AASHTO announces Grand Prize and Peoples Choice Award Winners.

Press Release Summary:

Announcing Grand Prize and Peoples Choice Award Winners, AASHTO, AAA and U.S declared Connecticut Department of Transportation as Grand Prize winner and Florida Department of Transportation as Peoples Choice Award winner in the 2016 America's Transportation Awards competition. Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge and Eller Drive Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Overpass as award winning projects and winners were each presented with $10,000 cash prizes to be used to support a charity. 


Original Press Release:

Transportation Projects in Connecticut and Florida Win Top National Awards

Grand Prize and Peoples Choice Award Winners Also Receive $10,000 Prizes

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today announced that the Connecticut Department of Transportation has earned the Grand Prize and the Florida Department of Transportation was voted the Peoples Choice Award winner in the 2016 America's Transportation Awards competition.

Now in its ninth year, the competition attracted a record 84 project nominees from 39 state transportation departments plus the District of Columbia that competed in four regional competitions. The 12 projects receiving the highest ratings in the regional competitions competed for the final two awards. A panel of experts selected the Grand Prize winner and the project receiving the highest number of online votes earned the Peoples Choice Award.

This years Grand Prize winner, the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge is another perfect example of what this competition is about, said Bud Wright, AASHTO executive director. This spectacular new addition to New Havens skyline is one of the largest projects in the Connecticut DOTs history. And it was delivered ahead of schedule and on budget, improving safety, relieving congestion and enhancing travel options for tens of thousands of daily commuters."

The $554 million, Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge spans 42-hundred feet over the Quinnipiac River, connecting 140,000 vehicles daily to several major Interstates and the Gateway Terminal; one of the busiest intermodal ports in the country.

"America's Transportation Awards continues to showcase how state and local transportation agencies are using innovative approaches to tackle a broad range of transportation projects, stated Jill Ingrassia, managing director of government relations and traffic safety advocacy at AAA. Whether its repairing or replacing existing infrastructure, or implementing HOV lanes, this is important work that will help to reduce congestion, improve safety, and increase efficiency."

The Florida Department of Transportations Eller Drive Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Overpass project earned 65,000 of the more than 220,000 online votes cast, making it the winner of the Peoples Choice Award. This $42.5 million project improved safety and traffic flow to the Port Everglades cruise and container terminals through upgraded intersections, a new bridge, railroad crossing signals, and other major improvements.

It is important to recognize the innovative and resourceful transportation infrastructure projects being done across the country, said Ed Mortimer, executive director of transportation infrastructure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Our organization is a co-sponsor of this annual competition because it demonstrates how these award winning transportation projects are the foundation for Americas economy.

The Grand Prize and Peoples Choice award winners were each presented with $10,000 cash prizes to be used to support a charity or transportation-related scholarship program of the agencies' choosing.

Learn more about the contest and this years entries at www.americastransportationawards.org.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the Voice of Transportation representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation.

Tony Dorsey,

Media Relations Manager

tdorsey@aashto.org

202-412-2391

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