The Mid-Colonial District of ITE is proud to recognize excellence in advancing transportation throughout our District to meet human needs by awarding a Mid-Colonial District Project of the Year in conjunction with ITE International’s Transportation Achievement Awards Program.

The District has chosen the I-66/Nutley Street Interchange Project, RK&K as the 2025 District Project of the Year. Congratulations to the RK&K team!

The interchange project is part of the Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway Project in Northern Virginia. The new Nutley Street/I-66 Interchange, which includes a double roundabout, provides safer, more efficient travel for vehicles entering and exiting I-66 East and West. It also improves safety for vehicles and pedestrians traveling on Nutley Street. Grade-separated shared-use path and sidewalk through the interchange connect with bicycle and pedestrian improvements around the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station and a shared-use path being built into the Town of Vienna.

Richard Clifton, PE, PTOE and Rakesh Mora, PE, PTOE accepted the award on behalf of the project team.

Learn more about the project!

Honorable Mentions: Medium-Scale Project Delivery, DDOT & Virtual Queue Protection Corridors, PennDOT

Medium-Scale Project Delivery, DDOT: The gap between DDOT’s Large Capital Design & Construction Projects and Small Site-Specific Projects highlighted the need for a dedicated method for the delivery of medium-scale projects.

Medium-scale projects work within the existing curb-to-curb width, use primarily “quick build” materials, and minimize geo-metric work and impacts to utilities and right-of-way. The result is meaningful improvements to promote safety across modes. DDOT’s new medium-scale project delivery approach uses several innovative means and methods to accelerate project delivery. These methods drive DDOT’s decision-making and keep the focus on the true purpose and need of these projects, improving safety outcomes for all road users.

Virtual Queue Protection Corridors, PennDOT: Drawing on the recognized industry need to reduce the incidence of secondary crashes, as well as the need for additional data on demonstrated safety and operational benefits, PennDOT delivered the Virtual Queue Protection Corridors. Alongside PennDOT’s ATMS vendor, a corridors module was developed for the system. The corridors module allows for a given section of a route to be geofenced to define the extent of the corridor and the message boards to be included in the corridor. Once active, traffic speeds within the corridor are monitored on a segment-by-segment basis. When detected speeds drop below a defined threshold, messages warning of queuing ahead are automatically posted to upstream message boards within the corridor. The module also automatically calculates the distance between the back of the queue and each message board and informs motorists how far ahead to expect the queue. Speed thresholds can be configured to alert users to slow traffic as opposed to stopped traffic ahead, and those thresholds also determine the priority with which the automated messages post to signs. PennDOT has implemented 18 automated queue detection corridors statewide, covering 600 miles of roadway, at virtually no additional cost beyond the initial investment to develop and build the functionality in ATMS.

2025 ITE Mid-Colonial District Project of the Year Submissions
  1. Virtual Queue Protection Corridors, PennDOT – TSMO category *Honorable Mention
  2. Artificial Intelligence-enhanced Intelligent Transportation Management System (AI-ITMS), DelDOT – TSMO category
  3. I-66/Nutley Street Interchange, RK&K – Traffic Engineering, Safety, TSMO, Complete Streets categories **2025 ITE Mid-Colonial District Project of the Year
  4. Casho Mill Road Clankers, DelDOT – Traffic Engineering and Safety categories
  5. SR 1 Dewey Beach Pedestrian Safety Improvements, DelDOT – Safety category
  6. SR 1 Median Barrier, DelDOT – Safety category
  7. Reduced Crash Thresholds for All-Way Stop Control at Low-Volume Intersections, DelDOT and RK&K – Safety and Traffic Engineering categories
  8. Pennsylvania Statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program, RK&K, PennDOT and PA Turnpike Commission – Safety and TSMO categories
  9. Medium-Scale Project Delivery, DDOT – Complete Streets, Safety, and Traffic Engineering categories *Honorable Mention

As part of the District Project of the Year program, four projects were selected by the judging panel and submitted to ITE for consideration in their selection of Transportation Achievement Awards. These projects are:

  • Complete Streets Category: Medium-Scale Project Delivery, DDOT and various consulting partners
  • Safety Category: PA Statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program, RK&K
  • TSM&O Category: PennDOT Virtual Queue Protection Corridors, PennDOT
  • Traffic Engineering Category: I-66/Nutley Street Interchange, RK&K

Submission Guidelines

Projects to be considered for the District Project of the Year and subsequently for an ITE International Transportation Achievement Award should be submitted to the District Awards Coordinator (Nicole Kline, nkline@bowman.com) by March 1 of the current year and be within one of the categories noted below. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including the District Board with one (1) project selected for each category:

  • Complete Streets
  • Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO)
  • Traffic Engineering
  • Planning
  • Safety
  • Individual*

All projects selected by the panel will be submitted to ITE International by the District Awards Coordinator for consideration for a Transportation Achievement Award. Additionally, one of the five projects selected with be awarded the Mid-Colonial District Project of the Year and will be honored at the District Annual Meeting.

*A note about Category #6 – Individual: This category recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in one of the other five listed areas. Individuals are not eligible to receive the Project of the Year Award but can be considered for a Transportation Achievement Award from ITE International. Nominations for an individual should approximate the submission criteria presented below for projects/initiatives.

Judging Criteria:

Awards recognize an organization/entity for one or more of the following:

  • Development of an innovative concept in the areas of Complete Streets, TSMO, Traffic Engineering, Planning, or Safety.
  • Implementation of a challenging transportation program through perseverance in its development and promotion.
  • A program or completed project having a significant effect on transportation.
  • A multi-faceted transportation program or project, combining many innovative and/or well-applied concepts. Project must be complete or significantly underway.
  • An initiative that promotes a major advancement in the efficiency and/or economy of transportation.
  • Projects that advance safety for all the travelling public, including pedestrians, cyclists, and users of alternate means of transport. 
  • Innovative and effective application of elements such as roundabouts or speed humps.
  • 30 points – Application of innovative ideas
  • 30 points – Exhibits a commitment to the advancement of the profession
  • 30 points – Strong applicability to the industry
  • 10 points – Well-balanced scope and format

Submission Package:

  • The submittal should be in PDF format and limited to a total of five (5) pages (including graphics) that describe the project/program/initiative and indicate how it meets the criteria for the award.
  • The submission should assist the award committee in evaluating the project against the judging criteria.
  • Multiple categories may be selected when entering a submission; however, entrants may only be recognized in one category.

Submission Deadline

Submit the nomination package for review to the District Award Coordinator – Nicole Kline, via email by March 1 of the award year.