Six state department of transportation projects in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania won regional awards in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
“The America’s Transportation Awards shine a spotlight on the vital projects state DOTs deliver for their communities to enhance safety, expand mobility for users, deliver a better quality of life for residents and visitors, and keep our economy moving,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. “The America’s Transportation Awards competition continues to show us that state DOTs are able to transform communities in a variety of ways. And as Congress works toward a new federal surface transportation bill, lawmakers need to only look at the tangible benefits that states deliver to their customers through examples like these winners to see why robust federal funding to states is so important.”
Twenty-six transportation projects were submitted by seven states and the District of Columbia in the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials region for this year’s competition. Projects are judged in four categories: Quality of Life/Community Development, Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology and Innovation, and Safety.
All nominated projects first compete at the regional level against projects of their own size (small, costing up to $10 million; medium, costing between $10 million and $100 million; or large, costing more than $100 million).
The top three scoring projects from regional competitions throughout the U.S. will advance to the Top 12 and compete for two national honors in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards. The Grand Prize will be chosen by an independent panel of judges and the People’s Choice Award will be decided through online public voting. AASHTO will reveal both winners at its annual meeting in November 2025.
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The following six projects in the Constructioneer area won 2025 regional America’s Transportation Awards.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) rehabilitation of the Crawford Avenue Bridge, also known as the McCray Robb Bridge, reconnected neighborhoods, businesses, and community resources. The project also introduced a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. In addition to improving safety and connectivity for residents in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, the $13 million project enhanced access to key regional transportation links — including the Great Allegheny Passage trail and Amtrak — to support tourism and local businesses.
Benesch of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, led the project’s design; Mosites Construction and Development Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, served as Prime Contractor; and CDR Maguire Engineering of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, was the Prime Consultant Inspector.
“What made this process so remarkable was how every step kept resources circulating within the community, thanks to the consultants, contractors, and skilled crafts- and tradesmen and women on the job,” said William Beaumariage, PennDOT’s Assistant District Executive for Construction. “From design to raw materials to construction, each dollar invested went back into the local economy, supporting families and businesses in Connellsville."
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PennDOT used a completely digital modeling process for the first time to design, bid, and build the bridge replacement carrying Milwaukee Road over Gardner Creek in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The digital model replaced paper plans, improving design quality, reducing construction conflicts, and making it easier to communicate design intent to both the construction contractor and the public.
The project is part of PennDOT’s Digital Delivery 2025 initiative to modernize infrastructure project delivery by incorporating digital data and 3D technology.
In this project, a 52-foot prestressed concrete bridge replaced the existing 32-foot steel girder bridge. The 3D model allowed the contractor to access all the design information on tablets, with views that mirrored traditional paper plans. To-scale illustrations were also created to guide crews through the sequence of construction.
The digital process helped complete the project a month ahead of schedule, reducing impacts on nearby homes, a small farm, and a local volunteer fire department.
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This historic bridge, also known as the Wurts Street Bridge, crosses over Rondout Creek and Dock Street to connect Esopus and Kingston, New York. One of the first suspension bridges built in the Hudson Valley, the two approaches and towers for the 103-year-old structure rest at different elevations, with a vertical difference of 20 feet. In 2014, structural deterioration caused a 3-ton weight restriction.
To stabilize and strengthen the structure, the New York State Department of Transportation used more than 700 tons of steel in the $60 million project. The work included installation of a new, continuous bridge deck and supporting trusses that negate the need for deck joints, reducing long-term maintenance costs. New paint will also lessen the need for annual maintenance. Deteriorated steel elements were replaced throughout the structure, improving stability and allowing the bridge to reclaim its original 20-ton weight limit.
In addition, climate control systems were installed inside the enclosed chambers where the main cables are anchored to control moisture and prevent corrosion. A new decorative lighting system can be adapted to celebrate special events and holidays.
“Modernizing our infrastructure to meet the demands of the 21st century does not mean we have to abandon the iconic structures that are weaved into New York State’s rich history,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “The rehabilitation of the Wurts Street Bridge not only preserves a beloved and historic landmark in the City of Kingston, but also makes it stronger and more resilient, enhancing safety for everyone who travels over it.”
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The urban section of Route 1 between County Road 522 in South Brunswick, New Jersey, and Thomas Avenue in North Brunswick, New Jersey, experienced heavy traffic congestion. However, with development on both sides, widening the roadway would have caused significant socioeconomic impacts and high costs to acquire right-of-way.
As an alternative, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) initiated a hard shoulder running (HSR) pilot project, adding a third lane for use on a temporary basis during peak morning and evening travel hours. The $6.5 million project improved safety and mobility, with stop-and-go traffic now replaced with steady traffic flow, resulting in lower vehicle emissions and better air quality. In addition, NJDOT completed the low-cost project in months rather than years, minimizing construction impacts to the community and expediting its benefits.
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy heavily damaged New Jersey’s Wildwood Channel complex and its seven maritime channels. Restoring them to safe and navigable depths facilitated maritime transport throughout the area.
However, this $11.6 million, 111,000 cubic yard project faced numerous challenges, including coordinating dredging efforts across multiple townships and meeting tight deadlines to avoid disruptions to the tourist season. To overcome those difficulties, NJDOT’s contractor utilized sand separators and hydro cyclones to place dredged material into nearly 140 geobags — large, durable fabric bags filled with materials like sand, soil, or gravel to dewater the dredged materials. Placed at three different sites, the geobags allowed for efficient and timely removal of dredged materials.
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In referencing the state’s two award-winning projects, NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor said, “These awards are an example of Governor Phil Murphy’s commitment to a safe, reliable, and equitable transportation system for all New Jerseyans and demonstrate how the New Jersey Department of Transportation continues to be a national leader in delivering projects that improve the quality of life for our residents and travelers in our state. We should all be proud of the outstanding efforts of NJDOT’s employees and our contractors for the work they do every day to make our roads and bridges safe.”
This Delaware Department of Transportation project widened a 2-mile stretch of Catherine Street (also known as State Route 299 and Main Street), enhancing traffic capacity, safety, and operations. The $18.4 million project also added transit, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities to better serve residents of Middletown and southern New Castle County, Delaware. The finished work not only supports growing traffic volumes but enhances multimodal connections to essential services and key destinations.
In design for nearly a decade, the project was finally completed due to federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The project tied for first in the regional America’s Transportation Awards Safety category for medium-sized projects with the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Wrong Way Driver Detection System.
