Salt Lake City — A rapid bridge emergency repair project in Connecticut and a Delaware project that widened a widely used corridor while enhancing pedestrian and bicycle access won top honors at the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Fairfield Avenue Bridge project won the contest’s Grand Prize, while the Delaware Department of Transportation’s SR 299, SR 1 to Catherine Street Widening Project received the People’s Choice Award.
“From reconstructing a bridge in record time following a fiery crash to bolstering traffic capacity and adding transit, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities to better serve a growing population, these two winning projects showcase how state DOTs truly make a difference in their communities,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “The 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition received the most state DOT nominations to date – highlighting this year’s most innovative transportation projects that bolster safety, boost the economy and improve the quality of life for everyone.”
Created by AASHTO 18 years ago, the America’s Transportation Awards competition highlights the positive impact of state DOT projects on communities nationwide – attracting 113 nominations from 35 states in 2025.
Connecticut DOT’s Fairfield Avenue Bridge project swiftly addressed substantial infrastructure damage following a collision involving a flatbed tractor trailer and tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel on I-95. This led to a fire that engulfed the Fairfield Avenue Bridge in Norwalk for nearly two hours – destroying the two-span structure. Connecticut DOT crews worked around the clock to assess and demolish the bridge, enabling the highway below to reopen just days later. The new bridge was completed in just seven months, nearly $3 million under budget at a total cost of $17 million.
Delaware DOT’s SR 299, SR 1 to Catherine Street Widening Project extended a two-mile stretch of Catherine Street, enhancing traffic capacity, safety, and operations. The $40 million project also added transit, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities to better serve residents of Middletown and southern New Castle County.
The projects first competed in four regional contests, with the top three highest-rated projects from each of the four regions advancing to the final stage to compete for the two national awards. An independent panel of industry judges selected the Grand Prize winner, while the project that received the highest number of online votes from the public – weighted by state population – earned the People’s Choice Award.
The Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award both come with a $10,000 cash award for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winners’ choosing.
To learn more about the America’s Transportation Awards, visit http://www.americastransportationawards.org.
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials represents State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association catalyzing excellence in transportation.
America's Transportation Awards 