(i10broadwaycurve.com photo)

An Arizona Department of Transportation project that stretches for 11 mi. through the busiest section of Interstate 10 in the Phoenix area has received a national award.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) named ADOT's I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project Ready to Rubble event as the winner of its 17th annual competition call for the "Communicating Concepts with the Public" category. The TRB provides national leadership in transportation improvements and innovation. Its annual "Communicating Concepts with the Public" award recognizes fresh and creative methods for communicating technical transportation issues with the public.

The I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project's Ready to Rubble event took place in April of 2023 and consisted of preparing the community for a full weekend closure of I-10 in both directions so that crews could take down three bridges over the freeway. The event also focused on the following goals: educating the public about the bridge removal process; engaging the public and project stakeholders in the project process and establishing ADOT as the state's premier engineering firm.

"We are honored and excited that our project team is receiving this prestigious award," said ADOT Project Manager, Amy Ritz. "The reconstruction of I-10 in the Broadway Curve area impacts thousands of people who drive through the project area every day. The project team has been intentional and innovative when it comes to involving and informing the public about the project and major milestones. The Ready To Rubble event is just one great example of this work."

The event involved providing on-site tours during the bridge removal for community stakeholders and engineering students, inviting members of the media to see the construction activity and providing a virtual experience for the public by posting images and video on social media throughout the bridge removal process.

"The Ready to Rubble event allowed us to literally take ... members of the public behind the barricades and to give them an opportunity to participate in the construction process in a way that was unique and memorable," ADOT Community Outreach Project Manager Marcy McMacken said.

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