Online voting for Top 12 underway through September 21; can vote daily
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 23, 2017) – The Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Crossing in Louisville has been recognized as one of the best transportation projects in America and is in the running to capture the top prize. Kentucky is competing with 11 other states to have a commonwealth transportation project named Best in America in the 2017 America’s Transportation Awards competition.
“We’re excited about the high level of participation in this year’s competition,” said American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Executive Director Bud Wright. “Projects being constructed across the country are making communities safer, healthier and more prosperous, so the big winners are the American people.”
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) earned a regional award, with the Downtown Crossing named the winner for “Operations Excellence – Large Project.” The award recognized a transportation project that demonstrated successful strategies and actions that reduced congestion, improved reliability or advanced transportation operations. The three highest scoring projects in four regional contests became the competition’s Top 12 and are now competing for a national Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award.
The Grand Prize will be determined by an independent panel of transportation industry experts. The People’s Choice Award will be selected through online voting by the general public.
Online voting is underway and continues through midnight (ET) on Thursday, Sept. 21: http://americastransportationawards.org/. Individuals can vote once a day per device, so the use of multiple devices (e.g., personal computer, smart phone, tablet) to cast votes each day is encouraged.
The Downtown Crossing, a nearly $1.3 billion project, marked substantial completion in November 2016. It includes the new Abraham Lincoln Bridge, an overhauled John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge and improved interstate connections on both sides of the river. More than 50 miles of new roadway and more than 60 overpasses and bridges were built in connection with the Downtown Crossing.
The transformative project provides improved safety and cross-river mobility between Louisville and Southern Indiana that had been needed for decades. KYTC, along with Walsh Construction and many strong partners, delivered the Downtown Crossing project on budget and ahead of schedule, providing a safer, faster and more reliable transportation system for the region.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is also included in the Top 12, with the East End Crossing named the regional winner for Quality of Life/Community Development. The $2.3 billion Louisville – Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project was completed in late 2016, with Kentucky overseeing work on the Downtown Crossing and Indiana overseeing the East End Crossing.
Now celebrating its tenth year, the America’s Transportation Awards competition was created by AASHTO with the support of AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Grand Prize winner and the People’s Choice Award both include a $10,000 cash prize to support a transportation-related scholarship or charitable cause.
If KYTC wins either award, the money will be donated to the Kentucky Employee Charitable Campaign (KECC). State employees raise money for the campaign each year, with the donations going to a combination of several charities, including the American Cancer Society, Christian Appalachian Project, Community Health Charities of Kentucky, Kosair Charities, Kentucky March of Dimes, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, United Way of Kentucky and the WHAS Crusade for Children.
Additional information on the Ohio River Bridges Project is available at www.kyinbridges.com.
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