Illinois, Missouri DOTs win regional transportation award
A bi-state partnership aimed at improving access and mobility throughout the Metro East has garnered top honors for the departments of transportation in Illinois and Missouri.
The recognition from Midwest states in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is for critical bridge projects over the past decade that provide better connections in the metropolitan area with jobs and tourist destinations in downtown St. Louis.
The award specifically cites the work done on 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 work has greatly enhanced freight, commuter, bicycle and pedestrian travel in the region. Congestion levels have been reduced, with improved overall safety for travel between Illinois and Missouri. The projects also have provided key alternate routes during construction or incidents on Mississippi River bridges, the award sponsors said.
“Working together, Illinois and Missouri have collaborated to make the Metro East an even better place to live, work and raise a family,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “This honor highlights our commitment to finding multimodal solutions as we rebuild Illinois.”
The joint application from Illinois and Missouri was selected as a winner in the “Quality of Life/Community Development, Large Project” category in the 2019 America’s Transportation Awards.
In the “Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Medium Project,” IDOT won for the Joliet Gateway Center, a joint multimodal effort with the City of Joliet to upgrade and modernize its passenger rail station.
“For 12 years, the America’s Transportation Awards have recognized state DOT projects for making communities safer, less congested and better connected,” said Carlos Braceras, AASHTO president and executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation. “Today’s regional winners demonstrate how state DOTs collaborate with local communities and partners to develop innovative, multimodal solutions that keep people and goods moving.”
