Eric Kalivoda, deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, recently was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Thomas H. MacDonald Memorial Award.

The award is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) top award and is presented each year to someone who has "rendered continuous outstanding service over an extended period of time or have made some exceptional contribution to the art and science of highway engineering."

Kalivoda has served on the executive staff as the deputy secretary for the past ten years. Prior to his appointment as deputy secretary, he served as the assistant secretary of Planning and Multimodal Commerce for five years. He has worked in transportation for 40 years, nearly 30 with DOTD.

"Having worked with Eric for nearly 16 years, I can tell you there is no one more deserving of this award and no one more dedicated than him to making Louisiana's infrastructure safe and reliable," said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson.

"The state is lucky to have someone like him because he is an expert in transportation planning and programming."

Kalivoda has been instrumental in the development of multiple editions of Louisiana's Statewide Transportation Plan, ranging from 1996 through the most current version adopted in 2015; this included Louisiana's first Statewide Intermodal Transportation Plan, which was selected as one of six model plans for the nation under the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

"It's an honor to be recognized by AASHTO with this award; this is very humbling," Kalivoda said. "I'm proud of what we have accomplished in Louisiana, and I believe the foundation is set for moving projects forward efficiently when additional revenue becomes available.

"Another great honor is when we see projects move forward, like the many interstate widening and other infrastructure improvement projects that are currently ongoing. However, there is so much more we can do to strengthen Louisiana's economy if DOTD has the necessary support and resources. We have the potential to move to the top among the 50 states given our geographic location, our wealth of natural resources, and the creativity and ingenuity of Louisiana's people."

For more information, visit www.dotd.la.gov.

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