Community

San Diego public-works projects collect 13 industry awards

The city’s 11 honored projects include the restored Balboa Park Botanical Building, Crystal Pier repairs and Maple Canyon storm-drain work.

Image credit: Dllu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; December 2024 photo of the restored Botanical Building

The City of San Diego announced September 23 that 11 projects managed by its Engineering and Capital Projects Department received 13 honors from four public-works, engineering and communications organizations during fiscal year 2026. The Balboa Park Botanical Building restoration received the American Public Works Association’s national Project of the Year award for historical restoration and preservation projects costing $5 million to $25 million.

What it means locally

Other recognized work included repairs to storm-damaged Crystal Pier, a Maple Canyon restoration that replaced 16 storm-drain systems, improvements to neighborhood parks and drainage upgrades along La Media Road. The honors came from the American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Council of Engineering Companies and Public Relations Society of America.

The city said the department managed a capital-improvements budget approaching $1 billion in fiscal year 2026 and completed 145 lane miles of asphalt overlay. The accompanying photograph shows the restored Botanical Building in December 2024 and is licensed for reuse; it is not an image from an awards ceremony.

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