Illinois, Missouri, Georgia DOTs Honored by AASHTO
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Two state transportation projects meant to reduce traffic congestion have won top honors in the America’s Transportation Awards competition.
The awards, presented by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, recognize state departments of transportation that have led projects to improve safety and foster economic growth.
Best And Most Popular Transportation Projects Win National Awards
Congrats to @MoDOT @IDOT_Illinois and @GADeptofTrans for their #ATAwards!https://t.co/u0Vxxt4IoA #aashtoAM pic.twitter.com/5NBxlt3ncX— AASHTO (@aashtospeaks) October 8, 2019
The Illinois and Missouri departments of transportation won the grand prize, determined by an independent panel of judges, for their joint project to relocate Interstate 70 traffic to the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. Louis. Georgia DOT won the People’s Choice Award, selected by the public through online voting, for the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes that encompass segments of interstates 575 and 75 northwest of Atlanta.
“This annual competition is tough,” AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon said in an Oct. 8 press release. “All 81 of this year’s project nominees demonstrate the many ways transportation improves the quality of people’s lives. While we honor today’s champions, the biggest winners are by far the American people.”
In St. Louis, the interstate shift alleviated traffic on the Poplar Street Bridge, which formerly carried I-70 and continues to carry interstates 64 and 55. According to MoDOT, the $801 million project helped reduce travel times in the area.
We did it! For a second time, IDOT won the 2019 @aashtospeaks top honor! Partnering with @MoDOT to improve access throughout Metro East set us apart from 39 states. We’re taking home the trophy and donating our $5K share of the prize to @SIUE Upward Bound program. pic.twitter.com/0gmteR8XDI — IDOT (@IDOT_Illinois) October 10, 2019
Stretching from Baltimore to Cove Fort, Utah, I-70 is an important east-west route. The large number of warehouses that line the Mississippi River makes St. Louis an important freight destination.
“We work hard to deliver quality transportation projects every day,” MoDOT Deputy Director and Chief Engineer Ed Hassinger said. “It’s great to be recognized for the hard work the entire MoDOT team puts forth. This award also highlights the importance of partnerships in delivering the critical transportation projects that serve our customers.”
Georgia DOT’s Northwest Corridor Express Lanes, which have been open for 13 months, have reduced commute times during rush hour. According to GDOT, travel speeds in the express lanes are 30% faster than speeds in the general purpose lanes.
Traffic in the Atlanta area is notoriously bad. The five-level stack interchange in Atlanta referred to as “Spaghetti Junction,” which is where interstates 285 and 85 North intersect, ranked No. 2 on the American Transportation Research Institute’s 2019 top truck bottlenecks list. Atlanta also took the third spot for the intersection of I-75 and I-285 North.
“Users of the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes know the quality-of-life advantages this project has brought to the I-75 and I-575 corridors in northwest metro Atlanta,” GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said. “As always, our focus remains on continuing to deliver major projects that build upon and complement the success of the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes and meet the ever-evolving transportation needs of our state.”
This marks the second consecutive year that a Georgia project has earned the People’s Choice Award. The Georgia 400 Trail (Path400) project, which added bike lanes and walking paths to state Route 400 linking downtown Atlanta to its northern outskirts, won the award in 2018.
The awards, sponsored jointly with AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, honor projects in three categories: quality of life/community development, best use of technology and operations excellence. Some 39 state departments of transportation nominated 81 projects to compete in the four regional contests preceding the announcement of the overall winners.
The grand prize winner and the People’s Choice Award recipient each receive a $10,000 check, which will be put toward a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winners’ choosing.
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