The Broadway Bridge spanning the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock is one of twelve projects that have been named finalists in the2017 America’s Transportation Awards competition.
The competition is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), as well the AAA motor club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The awards recognize the best transportation projects in three categories: (1) Quality of Life/Community Development, (2) Best Use of Technology and Innovation, and (3) Operations Excellence.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation’s Broadway Bridge is a finalist in Best Use of Technology & Innovation. Finalists were selected from regional winners.
The top 12 projects are now competing for the national Grand Prize, selected by a panel of transportation industry experts, and the People’s Choice Award, selected by online voting.
"We’re excited about the high level of participation in this year’s competition. Transportation departments in the District of Columbia and 38 states submitted a record 92 project nominations," said AASHTO Executive Director Bud Wright in a statement.
Online voting is underway and continues through midnight eastern time on Thursday, Sept. 21. Votes can be cast at: http://AmericasTransportationAwards.org.
Individuals can vote once a day.
Both the national Grand Prize and the People’s Choice award come with a $10,000 prize to a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winner’s choosing.
From America's Transportation Awards website:
The Broadway Bridge on Highway 70 across the Arkansas River served as one of the primary structures for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists traveling between Little Rock and North Little Rock for almost a century. By 2011, the bridge had become structurally deficient and officials determined renovation would be too costly.
Instead, Arkansas DOT built a $98 million replacement bridge consisting of twin 448-foot basket-handle network tied arches that now provides travelers with an aesthetically pleasing and reliable structure connecting the two downtown areas which have a combined population of over 260,000. Arkansas utilized Accelerated Bridge Construction to minimize impact on commuters and complete the project a month ahead of schedule.
