Engineering News-Record (ENR) has recognized the RiverRenew Tunnel System Project with an Award of Merit in the Water/Environment category as part of the Mid-Atlantic region’s 2026 Best Projects competition, honoring outstanding achievement in design and construction.
Located in Alexandria, Virginia, RiverRenew represents the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history, designed to significantly reduce combined sewer overflows into local waterways.
Traylor led the joint venture team responsible for delivering the project, which included an approximately 2.2-mile-long storage and conveyance tunnel constructed 100 to 140 feet below ground, diversion facilities, an interceptor sewer, and a deep underground pumping station. The tunnel was excavated by the 380-ton earth pressure balance tunnel boring machine Hazel, which completed its journey beneath Alexandria and along the Potomac River in March 2024.
The completed system became fully operational on July 1, 2026, and now captures and conveys combined sewage that previously overflowed during rain events, preventing approximately 120 million gallons of pollution each year from entering local waterways.