ENR California is pleased to announce that William Hansmire, senior vice president and technical director for tunnels at WSP, will receive the 2018 Legacy Award for Southern California.

Throughout his 50-year career—including 41 years with WSP— Hansmire has been a leader in geotechnical engineering across the U.S. and around the globe. He served as design manager and deputy project manager for the Los Angeles Metro Regional Connector project since 2010, and has provided leadership for many other high-profile geotechnical projects, including the Alaskan Way Highway and Viaduct replacement program; the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project, and the Third Street Light Rail in San Francisco.

Hansmire is also a Fellow at the National Academy of Engineering. He served as editor of a chapter of “History of Tunneling in the United States”, a 2017 book published by the Society of Mining Engineers. As tunneling practices in the U.S. continue to evolve, Hansmire has worked to improve the management of the high risks associated with underground construction.

He is also a versatile designer: Hansmire’s design work has included precast concrete tunnel linings, shotcrete-supported tunnels in soil and rock tunnels excavated by TBMs or by drill-and-blast.

The Legacy Awards are given annually by ENR regional editors to an individual who has achieved a lifetime legacy of service in design and construction, and who has given above and beyond to his or her profession and communities. Hansmire will receive his award as part of an ENR California breakfast event on Oct. 11 that will also acknowledge this year’s regional Best Projects Awards. The event will be held at 8 a.m. at the Omni Hotel & Resorts Los Angeles.