB was commended in this category for the Factreton informal sector electricification project in, and for, the City of Cape Town, as was Smec South Africa for a Sanral-commissioned Isando pedestrian bridge.

Jeffares & Green’s involvement in the Lowlands waterworks joint venture for the Metolong dam pedestrian bridge in Lesotho had secured it the Best International Project award.

The new 249 m prestressed concrete pedestrian ribbon bridge 50 m over the Metolong dam linked communities on either side of the Phuthiatsana river.

Nyeleti Consulting scooped both the Business Excellence and Mentoring Company of the Year award, while the Department of Water and Sanitation’s policy and regulation directorate was awarded the Visionary Client of the Year award.

HHO principal engineer Makotsene Makgalemele was named Young Engineer of the Year, while UWP Consulting professional engineer Dr Cobus van Dyk received a commendation.

GIBB GM for dams, hydropower and underground works Vernon Joubert was named Mentor of the Year. ILISO Consulting secured the Job Shadow Initiative of the Year title.

Creamer Media was awarded Publisher of the Year in the Trade Publications category, while Independent Newspapers was awarded Publisher of the Year for the Daily Newspaper category.