This year’s annual International Right of Way (IRWA) Competition announced the winners at the Education Conference, June 5-8, 2022 at the Marriot River Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
The IRWA is an international organization including countries from the U.S. to Canada, England, and some in Africa. It organizes the conference for professionals to stay current with best practices, the latest laws, reviews, and the newest technology for the Right of Way industry.
Meridian’s Civil Engineering and Survey CADD team was happy to be involved in showcasing some great design ideas for the Industry General and Engineering categories. Out of the 4 categories entered, we won 2 of them! Check out these designs from our winners: Survey Division for East High School and Civil Division for Rock Cliff Campground.
Shown above is the topographic survey of East High – winner of the Industry General Category.
East High School has had years of flooding issues due to the steep grades coming off 800 South Street. The purpose of this survey plat was to provide a design topographic survey for a drainage study to determine the cause of the flooding issue so our civil design team could correct the flooding problems.
Some fun facts on this project, this is the principal photographic location of the well-known High School Musical show and when our field crew was on site LiDAR scanning the high school the famous gymnast Simone Biles was on location at the same time.
Shown above is the topographic survey and civil design overlay of Rock Cliff Campground – winner of the Engineering Category.
Rock Cliff Campground is a primitive campground east of the Jordanelle reservoir off SR-32 that is enlarging its current capacity offering vehicle access to a total of 51 sites, 9 tent sites, 16 van sites, and 26 RV sites dispersed into three loops—Riverbed, Aspen Grove, and Upland Meadow. Nearby are the Rock Cliff Nature Center, the boardwalk system, and the Provo River. This expanded area is anticipated to enhance recreational activities at the reservoir for years to come while meeting local public demand for camping and day-use activities. Construction is slated for completion fall of 2023.
Why is being a civil engineer in Utah a great career? One of the most important reasons may well be that Utah’s growth isn’t slowing down. In fact, projected growth in Utah shows the population increasing from 3,284,823 in 2020 to 5,450,598 in 2060 — a 66% increase.
This strong, steady growth means more development across the state for highways, businesses, schools, and more. The engineers at Meridian Engineering are a talented and dedicated group that’s not just meeting Utah’s needs for expansion but delivering projects that are advancing engineering standards in the state.
To learn more about Meridian, the day-to-day of our engineering department, and why it’s a great place to work, keep reading for an inside look at our operation.
About Meridian Engineering
Meridian Engineering, Inc. was founded in 1997 as a civil, transportation, and land surveying firm. Located in South Jordan, Utah, our company is in the heart of the Salt Lake City metro area, the area that’s experiencing the most growth in Utah.
As a top full-service civil engineering and land surveying firm, our projects and people have gained the notice of industry leaders in Utah. Recently, for example, we’re proud to have worked on a few of Utah Construction & Design’s most outstanding projects for 2022: the Salt Lake County Kearns Library, ARUP Building 4, Architectural Nexus Office Renovation, and Jacobsen Construction Corporate Headquarters . In addition, one of Meridian’s own, Brad Mortenson, PE, PLS, won Utah Council of Land Surveryors’ 2021 Surveryor of the Year award, and held the nomination for 2022 Engineering Educator of the Year. Meridian is an exciting place to work for those looking to advance their career and learn from the best.
Jacobsen Construction HeadquartersSalt Lake County Kearns Library
Meridian provides a select number of services, which allows us to carefully control quality for exceptional results including:
Civil Engineering
Right-of-Way Design
Land Surveying
LiDAR Scanning
GIS/Mapping
Transportation Engineering
Let’s take a closer look at the Civil Engineering department.
Daily Life for Engineers at Meridian
As a streamlined team, every facet of a project — from utility planning to bioswell design — requires close collaboration. A typical day in our office sees project managers and principals working together with the rest of the team to push projects past the finish line.
At their desk, much of the civil planning and infrastructure design our engineers accomplish is done with Civil 3D software. This industry-wide software can support and improve the large-scale projects Meridian brings to life. Our engineers are often using Building Information Modeling to improve preliminary designs, adjusting designs in the model-based digital environment to problem solve for real-world issues, or documenting project goals, and site design tasks.
For project managers, Job and site meetings often fill the calendar; regularly meeting with the architect, contractor, or other engineering teams guarantees smooth transitions and clear communication across complex projects.
At any given time, our Engineering Department also has interns and EITs (Engineers in Training) working toward their state licenses. Job training at Meridian comes with plenty of applied experience. Our all-hands-on-deck mentality means these team members get to meaningfully contribute to current projects to grow their engineering knowledge.
Why Meridian is a Great Place to Work
Our engineers love the challenge that civil engineering presents each day, but there are other reasons they love their jobs, too! Meridian makes sure our company is a rewarding place to work.
Perks & Benefits
Events – Meridian hosts bimonthly lunch and learn events for continuing education, and periodic company recreational events for our team members, including summer gatherings for both you and your family at fun locations like Hogle Zoo or Lagoon.
Spacious office space – Our new office features high ceilings, plenty of natural light, and fresh, modern finishes. It’s an inspiring and inviting place to work during the week and a ping pong table.
Health Insurance & 401(k) – Our great benefits package offers health, vision, and dental insurance coverage as well as retirement savings plans with an employer match.
Career development – Our involvement with some of the top engineering associations benefits employees, too. Engineers are encouraged to attend trainings, events, and courses from the American Council of Engineering Companies, American Public Works Association or Utah Facilities Operation & Maintenance Association and Meridian covers the cost.
Flexible work week – Schedules are built for individual staff that are working to both fulfill clients’ needs and our employee’s needs.
Great Clients & Unique Projects
Meridian is not a cookie cutter firm; unlike some firms that specialize in one area, we do various types of projects for a range of clients. From private residences to 80-million-dollar commercial developments, we provide challenging and interesting work that’s packed with variety. Some of our most notable recent clients include Blue Sky, DFCM, State and Private Universities, Local K-12 School Districts, and some of the best architectural firms in the state.
Lodge at Blue Sky
A Generous Company Policy Handbook
When projects have tight deadlines, we know longer hours may be needed to produce the highest quality of work in a shorter amount of time. While most salaried engineers never see “overtime” pay, we instituted a policy where you receive a paid at an hourly rate for every hour you work over 40 hours a week. It’s our way of recognizing our team’s hard work and preventing burnout.
Are You Ready to See Yourself at Meridian? Contact Our Team
While projects change, our opportunities for civil engineers are always here. We’d love to show you why it’s a great place to work as an engineer at Meridian! To learn more about our current openings and submit your resume, visit our Careers page.
Meridian Engineering was honored at the Best of State Gala on Thursday, May 17, 2018.
Meridian is truly honored to have been nominated for Best of State. We understand the meaning of work/life balance and takes to heart that if the employee is satisfied financially and emotionally then the productivity will increase exponentially.
Meridian knows that the meaning of work hard/play hard and developed family-friendly work policies that enable its employees to not have to worry if something comes up at home. Meridian also encourages continuing education through conferences, licenses, affiliations and college level opportunities. The small business size of Meridian allows the leadership to treat employees like family and are keenly aware of the employees as individuals.
Meridian encourages membership in Civic Organizations and service Clubs and in some circumstances, costs relating to the organization are reimbursed. Meridian’s employees are involved with the Utah Council of Land Surveyors, International Right of Way Association, National Society of Professional Surveyors, Western Federation of Professional Surveyors, American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Council of Engineering Companies.
Meridian later this year will be moving into a new office building in South Jordan and has already begun the partnership with South Jordan City and the surrounding community. Meridian will also continue its involvement with the community of West Jordan.
Meridian is thankful to be nominated for Best of State and to conduct business in the State of Utah and its communities to expand buildings, roads, and spaces accessible for future generations of Utahns to come.
This project included a phased approach as the laundry facility was relocated. Randall Vickers, PE was the Civil Principal in Charge for Missionary Training Center (MTC) expansion in Provo, Utah. Work included master planning of vehicle and pedestrian access and utility extensions to new and existing facilities while leaving the majority of campus operational during new construction. Design included:
Extending new utility tunnels and relocating utilities for the tunnels
Revisions and extension of fire lanes
Mini gathering plazas in various locations
New main building plazas, drainage systems
Extending all existing utilities for new buildings and an underground parking system under the new expansion
Work included coordination efforts with Brigham Young University (BYU) and Provo City Officials. New access connections to the site (during and after construction), tunnel crossings of the public street, and a new bus drop off location on the public street. The work also included removal of existing utility systems and phasing the removal to maintain service to surrounding buildings on both the Brigham Young University and Missionary Training Center campus. The project was completed in two years and will train up to 3,700 missionaries at a time. MTC
This project was another extension of an additional north/south freeway. Tyler Baron, PLS was responsible for the right of way design and preparation of acquisition documents. His team provided oversight for supplemental survey, development of the existing property matrix, new right of way design and document preparation for all right of way takes and easements, including insuring QC/QA review is conducted in accordance with Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Standards. MVC
Meridian is very proud of each of its employees and will continue to perform high quality work for the projects that impact the communities in which we live. We thank you for this recognition and look forward in making each project successful.
Jeff Searle and Adrian Welsh had the opportunity to attend the annual Esri User Conference (UC) held in San Diego, California in July. The conference is held to learn about best practices in the GIS industry and get a jump start on the latest geospatial technology.
This was Esri’s biggest conference ever with nearly 18,000 registered attendees. The main theme of “The Science of Where” resonated throughout the technical workshops and training sessions. The theme allowed attendees to solve problems in real-time, using location and geography to integrate, analyze, and understand all types of data.
Due to Adrian’s presence in the GIS community and winning an MVP award for his diligence and assistance, he was asked to give a presentation at the Esri UC to discuss why the GIS community is important and what made him a success story. Adrian was honored to write a blog post for each day of the Esri conference. (a link to this blog post will be at the end of this write-up).
Instead of writing about the key take-away points from Jeff and Adrian of this conference, let’s take a look at a story map! Click on the link or image below to launch the story map presentation.
knows that the meaning of work hard/play hard and developed family-friendly work policies that enable its employees to not have to worry if something comes up at home. Meridian also encourages continuing education through conferences, licenses, affiliations and college level opportunities. The small business size of Meridian allows the leadership to treat employees like family and are keenly aware of the employees as individuals.
