SH 161 Western Extension Project will now compete for national honors

AUSTIN -- The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) accepted a regional award this week for the on-time completion of the SH 161 Western Extension project in the department's Dallas District.

The $225 million SH 161 Western Extension project won the 2011 American Transportation Awards competition in the on time-large project category for the Western Region. The annual awards are co-sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Four other western region states were also honored.

The 11.5-mile SH 161 Western Extension project provides critical north-south mobility in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. This project included the construction of ten lanes of freeway, six lanes of frontage road, 10,521 feet of roadway and 17,299 feet of bridge, had an aggressive time line. The contractor, Williams Brothers Construction, completed the project five months ahead of schedule, due in large part to their well-thought out organizational and communication plan.

"The department is proud to accept this prestigious award," said Amadeo Saenz, TxDOT executive director. "SH 161 is a perfect example of the type of innovative management philosophy that the agency embraces -- bringing in projects not only on time, but ahead of schedule. That's worth recognizing."

The American Transportation Awards recognize innovative transportation improvement projects across the nation annually. The award was presented at the annual Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) meeting held this week in Oklahoma City.

As a regional winner, the SH 161 project will be considered for the national list of top ten projects to be announced in late August. The top ten will then compete for the national Grand Prize and the People's Choice Awards, to be presented at the AASHTO Annual Meeting on October 16 in Detroit.

A panel of transportation experts will select the Grand Prize winner. Online voting, which will open August 31, will determine the People's Choice Award. Both awards carry a $10,000 cash prize that may be used to start a scholarship fund for transportation professionals or be presented to a charity of choice. For more information about the awards or to vote online for the SH 161 Western Extension project, visit www.americastransportationaward.org. Voting opens August 31, 2011.