Hartford Firm Honored For Major Highway Overhaul In West Hartford

BL Companies

HARTFORD/WEST HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford engineering company recently earned a major professional honor for its work on a recently completed highway renovation in West Hartford.

BL Companies has received a 2025 Project Team Award from the Connecticut Building Congress (CBC) for its role in safety and operational Improvements on Interstate 84 in West Hartford.

BL was the lead designer in the $54.6 million project, which was completed in 2023.

"The award recognizes exceptional collaboration among project partners and highlights best practices in teamwork, coordination, and technical excellence across the (architectural, engineering, and construction) industry," wrote BL in a release.

The I-84 project featured major infrastructure upgrades to a heavily traveled and historically congested stretch of highway, according to BL Companies.

Improvements included the addition of auxiliary lanes, the replacement or rehabilitation of nine bridges, new noise barrier walls, upgraded drainage systems, and LED lighting, BL said.

The company said the project was all designed to improve safety, reduce congestion, and "enhance the reliability of one of Connecticut’s most vital transportation corridors."

“BL Companies is proud to be recognized by the CBC for a project that so clearly demonstrates the value of true teamwork,” said Derek Kohl, vice president of operations at BL.

“From conceptual design to construction completion, we worked hand-in-hand with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, O&G Industries and our engineering partners to address complex design challenges, maintain budget and schedule, and deliver a safer and more efficient highway for the public along one of the most critical corridors in Connecticut and the northeast.”

The CBC Project Team Awards celebrate the collaboration and teamwork in the building industry.

For more information on the award and BL Companies, click on this link.