Top Transportation Officials and State DOTs Win Prestigious Awards

A handful of the nation's leading transportation officials were recognized this week for outstanding achievement during the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2010 Annual Meeting. The awards acknowledged exemplary performance by individuals, project teams, and state transportation departments – in the areas of administration, environment, engineering, planning, design, operations, and maintenance.

These national awards and the people and programs were recognized for their hard work and dedication, as well as their contribution to the legacy of essential and innovative transportation projects that every American can be proud of.

The awards and winners are:

Thomas H. MacDonald Memorial Award Kirk Steudle, Director Michigan Department of Transportation

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to highway engineering. In his 23-year career with MDOT, Steudle has worked his way up from an engineering trainee to a national leader who has transformed a 2,900-employee agency to an integrated transportation provider overseeing roads, bridges, mass transit, rail, aviation, and marine. The department has evolved from being an expenditure-driven organization to one that is results-driven.

Alfred E. Johnson Achievement Award Robert Hull, Director of Traffic and Safety Utah Department of Transportation

This award recognizes outstanding contributions in engineering or administration. Hull has been instrumental in directing Utah's successful efforts toward safer roads. He has taken a collaborative approach to improving traffic safety, uniting the labors of Utah's traffic engineers, law-enforcement agencies, safety educators, and emergency responders.

Francis B. Francois Award for Innovation Missouri Department of Transportation

This award recognizes a state transportation department that has implemented an outstanding innovative program. MoDOT is being honored for construction of a Diverging Diamond Interchange at Interstate 44 and Missouri 13 in Springfield. The junction had been a recurring congestion point, with southbound traffic on Missouri 13 routinely backing up one mile during peak hours. The interchange also lacked a sidewalk or shoulder to accommodate pedestrians or bicyclists. Instead of rebuilding the interchange with a conventional design, MoDOT chose to construct the first Diverging Diamond Interchange in the Western Hemisphere to remedy the location's congestion and safety problems.

President's Special Award of Merit John Horsley, Executive Director, and Jack Basso, Director of Program Finance and Management American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding and exemplary contributions to the work of the association. Horsley and Basso were honored for their successful efforts to maintain federal funding for state highway and transit programs as well as the excellent service they each provided to Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Butch Brown during his tenure as AASHTO president.

The 2010 President's Transportation Awards:

Administration Kevin Keith, Interim Director Missouri Department of Transportation

Keith developed a new standard known as practical design during his previous tenure as chief engineer. The concept has saved Missouri taxpayers $500 million and its emphasis on systemwide safety has contributed to the lowest traffic death count on the state's highways since 1950.

Environment Green Leadership in Transportation and Environmental Sustainability Program New York State Department of Transportation

The GreenLITES team has developed tools that advance the department's efforts in aligning sustainability efforts in planning, design, operations, and maintenance. In just 18 months, the team coordinated and implemented rating systems and recognition programs for project design as well as operations and maintenance programs, a regional assessment tool, and a project solicitation tool.

Highways Interstate 84/Vista Avenue Interchange Project Team Idaho Transportation Department

The team, led by ITD's Jason Brinkman and Wade Christiansen, designed Idaho's first Single-Point Urban Interchange at Interstate 84 and Vista Avenue, a key road connecting downtown Boise with the state capital's airport.

Highway Traffic Safety 511 Team Idaho Transportation Department

Idaho's 511 traveler-information system has been transformed to one of the most comprehensive available in the nation thanks to the leadership of ITD's six-person 511 Team. Motorists driving in Idaho now have instant access to critical road and weather information to make travel decisions and get to their destinations safely. Motorists now have a one-stop shop to look for critical information that allows them to make good travel choices.

Intermodal Transportation Frederick Rappe Jr., Special Assistant to the Secretary of Transportation Maryland Department of Transportation

Rappe spearheaded the complex infrastructure finance work needed to execute one of the largest public/private partnerships agreements in the Northeast to build a new 50-foot-deep berth at the Port of Baltimore. His troubleshooting of key financial-management issues related to this project has created a new standard in the development of public/private partnerships.

Performance Management District 2 Hot-Mix Asphalt Analyses Program Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

PennDOT's District 2 identified a need to ensure the integrity of hot-mix asphalt to improve pavement life and optimize pavement performance. The district's Materials Unit worked with asphalt producers to develop an optimization program that provides data analyses as a tool to identify deviations in mixes to ensure high-quality pavements.

Planning Brian Gregor, Senior Transportation Analyst Oregon Department of Transportation

Gregor researched and developed the first version of the Greenhouse Gas State Transportation Emissions Planning model known as GreenSTEP and applied it in the work he did for the Land Use and Transportation Subcommittee of Oregon's Global Warming Commission. One of GreenSTEP's assets is that it allows for the testing of many different scenarios of policy and technology variables quickly, which is of great importance in the rapidly evolving subject area of transportation greenhouse-gas emissions.

Rail Transportation Patrick Simmons, Rail Division Director North Carolina Department of Transportation

Simmons has led NCDOT's Rail Division for 20 years, during which time his vision and leadership have been essential to the success of the state's rail program. He is a national leader in safety, passenger operations, and station development. His efforts to develop high-speed rail in North Carolina paid off this year, when the Federal Railroad Administration awarded the state a $545 million recovery act grant for the Southeastern High-Speed Rail Corridor.

Research Composites Initiative Team Maine Department of Transportation

This team has been successful at introducing composite technologies into traditional transportation infrastructure in Maine. From simple composite bridge drains to a 540-foot-long multispan, continuous, hybrid-composite beam bridge along the coast, the 10-employee group has helped introduce and implement projects using composite technology.