Commentary

San Diego Toll Road Wins Design Innovation Awards

The South Bay Expressway toll road in San Diego and its partners were honored with four awards during the month of July for the road’s innovative design and construction. The awards include three PCI Design Awards from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) for the use of precast concrete in the construction of the project’s signature Otay River Bridge and the 2008 Transportation Innovation Award from Women Transportation Seminar. South Bay Expressway was nominated for the latter award by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox. Said Mayor Cox, “South Bay Expressway has demonstrated that the public and private sectors can work together to complete a much-needed transportation project. The project is a national example of a well-executed, successful public-private partnership.” In addition to its most recent awards, South Bay Expressway has received six other awards in 2008, including:

Excellence in Highway Design Award – Federal Highway Administration Conventional Highway Project of the Year TRANNY Award – California Transportation Foundation Spirit of the Border Award – Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce Globe Award – American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Project Achievement Award – Construction Management Association of America Concrete Bridge Award – Portland Cement Association

South Bay Expressway is a 10-mile toll road that runs from SR-54 in Spring Valley through eastern Chula Vista down to SR-905 in Otay Mesa near the Mexican border. The road opened in November 2007, was built primarily with private money, and will be operated under a 35-year lease agreement with the State of California. The project was made possible through a public-private partnership among the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Federal Highway Administration, and South Bay Expressway. For more information about the South Bay Expressway, visit the SBX Web site at http://southbayexpressway.com/.