Two projects from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) have been recognized as semifinalists in America’s Transportation Awards Competition.
The Route 1, Cr 522 to Thomas Avenue Hard Shoulder Running Pilot Project and the Maintenance Dredging and Channel Improvements project were recognized by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA and the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s transportation awards competition in which state departments of transportation compete in four categories – Quality of Life/Community Development; Operations Excellence; Best Use of Technology & Innovation and, for the first time, Safety. Categories are further separated by the budge size of the project – under $10 million (small), between $10 million and $100 million (medium), and large ($100 million or more).
Officials said the Route 1 project, which saw a roadway improvements project use the right shoulder as a travel lane during the weekday morning and evening commute to keep traffic flowing, was recognized in Operations Excellence in the Small project category. The Maintenance Dredging project was awarded honors for the Best Use of Technology in the medium-sized project category. In that project, multiple pieces of specialty equipment were used across three different placement sites to complete a technically difficult 111,000 cubic yard project returning seven Wildwood Channels to a state of good repair.
“These awards are an example of Governor Phil Murphy’s commitment to a safe, reliable, and equitable transportation system for all New Jerseyans and demonstrate how the New Jersey Department of Transportation continues to be a national leader in delivering projects that improve the quality of life for our residents and travelers in our State,” NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor said. “We should all be proud of the outstanding efforts of NJDOT’s employees and our contractors for the work they do every day to make our roads and bridges safe.”
The projects were chosen from a field of more than 25 projects nominated in the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials region, which New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Rhode Island and Vermont; and announced at the 2025 NASTO Conference held in New Jersey.
The semifinalists will go on to the national category, which will be announced in early September.