The respective Departments of Transportation in Missouri and Illinois received top honors this week in a competition sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The catalyst was their joint work on infrastructure improvements to downtown St. Louis, which brought multimodal enhancements for both states. It was an $801 million project that resulted in improved travel times and a new connection to the St. Louis Arch. Over its course, an interstate was relocated to the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, lane ramps were updated, an extra road lane added, and a park set up to replace the previous interstate location.
“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.”
The project won the Grand Prize in the 12th annual America’s Transportation Awards competition, beating out 80 other projects from across the country for the honor.
“This annual competition is tough,” Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director, said. “All 81 of this year’s project nominees demonstrate the many ways transportation improves the quality of people’s lives. Some of these projects increased mobility by giving commuters more travel options, including biking and walking. Others spurred economic development, cut traffic congestion, or improved safety. And while we honor today’s champions, the biggest winners are by far the American people.”
For their success, the departments were given a $10,000 cash prize to support a charity or transportation-related scholarship program of their choosing.