‘Treetop Trail’ gets national engineering award

Brian Johnson//April 2, 2025//

Submitted photo: Minnesota Zoo

Brian Johnson//April 2, 2025//

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A local engineering firm is getting national recognition for its work on the Minnesota Zoo’s Treetop Trail project in Apple Valley.

Meyer Borgman Johnson earned a “National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement” at the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 58^th annual Engineering Excellence Awards, according to a press release.

Touted as the world’s longest elevated pedestrian loop, Treetop Trail converted a former monorail track into a 1.25-mile accessible walkway. The adaptive reuse project offers “extraordinary perspectives” of animals and nature,” according to ACEC.

Meyer Borgman Johnson, the project’s structural engineer of record, used “advanced structural modeling and innovative design tools to navigate complex structural challenges including structural integrity, site constraints, thermal expansion, and environmental impact,” ACEC said in the release.

Other project participants included structural engineering partner Buro Happold, Victus Engineering (mechanical), Barr Engineering (civil and electrical), Snow Kreilich Architects, TEN X TEN (landscape engineering), SIG (sustainability consulting), and PCL Construction.

The project, which is eligible for additional honors, is one of 194 entries this year representing engineering excellence. Projects were judged based on “originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, and generating excitement for the engineering profession.”

Award winners will be recognized on May 20 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. Recognitions include 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards, and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement.