ENR New York has named the New York State Department of Transportation its Owner of the Year. The editors of Engineering News-Record, with input from industry leaders, made the selection based on the department’s ability to successfully weather one of its most challenging years in recent memory. Throughout most of 2010, gridlock among lawmakers over the state budget put the squeeze on transportation funding. Meanwhile, NYSDOT faced strict deadlines to award nearly $1 billion in highway projects with funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The department carried out its difficult mission under interim leadership, led by Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee.
Industry leaders noted that, at all levels, the department improved outreach and communication with contractor groups to ensure the best possible outcome during turbulent times.
“In 2010, the entire team at the New York State Department of Transportation stepped up to execute a daunting task,” says Bruce Buckley, Editor of ENR New York. “In a year that was anything but ‘business-as-usual,’ the editors of Engineering News-Record and representatives of the construction industry at large recognize that the department pushed hard to keep crews working during a down economy.”
ENR New York’s Owner of the Year will be featured in the March 7 issue.
