Contact:
Bill Shreck, MDOT Director of Communications, 517-335-3084
Agency:
Transportation
July 17, 2009 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has won recognition at the regional level, twice over, in the America's Top Transportation Awards competition jointly sponsored the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
"This is the approach we like to take to all transportation projects," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "We are committed to delivering projects on time, on budget and with innovative management for the residents and businesses of Michigan."
MDOT was honored as the winner in the On Time, Medium Project category for rebuilding and widening I-94 from west of US-131 to east of Oakland Drive in Kalamazoo County. One of the largest projects ever constructed in southwestern Michigan, this section of I-94 was expanded from four to six lanes and involved replacing seven aging bridges, while adding four new bridges to accommodate a new fly-under/over ramp. The $68 million project was completed on time in 26 months in November 2008. The new configuration has dramatically improved safety by reducing rear-end and side-swipe collisions and increased the operating efficiency of the I-94 corridor.
MDOT also took top honors for the M-115 Clare County Improvement Project in the Innovative Management, Small Project category. Using a $1 million "Highways for Life" safety grant from the Federal Highway Administration, MDOT upgraded a 5.5-mile section of M-115. The project was designed to promote innovative techniques in construction and as a result, was completed 20 days ahead of schedule in October 2008. The completed project has significantly improved pavement condition and safety along this rural two-lane state road from Lake Station Avenue to the Oscela/Clare county line.
The MDOT awards were announced July 15 at AASHTO's annual Mississippi Valley Conference in Grand Rapids. After winning at the regional level, the two MDOT projects are eligible to compete for the America's Transportation Awards Grand Prize that will be presented at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in California in October. For more information, visit: www.americastransportationaward.org.
MDOT: Working to improve our state roads and bridges.
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