WorldWide Drilling Resource

Top Prizes for Port of Miami Tunnel Adapted from Information Provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) earned the Grand Prize, as well as the People’s Choice award in the 2015 America’s Transportation Awards competition. A total of 48 transportation projects from 24 states were nominated in the 8th annual competition. Ten projects received the highest number of points in four regional competitions, and were in the running for top prizes. “TheAmerica’s TransportationAwards competition shines a national spot- light on some of the outstanding projects that are making travel safer across the country,” said Bud Wright, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). “The Florida Department of Transportation is taking home the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award; however, the American people are also winners because their commu- nities are benefitting from the four dozen projects nominated this year.” A panel of judges selected FDOT’s $670 million Port of Miami Tunnel project to receive the Grand Prize. This project created a direct connection between the Port of Miami and the interstate highway system, reducing traffic congestion in downtown Miami, while supporting freight, regional commerce, and projected growth demand. Construction teams had to build the tunnel through South Florida’s challenging limestone and coralline formations, creating the largest soft-ground bored road tunnel in North America. Jack Howard, senior vice president of congressional affairs at the U.S. Chamber said it’s important to recognize advanced transportation projects across the country which are imperative to growing the U.S. economy. The Port of Miami Tunnel is im- proving the lives of residents and workers in the area, as well as driving economic growth and development by providing in- frastructure to support commerce. The Grand Prize and People’s Choice award winners are presented with $10,000 cash prizes to be used to support a charity or transportation-related scholarship program of the agency’s choosing. Editorial Note: The Port of Miami Tunnel Project was also featured in the February 2012 issue of WWDR on page 9. A tunnel boring machine breaks through the Eastbound Tunnel in the Port of Miami Tunnel project. Photo courtesy of portofmiamitunnel.com 22 JULY 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®