The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Irving Interchange Improvement project was among the regional winners in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

“The America’s Transportation Awards shine a spotlight on the vital projects state DOTs deliver for their communities to enhance safety, expand mobility for users, deliver a better quality of life for residents and visitors, and keep our economy moving,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. “The America’s Transportation Awards competition continues to show us that state DOTs are able to transform communities in a variety of ways. And as Congress works toward a new federal surface transportation bill, lawmakers need to only look at the tangible benefits that states deliver to their customers through examples like these winners to see why robust federal funding to states is so important.”

Thirty-six transportation projects were submitted by 13 states in the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) region for this year’s competition. Projects are judged in four categories: Quality of Life/Community Development, Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology and Innovation, and Safety.

All nominated projects first compete at the regional level against projects of their own size (small, costing up to $10 million; medium, costing between $10 million and $100 million; or large, costing more than $100 million).

The top three scoring projects from regional competitions throughout the U.S. will advance to the Top 12 and compete for two national honors in the 2025 America’s Transportation Awards. The Grand Prize will be chosen by an independent panel of judges and the People’s Choice Award will be decided through online public voting. AASHTO will reveal both winners at its annual meeting in November 2025.

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In the WASHTO region, the Irving Interchange Improvement project won the Quality of Life/Community Development award among large projects.

Located in the City of Irving, Texas, near Dallas, the $301 million project transformed a once-congested network of four interchanges previously plagued by outdated cloverleaf ramps, narrow lanes, and growing traffic demands. As part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative, the project at the intersection of State Highway (SH) 183, SH 114, Loop 12, and Spur 482 eased peak-hour traffic, improved safety, and enhanced mobility.

Key upgrades included 10 new direct connectors, 22 overpasses, nearly 5 miles of widened highway lanes and new pavement, and advanced Intelligent Transportation System components. As the final link in the SH 183 corridor between Dallas and Fort Worth, the project also improved access to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

To complete the work on an aggressive schedule, general contractor Webber, LLC, of Irving utilized many crews, cranes, and drill rigs throughout the 9.6-mile corridor.

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During construction, Brenan Honey, P.E., Director of Construction for TxDOT’s Dallas District, said, “It’s a resource-driven job. This isn’t a typical interchange with two major roads and an intersection; it’s four major roadways going through this one area. The biggest challenge is the fast-paced schedule in very heavy traffic. There’s limited area to work, and sometimes it’s hard to access.”

Crews worked around the clock, usually seven days a week, utilizing:

• 1.2 million square feet of reinforced concrete slab
• 2.8 million pounds of steel plate beams
• More than 500 columns
• 90,000 tons of hot mix asphalt
• 32 retaining walls

“The more people we [could] put on this job, the better,” Honey said. “The contractor’s goal [was] to get access to as much area as possible.”

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The updated interchange opened in spring 2024, completing the massive corridor overhaul.