In Champaign’s Garden Hills neighborhood, a project to address chronic flooding also created new places to walk, play, and gather. The spaces that capture stormwater now connect residents through pedestrian bridges, walking paths, and park amenities, bringing everyday value to an investment in flood protection.
That transformation earned the Garden Hills Neighborhood Drainage Improvements Project the 2026 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the ASCE Central Illinois Section.
Garden Hills award being presented at ASCE Central Illinois award banquet.
For one of Champaign’s most flood-prone neighborhoods, reducing flooding was the starting point. Working with the City of Champaign, Clark Dietz helped shape the approximately $62 million, multiphase project around other neighborhood needs, including safer pedestrian routes, improved lighting, and recreation.
Active Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks divide Garden Hills, while the neighborhood school serves families on both sides. Residents relied on a single pedestrian crossing to travel between them. The project offered an opportunity to improve the route to that crossing and turn essential drainage infrastructure into a shared public space.
Making room required careful engineering. Two regional detention basins would sit beside the active tracks, where excavation and ground anchors could not extend onto railroad property. Working with Quigg Engineering, Clark Dietz designed cantilevered soldier-pile retaining walls that recovered approximately 15 feet of basin width, maximizing stormwater storage while preserving space for neighborhood amenities.
During construction, significant rainfall demonstrated the improvements’ value. Even before completion, the partially built basins captured runoff and reduced neighborhood flooding.
New playground and basketball court in Garden Hills (Champaign, IL).
Around those basins, walking paths, playgrounds, basketball courts, rain gardens, and gathering spaces took shape. Two red pedestrian bridges connect the public spaces, while lighting upgrades and the reconstruction of Hedge Road extend improvements throughout the neighborhood.
The award recognizes the engineering and collaboration behind Garden Hills. Its lasting value is found in what residents gain: reduced flooding, better connections, and new places to spend time together.
Follow Garden Hills’ transformation through our project progress updates, a closer look at the pedestrian bridge installation, and The Phase 3 design with Ana Niño Flores.
