ASCE has honored William J. Castle, P.E., F.ASCE, with the 2019 John G. Moffatt–Frank E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award for his significant contributions and innovative solutions within the coastal engineering and construction fields.
During his more than 45-year career, Castle has made outstanding contributions to innovation in the constructability port and coastal infrastructure projects. Constructability and value engineering (VE) have been his mantra in completing projects efficiently and economically. His relentless focus on VE has demonstrated its significant benefits to delivery of projects more efficiently and economically.
Castle is known for thinking outside of the proverbial box, while also maintaining a practical simplicity in his approach that makes the job doable. As a certified diver he has personally performed over 1,500 underwater inspections of bridges, piers, docks and outfall structures, and his direct experience with coastal and underwater construction gives him key insights. He knows how it feels to work in these conditions firsthand, and constructability is therefore always at the forefront of his design approach.
His wide experience also often allows him to provide unique VE to difficult projects for which he must balance the engineering side and the practical one. In one example, the structural rehabilitation of Pier 68 along the Delaware River was able to be constructed only with value engineering. The owner, using the original design and budget, was unable to complete the project; however, Castle’s VE allowed him to move forward within budget and timeframe. This project was recognized for the 2018 COPRI Project Excellence Award.
The John G. Moffatt–Frank E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award is given to a member of ASCE who has made definite contribution in the field of harbor and coastal engineering in the form of either written presentations or notable performance, and serves to recognize new ideas and concepts that can be efficiently implemented to expand the engineering or construction techniques available for the harbor and coastal projects.
