ITE honors MDOT’s work

Jackson – The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) received a pair of prestigious awards at a recent transportation engineering conference held in San Antonio, Texas.

MDOT was honored with the Transportation Achievement Award for Operations, and the M&O/ITS Council Achievement Award for an Agency at the 2009 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Annual Meeting and Exhibit.

Michael Stokes, ITS program manager for MDOT’s Traffic Engineering Division, accepted the awards in recognition of a project titled “Reconnecting Mississippi’s Coastal Communities Through ITS.” When Hurricane Katrina toppled bridges, washed away entire road sections and wiped out traffic signals, MDOT responded by designing and rebuilding U.S. 90, not back to existing conditions, but by resolving previous operational deficiencies and implementing the latest storm-resistant ITS technology.

Each year, ITE sponsors an awards program to honor outstanding achievement in transportation engineering and distinguished service to ITE. The awards bestow international recognition upon the recipients and increase the public’s awareness of the role and responsibilities of the transportation professional.