Hunts Point, Interstate 390 and Kew Gardens Interchange Projects Receive National Recognition Awards from American Council of Engineering Companies

Transformative Projects Demonstrate “Exceptional Engineering Excellence at the National Level”

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that three major projects overseen by the State Department of Transportation have been honored for their engineering excellence by the American Council of Engineering Companies. The private-sector engineering and design teams behind the Hunts Point Access Improvement Project, the Kew Gardens Interchange Project and the Interstate 390/I-490 Interchange Improvement Project have earned National Recognition Awards in ACEC’s 2023 Engineering Excellence Awards competition — which is known as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry.” In awarding the prizes, the engineering trade group said the transformative projects, which all support Governor Hochul’s commitment to invest in infrastructure that reconnects communities, promote opportunity, strengthen quality of life and demonstrate “exceptional engineering excellence at the national level.” The awards will be formally presented at the group’s black-tie gala in Washington, D.C. this June.

“These awards are a validation of New York State’s mission to build 21st Century infrastructure that reconnects and strengthens communities while improving quality of life and protecting the environment,” Governor Hochul said. “I thank the American Council of Engineering Companies for recognizing these projects and I congratulate the dedicated women and men of the New York State Department of Transportation for their hard work and dedication to make the projects a reality.”

The $1.7 billion Hunts Point project will reduce congestion, enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety and provide direct access to the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx from both the Bruckner Expressway and the new Sheridan Boulevard. The market is one of the largest wholesale food distribution centers in the world. More than 78,000 vehicles travel to the Hunts Point Peninsula daily, including 13,000 trucks using local roads, which has contributed to poor air quality in the community. In December, Governor Hochul announced that the third and final phase of the project, which includes the reconstruction of the Bruckner Expressway interchange with Sheridan Boulevard and the reconfiguration of the intersection of Hunts Point Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety, was underway.

The $172.8 million I-390/I-490 Interchange Improvement Project in the Town of Gates, Monroe County, repaired or replaced seven bridges, created a new exit ramp connecting Interstate 390 to Lyell Avenue, constructed the new southbound I-390 Flyover, and made several other improvements that eased travel, reduced congestion and enhanced safety along this vital corridor for the flow of people and commerce in the Rochester area. Governor Hochul announced in November of 2021 that the project was completed a month ahead of schedule and on budget.

The $739 million Kew Gardens Interchange project in Queens, which was completed in late 2022, revamped one of the metropolitan area’s most heavily traveled corridors. It has created faster travel times, safer merging and exiting, and more reliable connections for the hundreds of thousands of commuters, travelers and local businesses who use it daily to reach the John F. Kennedy International Airport and other key destinations throughout the region.

The American Council of Engineering Companies represents thousands of companies and is the voice of the engineering industry in Washington, DC and throughout the nation. With roots dating back more than 100 years, ACEC is a federation of 51 state and regional councils representing more than 600,000 engineers, architects, land surveyors and other specialists.

The engineering and design teams behind the Hunts Point, I-390/I-490 Interchange and Kew Gardens projects were also recently honored with Diamond Awards from the ACEC NY chapter.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Hunts Point, Kew Gardens and the Interstate 390/490 Interchange projects are some of the most complex and ambitious undertakings executed by the New York State Department of Transportation and I am elated to see the hard work and dedication of our talented teams recognized by ACEC. But the true winners of these projects are the people of the State of New York. With an eye towards resilient, sustainable infrastructure that connects communities, these projects, which span from New York City to Rochester, will lead to less congestion on our roadways, cleaner air, and safer, more reliable access for all users of our vast transportation network.”

American Council of Engineering Companies New York President and CEO John Evers, PhD said, “Representing nearly 300 member firms, ACEC New York is proud of the partnership we have with New York State Department of Transportation and the projects they have undertaken with assistance from our firms: Hunts Point, Kew Gardens and the Interstate 390/490 Interchange projects. The complexity and innovation in the engineering and designs that went into these projects, combined with the dedication and professionalism of the DOT, has resulted in truly outstanding projects of which all New Yorkers can be proud.”