State Project Among 10 Finalists for National Award

HARRISBURG – A Pennsylvania construction project is one of the 10 best in the nation, and Pennsylvanians can help the project win one of two awards for which it is eligible, the Grand National Prize and the People’s Choice Award, according to PennDOT.

The state Route 830 Airport Access project in Jefferson County was selected from 41 projects originally entered into the America’s Transportation Awards competition. An expert judging panel narrowed 23 regional winners into the top 10 finalists.

“It is an impressive accomplishment that a Pennsylvania project is among the nation’s 10 best,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. “Now we need the public’s help to win the People’s Choice Award.”

The People’s Choice Award will fund a community service project chosen by the winning state. The Grand National Prize, chosen by a panel of community, business and transportation leaders, will provide funds to support a graduate-level educational grant in the transportation field.

The five-mile, $26 million Route 830 Dubois Regional Airport connector replaced a long and circuitous route between the airport and Interstate 80 and included a new interchange with the interstate. Opened in July 2007, the project involved a high degree of cooperation among PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, the county conservation district, the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission and the general contractors, Glen O. Hawbaker, Inc. of State College and Francis J. Palo, Inc. of Clarion.

To vote for Pennsylvania’s project and to see a full de scri ption of the finalists, visit here. One person can cast more than one vote. Voting will continue until Oct. 10, when the awards will be presented at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Annual meeting in Hartford, Connecticut.

The nine other national finalists are:
• California: The MacArthur Maze, San Francisco
• Florida: Open Road Tolling, Miami-Dade County
• Kansas: I-35 Interchange, Kansas City
• Maryland/Virginia/District of Columbia: Woodrow Wilson Bridge
• Minnesota: TH36 N St. Paul Reconstruction, St. Paul
• Mississippi: Saint Louis Bay Bridge, Bay Saint Louis
• Rhode Island: Iway Bridge Float Project, Providence
• Utah: 4500 South Bridge Replacement, Salt Lake City
• Washington: Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Tacoma

The competition is sponsored by AASHTO, the American Automobile Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.