The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) today announced it received three national transportation awards, including the prestigious 2025 America’s Transportation Awards Grand Prize.
The awards were announced on November 19, 2025 at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. CTDOT won the Grand Prize for its emergency project demolishing, and then rebuilding, the Fairfield Avenue Bridge over I-95 in Norwalk in 2024. With it, CTDOT received a $10,000 prize, which is being donated to the Andrew DiDomenico Memorial Foundation and Connecticut Foodshare.
“This emergency had the potential to impede travel and freight movement on the busy I-95 corridor. I am so incredibly proud of our crews and contractors who answered the call and delivered for Norwalk, the state of Connecticut, and the entire northeast region,” said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “From reopening I-95 in both directions in a matter of days to rebuilding the entire Fairfield Avenue Bridge in just seven months, this project, from unexpected start to celebratory finish, showed what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal governments work together. Congratulations to all for receiving this well-deserved recognition.”
Created by AASHTO 18 years ago, the America’s Transportation Awards competition highlights the positive impact of state DOT projects on communities nationwide. CTDOT and 11 other state departments of transportation vied for the Grand Prize, after winning regional awards earlier this year from a field of 135 different submissions. The Delaware Department of Transportation’s SR 299, SR 1 to Catherine Street Widening Project, received the People’s Choice Award. The Grand Prize received by CTDOT ultimately was decided by an independent panel of transportation experts. Both America’s Transportation Awards were announced on November 19.
“From reconstructing a bridge in record time following a fiery crash to bolstering traffic capacity and adding transit, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities to better serve a growing population, these two winning projects showcase how state DOTs truly make a difference in their communities,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “The 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition received the most state DOT nominations to date – highlighting this year’s most innovative transportation projects that bolster safety, boost the economy, and improve the quality of life for everyone.”
CTDOT was also recognized at the Annual Meeting with two AASHTO President’s Awards. The AASHTO President’s Transportation Awards honor individuals or teams at state departments of transportation that have performed exemplary service during the year, furthering the transportation activities of member departments and the work that has made their communities better for all who live and visit there.
CTDOT received an award for its joint work with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) on the impactful Empathy at the Intersection program. This program initiative puts transportation professionals into customers’ shoes to experience and see the street through the eyes of vulnerable users and operators. The program is a model of innovation that is shifting mindsets and bias.
Additionally, CTDOT received an AASHTO President’s Award for the first-in-the-country Section 106 Joint Programmatic Agreement it signed with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). The agreement established a unified federal review process and delegating authority to the state, which will accelerate the review of individual transportation projects that may affect historic properties under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This streamlined agreement cuts through red tape and helps projects move into construction faster.
For more information about the awards and AASHTO, visit transportation.org.