On Friday, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recognized New York State Department of Transportation’s work on the Kew Gardens Interchange Project for its use of technology and innovation.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the project had been honored with an award in the 2023 America’s Transportation Awards competition by the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials in the “Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Large Project) category. The competition evaluated a total of 81 projects from 36 state transportation departments.
“The Department of Transportation’s Kew Gardens Interchange project was a massive undertaking that utilized innovation and technology to improve the transportation infrastructure in Queens, all while reducing bottlenecks and helping keep traffic moving,” Hochul said. “To be recognized on a national level for this work is a testament to our efforts to make the lives of New Yorkers better. I thank the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for this recognition and send my sincere congratulations to the entire New York State Department of Transportation team for their hard work on this project.”
The Kew Gardens Interchange project in Queens, completed in late 2022, revamped a heavily traveled corridor, creating faster travel times, safer conditions and more reliable connections for hundreds of thousands of commuters on their way to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and other regional destinations. The $739 million project was chosen for its use of new technology and/or creative/innovation solutions implemented by a state department of transportation as part of a transportation project.
“The transformative Kew Gardens Interchange project has led to less congestion and enhanced safety while improving climate resiliency and promoting multi-modal transportation. This award belongs to all the dedicated women and men of the New York State Department of Transportation who make projects like this possible and who’s focus is to advance safe transportation for all,” New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. “Our sincere thanks to America’s Transportation Awards – it is an honor to have the Kew Gardens Interchange recognized as a transformative, climate-conscious projects that has changed a transportation system for the better, in Queens and beyond.”
The project will join other regional winners in a national competition later this year. The top three highest scoring projects from each region will go on to compete for the top two national prizes, with the grand prize being chose by an independent panel of judges and the People’s Choice Award being determined by online voting. Winners will be announced at the AASHTO annual meeting this November.