AASHTO Journal - AASHTO CRUO Awards Salute Member Achievements

The Committee on Right of Way, Utilities and Outdoor Advertising Control – known as CRUO – recently presented awards to several of its members in recognition of their work to develop innovative programs to address highway issues.

[Above left to right:Drew Gilmore, Genevieve Haller, and Calvin Reed. Photo by AASHTO.]

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials developed CRUO to review the laws and regulations of the federal government, member states, and territories pertaining to public acquisition and management of real property for transportation related purposes.

The committee also reviews issues related to the placement of utilities on highway rights-of-way or ROW while providing a forum to exchange ideas, innovations, and best practices aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of state DOT utility and ROW operating practices.

Calvin Reed, secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation and CRUO’s chair, noted that these awards – developed in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration – are designed to “recognize meaningful contributions to our field.”

The winners of those awards are:

Chantel Ham, senior relocation reviewer for the Washington State Department of Transportation, received the “Innovation Award” for the conceptualization and implementation of an internal training and resource site, known as the Relocation WORKSPACE. This award – presented to an individual or team who successfully implemented a new product or process that is either internally or externally facing – recognizes how WSDOT’s Relocation WORKSPACE serves as a centralized online hub that offers comprehensive guidance on the displacement process, ensuring that all relocation assistance activities are compliant with the Uniform Act. Training is also available through the new site to help calculate agent move estimates, carve-outs, and replacement housing payments with remainders.
Fran Bickley, assistant director of ROW for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, received the “Stewardship Award” for developing a first-time homebuyer’s grant program on the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor project in Charleston, SC. This award – which highlights an individual, team, or project that returned or increased value to the state, a DOT, or public at large – helped provide down payment assistance to low-income residents displaced by the $4.7 billion highway project. This required an extensive amount of coordination with multiple project stakeholders including the South Carolina Housing Authority, FHWA, the City of North Charleston, Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment, non-profit developers, and members of the affected communities. Bickley’s leadership, including her hands-on involvement and proactive educational initiatives, has created an opportunity for home ownership that was previously unattainable on other highway projects while at the same time has provided an innovative solution to the lack of affordable housing in the project area.
Abraham Geevarghese, ROW program manager for the Texas Department of Transportation, received the “FHWA Realty Excellence Award” for his management of two key projects, the Harbor Bridge and the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP)—especially for navigating the ROW and regulatory processes associated with them. In addition to those projects, Geevarghese has gone above and beyond as a Professional Development Program coach as he works to mentor and grow the next generation of the TxDOT workforce.
Genevieve Haller, ROW engineering project manager for the Delaware Department of Transportation, received CRUO’s Committee Leadership Award, also known as the “The Golden Bowtie” award, for her development, inception, and facilitation of the new Technical Council (TC) on ROW Engineering. “Her ability to advocate passionately for the topic of ROW engineering, while also uplifting and involving members, has created a sense of shared purpose and motivation within the TC,” noted CROU Chair Reed. “She has gone above and beyond to create pathways for engagement, actively reaching out to interested parties, and consistently leading the TC with best practices.”