Weather-responsive management strategies, community connections, roundabouts, and accelerated bridge construction (ABC) are among the Every Day Counts innovations highlighted in projects and programs honored in the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards regional competition.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the annual competition showcases agency success in getting more out of the transportation system, deploying innovations, and improving quality of life.

As a weather-responsive management strategies approach, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) installed a dust-detection and warning system on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10. The first-of-its-kind system—part of an I-10/State Route 87 improvement project—is designed to warn drivers about poor conditions, encourage them to slow down, and reduce the risk of serious crashes in an area known for severe dust storms. The system includes overhead message boards, digital variable speed limit signs, closed-circuit cameras, and short-range detectors for blowing dust. Along with these measures, a weather radar dish sits atop a 22-foot pole at the SR 87 interchange to detect storms more than 40 miles away.

All of this technology is monitored by ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix, where staff can see real-time information on conditions such as the speed and flow of traffic. Closed-circuit cameras provide visual confirmation of roadway conditions. After a 30-day test period, ADOT made the dust-detection system operational at the start of the 2020 monsoon season, the peak time for severe storms that create hazardous driving conditions, and plans to evaluate the system’s success. ADOT expects the system to advance the agency’s knowledge of whether similar technologies would be effective on other Arizona highways.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation launched the Community Connectivity Program to support pedestrian and bicycle safety and accessibility in urban, suburban, and rural community centers across the State. The program provides funding to construct local initiatives that make roadway conditions safer for people to walk, bike, and use transit and strengthen community centers.

In one project, the city of Stamford used a Community Connectivity grant to improve transportation options and create a community space in Boxer Square, at the intersection of Stillwater Avenue and Smith Street. Stamford realigned the intersection to improve traffic operations and safety for all travel modes; provide safer connections to transportation options such as biking, walking, and public transit; and create a small park that incorporates the square’s namesake boxer statue. The completed project has encouraged new economic opportunities in the neighborhood and enhanced the quality of life for community residents and visitors.

Since the original Van Buren Street interchange with Interstate 90 was built in 1966, Missoula, MT, has experienced population growth that has resulted in increased traffic volumes. The interchange also has become a vital community connector, with the University of Montana, medical centers, and outdoor recreation options all within driving distance.

To accommodate this growth, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) constructed an interchange improvement project that included two roundabouts, circular intersections that promote a continuous flow of vehicles. MDT chose roundabouts to reduce congestion, vehicle conflict points, and the opportunity for crashes and plans to evaluate their effect. Beyond the roundabouts, MDT provided the community with more transportation options with the addition of a shared-use path that connects to a trail system. MDT also upgraded the landscaping to restore the ecosystem around the interchange, reduce water use and maintenance needs, and enhance quality of life.

To replace the Shaler Street Bridge over busy U.S. Route 19 in Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) chose self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), an ABC technology the agency had not used before. Because U.S. Route 19 carries 27,000 vehicles a day to and from downtown Pittsburgh, Interstate 79, and Pittsburgh International Airport, PennDOT considered minimizing closures during replacement of the bridge a necessity.

Crews assembled the new bridge beams and deck at a nearby site and used SPMTs—computer-controlled vehicles that can carry heavy loads and position them precisely—to move the prefabricated bridge components onto new support structures. Using SPMTs allowed completion of the bridge replacement in two weekend closures instead of the 6 months of corridor restrictions and closures needed for conventional replacement. The result provided the community with a safer bridge and PennDOT with a new tool for its ABC toolbox.