Pennsylvania’s I-579 Cap Urban Connector project is one of 12 finalists in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ 2022 America’s Transportation Awards.
The finalists will compete for the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award. An independent panel of transportation industry experts will select the Grand Prize winner. The public will choose the People’s Choice Award winner using online voting.
The winners of the prizes will receive $10,000 for a charity or transportation-related scholarship.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sponsor the competition, evaluating projects in three categories and sizes.
The public can vote once daily through Oct. 21. Votes will be weighted to each state’s population.
The I-579 Urban Open Space Cap projects reconnect Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District neighborhood to the downtown area, re-establishing a direct link to economic opportunities and amenities lost in the 1950s when homes and businesses were demolished to construct the Civic Arena and other developments.
Interstate 579 was built in the same timeframe, separating the Hill District from downtown by creating a “concrete canyon” of tall retaining walls and noisy interstate traffic.
The project also created a new, three-acre green space.