Recent Iowa DOT awards
The Iowa DOT is focused on making lives better through transportation. Whether we are working to put safety first or focusing on our customers, innovation, and leadership are at the heart of the work we do. Sometimes that work earns us attention and accolades from our industry partners and peers. We are proud of those across our DOT team who have been recognized for the following awards.
American Council of Engineering Companies’ National Recognition Award
If you have driven through the Iowa City area in the last few months, you’ve likely been able to enjoy the fruits of years of work. In addition to improving the safety and reliability of travel in the Iowa City metro, our Interstate 80/380 System Interchange reconstruction project continues to rack up accolades.
The most recent award was from the American Council of Engineering Companies which bestowed their National Recognition Award on the project. This prestigious national distinction honors projects demonstrating exceptional engineering excellence at the national level.
The project to update the connection of I-80, I-380, and U.S. 218 from an outdated cloverleaf to a modern interchange supports our mission of “Making Lives Better Through Transportation.” This is one of the busiest corridors in the region and a vital link in the transportation system for Iowa and the nation, supporting safety, connectivity, mobility, freight movement, and economic vitality.
Work began in 2017 to reconstruct the I-80/I-380 interchange so it could accommodate the forecasted increases in traffic. This comprehensive project:
- Increases the number of vehicles the interchange can safely accommodate and improves the way traffic flows in the area, ultimately benefiting all types of travelers and freight traffic.
- Improves safety and reduces congestion. A pre-construction safety analysis showed that the new interchange would significantly reduce the number of serious injury and fatal crashes over 30 years. Traffic models predicted a savings of 64 million hours of travel time.
- Improves travel reliability. The newly designed interchange is expected to make travel time more reliable and relieve a major choke point on the regional and national freight system.
- Supports regional employment and economic growth. Interstate 380 north of the interchange is the busiest rural portion of interstate in Iowa, with over 53,000 vehicles per day where I-380 crosses the Johnson County/Linn County boundary. Between the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City metro areas, there are nearly 18,000 daily commuters.
The I-80/I-380 interchange project was substantially completed approximately three months ahead of schedule and on budget.
Iowa Concrete Paving Association’s Concrete Paving Awards
Each year the Iowa Concrete Paving Association gathers to honor the best concrete paving projects in the state. At its Feb. 8 meeting in Des Moines, four Iowa DOT projects were among those honored this year.
In the category of “Divided Highway” – the winner was U.S. 30 in Story County. The contractor was Flynn Co, Inc. and the project was administered by the Jefferson construction office.
In the “State Road” category, the winner was a project on Iowa 9 in Emmet County. The paving contractor was Cedar Valley Corp., Inc. and the project was administered by District 3 and the Cherokee construction office.
An “Innovation” award was given to a concrete overlay project on Iowa 3 in Plymouth County.
The next award was also included in the last awards blog post, but it bears repeating.
The segment of “Old” U.S. 20 just east of Fair Street in Moville, in Woodbury County is more than 100 years old.
The American Concrete Paving Association awarded this stretch of road with its 2023 Lifetime Pavement Recognition Award because it has over 100 years of service and reflects exceptional longevity, durability, and resilience. The roadway has survived extreme weather, continuous traffic, and other environmental exposures with only minimal maintenance by Iowa DOT staff which the group says is truly remarkable.