2005 Award of Excellence Winners

WSDOT & FHWA Recognize “Excellence in Local Agency Projects
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) selected four local agency projects for the Award of Excellence awards. The awards program is a collaborative effort between WSDOT Highways and Local Programs and FHWA to formally recognize federally funded local agency projects that have achieved excellence in safety enhancements, construction, innovative design, environmental compatibility, and public involvement and satisfaction. The award categories are Best City Project, Best County Project, Best Special Project, and Director’s Award.

• Best City Project:

  City of Des Moines Pacific Highway South Redevelopment Project
  
  Pacific Highway South extends the entire length of the City of Des Moines, and serves as a major north-south corridor for the Puget Sound area. This one-mile segment suffered from severe traffic congestion and delay. Construction of the $10.7 million project began in August 2003 and was substantially completed in February 2005. The roadway redevelopment improves pedestrian and motorist safety, encourages economic development, and promotes transit use. The completed project provides new high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, traffic signals, continuous curb and sidewalks, as well as new roadway and pedestrian lighting. In addition, the project includes a new storm drainage system that helps to improve water quality and reduce flooding in nearby creeks.
  
  Contact: Ed Conyers, Northwest Region Local Programs Engineer, (206) 440-4734    Back to top

• Best County Project:

  Douglas County Badger Mountain Road Project
  
  This project began July 2003 with the purpose of reconstructing a five-mile section of Badger Mountain Road between the Wenatchee Valley urban center and the Waterville Plateau. The roadway is largely used to transport agricultural products from the Plateau to markets and shipping centers in the Wenatchee Valley area. The $4.6 million project improves roadway safety, allows higher driving speeds, and is built to handle heavier truck loads. The project was completed October 2004 and has been recognized by the community for the drivability improvements and its overall benefits to the traveling public.
  
  Contact: Paul Mahre, North Central Region Local Programs Engineer, (509) 667-3090    Back to top

• Best Special Project:

  City of Lynnwood Heritage Park Project
  
  Heritage Park is a historic preservation project that creates a place for the community and tourists to experience the history of the Alderwood Manor area. The $1.5 million project began November 2002. Objectives included fulfilling the need for historic preservation, providing educational programs to raise heritage awareness, and promoting tourism. The public was highly involved in this project, as community members donated hundreds of volunteer hours and personalized bricks and bronze sculptures for the plaza, as well as accessories for the trolley. Despite extreme weather conditions and other unexpected issues related to moving the trolley, project work continued and was completed September 2004.
  
  Contact: Ed Conyers, Northwest Region Local Programs Engineer, (206) 440-4734    Back to top

• Director’s Award:

  Yakima County Donald-Wapato Road Project
  
  The Donald-Wapato Road serves transportation needs for agriculture and the cities of Donald and Wapato. Heavy vehicles were restricted from using the road due to three weakened and obsolete bridges. Construction on the one-half mile stretch began July 2003. The $9.1 million project not only improved access for trucks, school buses and fire engines, it cut costs for long-term maintenance of the three 50 year-old bridges by building a new bridge in a new location. Partnerships were developed with local, tribal and federal agencies to address the substantial environmental challenges of the project. It was completed December 2004.
  
  Contact: Roger Arms, South Central Region Local Programs Engineer, (509) 577-1780    Back to top

For more information about the Awards of Excellence Program, contact:

Highways & Local Programs

360-705-7372