July 01, 2026
A Trine University civil engineering graduate was part of a team that developed a
project that earned top honors from the Indiana Section of the American Society of
Civil Engineers (ASCE) this spring.
Russel Reynolds, who graduated in 2019, has been a road engineer with Janssen & Spaans Engineering (JSE) in Indianapolis for the past five years.
He worked in a civil site design role on the Clear Creek Welcome Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, which was named the ASCE Project of the Year.
Inspired by Indy 500
A $54 million project, the Clear Creek Welcome Center opened in November as part of the statewide welcome center improvement plan implemented by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The plan includes constructing new buildings, modernizing facilities, increasing truck parking and improving pedestrian parking at 21 rest areas and welcome centers.
Clear Creek's design was inspired by the Indy 500.
The project included the removal and reconstruction of the existing welcome center along I-70 in Vigo County, Indiana, and resulted in increased trucker parking spaces and two additional trucker restrooms.
Janssen & Spaans Engineering provided overall project management, including parking lot geometry, drainage and utility coordination, and ensured the project complied with INDOT standards and specifications.
Russel’s role included the development of the site layout and drainage design, in addition to periodically inspecting the project during construction to verify that work was being performed in accordance with the contract documents, plans and specifications.
“As with most construction projects, each effort presents its own unique challenges and collaboration among each discipline within the project team,” he said. “There is a ton of coordination that is involved, especially when it comes to site layout, amenities and all the underground infrastructure. In my experience being part of a few welcome center projects, coordination is a consistent and critical component to project success.”
Russel said it felt “great” to be recognized and credited the entire team for their effort and dedication. He added that many of his projects at Trine prepared him for his work on Clear Creek.
“Many courses incorporated group-based projects, which helped develop a foundation in teamwork,” he said. “The ability to apply classroom knowledge to project-based assignments provided useful skills that can be applied to real-world practice.”
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