Civil Engineering
Comprehensive civil engineering services from conception through construction, since 1945.
Comprehensive Civil Engineering Solutions
With over 75 years of experience, Bleck Engineering has established itself as a trusted partner in civil engineering across the North Shore and beyond. Our team combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of local regulations, environmental considerations, and community needs.
We work closely with municipalities, private developers, and public institutions to deliver projects that enhance infrastructure, improve quality of life, and respect the natural environment. From initial site planning through final construction, we ensure every project meets the highest standards of quality and sustainability.
Our Services
A comprehensive range of civil engineering services to meet your project needs
Specialized Services
Deep expertise in specialized areas of civil engineering
Municipal Engineering
BLECK offers a full compliment services to assist municipalities. We pride ourselves in providing cost effective solutions that all stakeholders can buy into as a project progresses. Our design philosophy is to meet and exceed the goals of our client while conforming to the guidelines of the reviewing regulatory agencies.
Drainage Engineering
BLECK has a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to Water Resources and Stormwater Management. Our design professionals can assist our clients from Best Management Practices and low impact design to stormwater master planning, retrofitting, and feasibility analysis.
Bluffs and Ravines
BLECK has been providing engineered context sensitive solutions on ravines and bluffs for decades. Whether new development is occurring on a property, routine maintenance and inspections to help prevent property loss, or emergency repairs are needed, Bleck is one of the go-to engineers along the North Shore.
Featured Projects
Explore our civil engineering work across diverse project types
USDA – National Nursery System Optimization Planning
Providing master planning services to prepare the U.S. Forest Service for the future and meet REPLANT Act targets. The project focuses on optimizing 8 nursery and seed extractory locations across the United States to support planting 1.2 billion trees.
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital – Campus Revitalization Project
Bleck Engineering served as Civil Engineer for the 160-acre Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Campus for over 25 years. In 2011, Bleck began the master planning process for a new 483,500 square foot state-of-the-art hospital on campus, integrating medical care with health and wellness through walking and biking trails and community spaces. Careful coordination and planning with the Construction Manager was required to maintain 24/7 access to patients, visitors, and staff while building next to an active hospital campus. Site design included a roundabout intersection, a below-grade loading dock approximately 18 feet below grade with a stormwater lift station, and a signature 400-foot long, 12.5-foot tall waterfall separating two stormwater detention ponds (pumped at 30,000 gallons per minute). Bleck utilized BIM during design for clash detection and coordination.
Fort Sheridan Ravine & Coastal Restoration
In 2015, John Keno & Company was awarded a 5-year construction contract for ravine and coastal restoration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. John Keno in turn looked to Bleck to layout new ravine thread lines, stone step pools, rock riffles, earth retaining structures, and walkways. As part of their contract with the Army the contractor was required to submit shop drawings for riprap that were sized and signed by a professional engineer. Bleck was able to leverage their knowledge of the immediate watershed in order to get the proper sizing of the stone to keep the construction project on schedule. The Fort Sheridan Ravine and Coastal Section 506 Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Project spanned across four main ravines and 1.5 miles of coast line on Lake Michigan.
Forest Park Restoration
The City of Lake Forest approved a comprehensive Forest Park Master Plan prepared by Stephen Stimson Associates with the goal to restore, enhance and preserve the City's preeminent park. Founded in 1856 by the City's Original Planner Almerin Hotchkiss "as a natural resource for passive enjoyment", Forest Park was created as the City of Lake Forest's first conserved open space. In 1896 the City hired O.C. Simonds to develop a plan for the park. The Master Plan serves as a guide to future decisions about Forest Park, honoring the legacy of Hotchkiss and Simonds and their influence upon the park, while acknowledging a century of change and the need to rehabilitate the park to meet today's passive recreation needs. Bleck Engineering prepared construction documents for this 37 acre park to meet the Vision and Goals identified in the Master Plan. Construction commenced in 2013 and the park was reopened to the public in 2014. Environmental stewardship was at the center of the design as the area is directly tributary to our most valuable resource, Lake Michigan. The reduction of impervious area and the enhancement of the stormwater treatment train and the restoration of native areas. The realignment of walking paths and the roadway offers new vistas from the tableland out to Lake Michigan.
Ravinia Festival Food Service Building
Bleck Engineering was selected by Lohan Anderson LLC to provide civil engineering design services for a 43,200 square foot food service and dining facility at Ravinia Festival. Careful planning and coordination had to be taken in order to ensure that construction would have minimal impact on the visitor experience and be complete by the beginning of the upcoming season. Plans were prepared in a timely fashion to allow for the existing food pavilion to be demolished at the conclusion of the 2006 season. Construction ran through the winter and the new Food Service And Dining Pavilion was open for business at the start of the 2007 season. Bleck Engineering was responsible for surveying the Festival grounds, preparing all site civil related construction documents, assisting in the permitting and entitlement process, construction administration, and construction staking and layout. The new facility includes 6,000 square feet of outdoor dining patios that were thoughtfully arranged around several significant existing oak trees. Site paths were reconfigured to allow for the better movement of the visitors throughout the grounds and all utility services to the building were upgraded.
Lake Forest Academy – Athletic Field Improvements
In the fall of 2016, BLECK was approached by Lake Forest Academy to conduct a feasibility study for converting existing natural turf playing fields on campus to synthetic turf fields. The Academy had an issue where their existing turf fields frequently flooded and they would lose days of games and practice time due to poor field conditions. After the feasibility study was completed, construction documents were created for a 3.5 acre multipurpose athletic field. The design of the proposed field cross-section enabled the client to construct the new field while meeting all water quality and run-off reduction requirements by authorities having jurisdiction. The preparation of the construction documents allowed for the leadership to present a shovel ready project to the school board. After fundraising efforts were complete the field was constructed during the summer of 2018 and was ready for students and teams to use at the start of the school year. The new multi-purpose athletic field features 6 fields that meet NFHS standards including, 2 Field Hockey Fields, 1 Boy's Lacrosse Field, 1 Girls Lacrosse Field, 1 Softball Field, and 1 Soccer Field. The new field design allows teams to practice and play almost immediately after rain events compared to the multiple day wait the teams used to have when it was a natural turf field.
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