Sunday, October 13, 2002
FHWA 43-02
Contact: Bill Outlaw
Tel.: 202-366-0660
FHWA Gives Awards to
Top Highway Designs
ANCHORAGE, AK—The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) today announced the selections for its 2002 national
awards for Excellence in Highway Design. The
awards were given at the annual meeting of the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in Anchorage, AK.
“As the demands on our highway system become increasingly
complex, the need for innovative and sensitive design solutions will grow as
well,” FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters said.
“These award winners share a common approach. They are providing safe, efficient transportation projects
that, at the same time, are sensitive to the human and the natural
environment.”
The 2002 recipients range from spectacular forest highways
to historical bridges to modern intelligent transportation systems.
They demonstrate how cities, states and counties are designing roadways
that are not only safe and efficient but that enhance the environment around
them, often standing as impressive works of art on their own.
Since 1968,
hundreds of outstanding examples of highways, bridges, pedestrian facilities,
roadside facilities and other facets of roadway design have been showcased in
what was first known as “The Highway and its Environment” competition and is
now the “Excellence in Highway Design” awards program.
The program features nine categories, with the winner in each
category receiving an excellence award and two others receiving the merit and
the honorable mention award.
The list of categories and award winners follow:
In Category 1, The Urban
Highway, the excellence award was given for the Hutchinson River Parkway in New
York. Merit awards were given for
the Neil Avenue Bridge in Columbus, OH, the Fort Washington Way project in
Cincinnati, and Highway 96 in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
Honorable mentions were given for Bruce R. Watkins Drive in Missouri,
U.S. Route 2 (Main St.) in Vermont, the “Big I” Interchange in Albuquerque,
NM, and the I-15/40th Street freeway project in San Diego.
In Category 2, The Rural Highway, the excellence award was given for Taconic State Parkway in New York. Merit awards were given for State Trunk Highway 21 in Wisconsin, State Route 87 from Sycamore Creek to Sunflower in Arizona, and North Shore Scenic Drive in Minnesota. Honorable mention was given for Trunk Highway 61 (Schroeder Reconstruction) in Minnesota.
In Category 3A, Major Highway
Structures (above $10 million), the excellence award was given for the Broadway
Bridge in Florida. A merit award
was given for the Gene Hartzell Memorial Bridge in Pennsylvania.
Honorable mentions were given for the Neuse River Bridge in North
Carolina, the Smart Road Bridge in Virginia, and the Crooked River Gorge Bridge
(High Bridge) in Oregon.
In Category 3B, Major Highway Structures (under $10
million), the excellence award was given for the Grays Bay Bridge in Hennepin
County, Minnesota. Merit awards
were given for Catskill Region State Route 28 in Bovina, NY, and the Mississippi
River Bridge in Brainerd, MN. Honorable
mentions were given for MD 146 Bridge (Dulaney Valley Road) in Maryland and for
Bridge No. 09009 in Minnesota.
In
Category 4, Environmental Protection and Enhancements, the excellence award was
given for the First Creek Fish Passage in Washington state. A merit award was given for the Indian Creek stormwater
treatment facility in Washington state. Honorable
mention was given for wetland mitigation in northern Nevada.
In Category 5, Historic Preservation, the excellence award
was given for Route 66/Stony Kill Bridge in New York. Merit award were given for the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in
Philadelphia and the Regency Suspension Bridge in Texas.
Honorable mentions were given for Rocky Creek Bridge in Oregon, Trunk
Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) in Minneapolis, and the Thread City Crossing in
Connecticut.
In
Category 6, Highway-Related Projects, the excellence award was given for the
Broadway (Diamondback) bicycle/pedestrian bridge in Tucson, AZ.
Merit awards were given for I-87 Northbound Hudson & Blue Ridge Sound
in New York, and for the Timber Pedestrian Bridge in Salem, NC.
Honorable mentions were given for North County Trailway in New York,
bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Tucson, AZ, and the Crabtree Creek Greenway
Connector in North Carolina.
In Category 7, Intelligent Transportation Systems, the
excellence award was given for an ITS public-private partnership in Tucson, AZ.
In Category 8, Intermodal Transportation Facilities, the
excellence award was given for the Natchez visitor reception and Intermodal
Transportation Center in Mississippi. Merit
awards were given for the Old Main Line (Frederick Branch of Maryland Commuter
Rail) in Maryland and for the Contra Costa County intermodal station in
California. Honorable mention was
given for the Historic Salem Railroad Station Restoration in Oregon.
In
Category 9, Highway Improvements on Publicly Owned Land, the excellence award
was given for the Forest Highway G5, Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. A merit award went to U.S. 93, Boulders section, in Arizona.
Honorable mentions were given for Highway 61 in Minnesota and to
Lakeshore Scenic Drive in Nevada.
A complete list of award winners, sponsoring agencies or firms, and descriptions can be found at www.fhwa.dot.gov/eihd/index.htm .
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