Excellence in Utility Awards
One of the critical challenges facing our industry is the need to reduce the cost and shorten the time required to accommodate or relocate utilities facilities associated with developing and implementing context sensitive transportation solutions. As the demands on the surface transportation system become increasingly complex, it is extremely important to consider the needs of and coordinate closely with utility companies beginning at the initial planning phases and continuing through to the construction and maintenance of transportation projects.
The Excellence in Utility Relocation and Accommodation awards program is conducted biennially by the Federal Highway Administration to honor outstanding achievement in the utility arena. The goal of this program is to showcase exemplary projects, programs, initiatives and practices that successfully integrate the consideration of utilities in the planning, design, construction and maintenance of transportation facilities.
2014 Excellence in Utility Awards
FHWA distributed a Call for Nominations for the 2014 Excellence in Utility Awards. Nominations were accepted through midnight December 18, 2013.
Awards were presented, in the following five categories, at the 2014 AASHTO Right of Way and Utility Conference, April 27-30, 2014 in Salt Lake City:
- Excellence Award for Project Development-demonstrating the ability to plan and design surface transportation projects involving complex utility coordination.
- Excellence Award for Construction Management-recognizing creative solutions to utility related challenges encountered during project construction.
- Excellence Award for Innovation-rewarding the ability to incorporate new technologies or processes to enhance utility related projects, or an organizations' utility coordination program.
- Excellence Award for Incentives-demonstrating the benefits of using incentives to relocate and accommodate utilities.
- Excellence Award for Leadership-recognizing individuals and/or teams for the development of programs, policies and initiatives that have advanced or led innovative or new utility accommodation and relocation practices or provided lasting contributions to an agency or the highway and utility communities.
To be eligible for these awards, a project must:
- Be a transportation project that used Federal-aid funding or is located on the National Highway System; and
- Have been started, construction of the project substantially completed, or initiatives targeting improved utility relocation and accommodation activities implemented between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2013.
Find out more about the 2014 Excellence in Utility Awards