Congratulations to the Washington State Department of Transportation and Arizona Department of Transportation on WASHTO Award Wins

We would like to congratulate the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for receiving project awards from the Western Association of State Highway Officials (WASHTO). WASHTO is a regional association of The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO), and its membership includes professionals from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

WSDOT was recognized for its SR-99 tunnel project (Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement), which won in the large projects Operations Excellence category. Nancy Smith and Patrick Harder led the Nossaman team that assisted the State Attorney General’s Office on the $1.35 billion design-build contract to replace the 60-year-old Alaskan Way Viaduct with SR-99, the world’s largest-diameter bored tunnel. The two-mile waterfront tunnel through downtown Seattle opened in February 2019. It incorporates state-of-the art tunnel technology, adopting innovations such as point extraction ventilation to help keep motorists safe on both sides of a fire.

ADOT was recognized for its South Mountain project, which was awarded in the large projects Best Use of Technology and Innovation category. Fred Kessler is the Leader of the Nossaman team that advised on all aspects of a procurement for the project—the first highway project developed under Arizona’s public-private partnership statute. The largest single contract in ADOT’s history, the development is also the agency’s first DBM project.