At A Glance
- National Engineering Honor: Blake Allred, PE, structural engineer for the USACE Little Rock District, has been named the 2026 USACE Structural Engineer of the Year.
- Critical Navigation Response: Served as Design Quality Control Engineer for emergency miter gate repairs at Dardanelle Lock and Dam, preserving commercial navigation along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS).
- Military & Warfighter Support: Recipient of two Civilian Service Commendation Medals for high-stakes emergency lock restoration and defense basecamp development engineering missions.
- Workforce & Technical Leadership: Spearheaded recruitment, Technical Management Plans, and dam safety modeling modernizations within the Little Rock District Design Branch.
- Efficiency Initiative Execution: Exemplified the USACE “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative by eliminating administrative delays to rapidly restore vital waterway infrastructure.
Editor’s Note: The following is from the USACE Little Rock District, curated by America’s Engineers for commercial contractor and industry visibility. The original report can be found at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers news repository.
When you work around the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District, you don’t have to look far to find someone who’s been shaped, supported, or inspired by Blake Allred. Over the past three years, Blake has quietly built a reputation as one of USACE’s most trusted structural engineers, earning two Civilian Service Commendation Medals for his critical role in the emergency miter gate repair at Dardanelle Lock and Dam and a basecamp development mission in support of our Nation’s warfighters.
When the miter gate suffered unexpected damage, threatening navigation on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, Blake stepped in as the Design Quality Control Engineer. He reviewed complex calculations, guided the design team through high‑pressure decisions, and helped deliver a repair that protected a nationally significant waterway. His work didn’t just solve a problem, it kept commerce moving and communities connected. It also embodied USACE’s Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork initiative by focusing on rapid, safe, technically sound solutions that get infrastructure back online instead of bogging teams down in administrative drag.
We’re so glad you are here! Like what you’re reading? Make America’s Engineers a Google preferred news source.Inside the Design Branch, Blake is known as the go‑to mentor, the person who will stop what he’s doing to walk a teammate through a Technical Management Plan, an After Action Review, or even the federal hiring process. He helped recruit and onboard key engineers, strengthening the branch’s technical depth and future readiness. His leadership is felt vertically, through strategic input to senior leaders, and horizontally, through strong relationships with project managers, operations teams, and engineers across the district.
Blake also contributes to the profession outside his normal duties. He maintains his Professional Engineer license, supports community infrastructure, pilots new engineering software, improves quality management processes, and serves on USACE selection panels. Whether he’s sealing a structural design for submission to the Arkansas Department of Transportation or helping modernize dam safety modeling, Blake consistently finds ways to elevate the engineering community.
This year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proudly recognizes Blake Allred as the Structural Engineer of the Year, a leader, mentor, and technical expert whose dedication strengthens the team, mission, and infrastructure millions of Americans rely on every day.
This article was originally published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the title, “USACE names Allred the 2026 Structural Engineer of the Year.” Reposted with permission.
