IDOT finalist for prestigious national award

COLLINSVILLE - For the second consecutive year, an Illinois Department of Transportation project is a finalist for the grand prize in the America's Transportation Awards, the top honor for state departments of transportation. The recognition is for a joint effort with the Missouri Department of Transportation to improve access and mobility throughout the Metro East region.

"Our multimodal system of transportation is what makes Illinois stand out. This recognition once again confirms that," said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. "The entire team at IDOT is proud of the work we do to provide safe, reliable ways for getting around our state. This honor could not have happened without the cooperation and leadership from our local communities and partners in Missouri." 

The partnership between IDOT and MoDOT produced several critical bridge projects over the past decade to improve connections in the metropolitan area with jobs and tourist destinations. Between the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge project, the Park over the Highway at Gateway Arch Park, the Martin Luther King Bridge connection to Illinois 3 and the Poplar Street Bridge widening, the two states have worked closely to enhance freight, commuter, bicycle and pedestrian travel in the region.

The bistate initiative was announced Friday as a Top 12 finalist out of the 81 projects submitted nationwide for the 12th annual America's Transportation Awards, hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The IDOT-MoDOT entry now competes for the national Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award. Both come with $10,000 in prize money for a charity or not-for-profit chosen by the winning states. An independent panel of transportation industry experts will select the Grand Prize winner, while the general public will decide the People's Choice Award through online voting that concludes Oct. 6.

The winners will be announced at the AASHTO annual meeting in St. Louis on Oct. 8.

Last year, the Interstate 55-Lake Shore Drive interchange in Chicago won the Grand Prize in the contest, a first for IDOT.