The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today announced the agency’s Fairfield Avenue Bridge replacement project is a Top 12 finalist in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards. This project advanced to the Top 12 after receiving a regional award from the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials (NASTO) earlier this summer.
Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the 12 projects emphasize the vital role of transportation in every community and for travelers. Selected from 113 nominations by 35 state DOTs, the finalists now compete for the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award, each offering a $10,000 cash award for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of their choice. If CTDOT wins, the prize will be split between the Andrew DiDomenico Memorial Scholarship and Connecticut Foodshare.
Members of the public can vote for the People's Choice Award once every 24 hours. The Grand Prize will be decided by an independent panel of transportation experts and will be announced in November.
Watch: Fairfield Avenue Bridge Replacement in Norwalk
“We’re proud to be vying for the program’s top honor, which is a true testament to the hard work and commitment of all CTDOT employees. I am incredibly proud of the crews and contractors who worked incredibly hard to reopen this bridge ahead of schedule and under budget,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “Connecticut has proven time and again it can punch above it’s weight, so let’s do it again. I encourage our residents to vote each day for the People’s Choice Award so we can secure a meaningful donation to two important causes.”
“The projects included in this year’s Top 12 show the wide range of work state DOTs tackle on a regular basis,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. “We want to highlight this work and showcase how state DOTs are positively impacting our lives, especially as we work toward legislation that will reauthorize the federal surface transportation programs.”
On May 2, 2024, a collision involving a flatbed tractor trailer and tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel on I-95 led to a fire that engulfed the Fairfield Avenue Bridge in Norwalk. The CTDOT immediately assessed the condition of the structure and worked with contractors on an around-the-clock demolition of the bridge and highway reopening plan. CTDOT reopened northbound travel on I-95 by the night of May 4, with southbound travel reopened by May 5. With the highway reopened, a one-year reconstruction plan kicked off – with the new bridge built and fully opened within seven months to the day of the fire.
To learn more about this year’s nominees and awards, and to cast a vote, visit americastransportationawards.org.