A Connecticut rapid bridge emergency repair project and a Delaware project that widened a widely used corridor while adding pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure took home top honors at the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition.
[Above, Delaware DOT Secretary Shanté Hastings (center) accepts the People’s Choice Award. Photo by AASHTO.]
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,” noted Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, in a statement.
“The 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition received the highest number of 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,” he said.
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.
Meanwhile, 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 two winning projects were selected from a list of 12 finalists comprised of the top three winners from four regional contests held earlier this summer.
[Editor’s note: To view the winners of the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials or NASTO region contest, click here. To view the winners of the Western Association of State Transportation Officials or WASHTO region contest, click here. To view the winners of the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials or SASHTO region, click here. And to view the winners of the Mid-America Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials or MAASTO region, click here.]
AASHTO noted that the Grand Prize is decided by an independent panel of transportation experts, while the People’s Choice Award is determined by online voting, weighted by state population.
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 annual America’s Transportation Awards contest, click here.
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