AASHTO Journal, 12 June 2015
Two New Jersey Department of Transportation projects are the first regional winners in the 2015 America’s Transportation Awards competition, with the honors announced June 8 at the annual meeting in Wilmington, Del., of the Northeast Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The NJDOT entries, both bridge construction projects, won in the categories of Best Use of Innovation and Quality of Life/Economic Development.
“These awards recognize the many ways state DOTs are successfully completing projects to enhance Americans’ quality of life and provide for a vibrant economy,” said John Cox, this year’s president of the American Association of State Highway, and director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
America’s Transportation Awards are co-sponsored by AASHTO, the AAA motor club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The annual competition recognizes the best of America’s transportation projects or programs in four regional competitions.
Winners in the three remaining regional competitions will be announced throughout the summer.
The 10 regional winners with the highest overall scores will also compete for the national Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards, which come with $10,000 cash prizes the winners donate to a transportation-related charity or scholarship program. Those national winners will be announced in September at the AASHTO annual meeting in Chicago.
Within NASTO, the NJDOT won for Best Use of Innovation with $3.4 million project that replaced a 90-year-old bridge at Route 46 over the Musconetcong River. The agency used an accelerated bridge construction method that assembled pre-fabricated pieces to significantly reduce construction time and traffic disruptions.
An $8.1 million NJDOT project won for Quality of Life/Community Development. A U.S. route 322 Bridge and the Mullica Hill Pond Dam, it replaced a dam and bridge damaged by Hurricane Irene with a structure that both protects the region from flooding and enhances pedestrian access.
In addition, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration received an honorable mention in the Best Use of Innovation category.