On April 3, one of the newest members of the NTTA’s executive team was honored for his work before coming to north Texas. Engineering News-Record (ENR), a trade publication that provides news, analysis, commentary and data to construction industry professionals, named Jeff Dailey as one of its “Top 25 Newsmakers of 2007”. Dailey, the NTTA’s Assistant Executive Director of Project Delivery, received ENR’s “Award of Excellence” during a banquet in New York City.

 

Dailey previously served as the chief engineer of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, now known as the Illinois Tollway. In its description of why Dailey is a deserving of the award, ENR reported “Jeff Dailey has left as his legacy a smoothly running $5.3-billion, 10-year overhaul and expansion of much of the 274-mile system.”

 

On April 15, the NTTA was honored by the American Public Works Association (APWA) with its Excellence in Snow and Ice Control award. The award was presented to NTTA’s Maintenance Director J.C. Wood, Jr. on behalf of the Authority in Louisville, Kentucky during the APWA North American Snow Conference.

 

The award was based on the level of excellence of NTTA’s program for assuring mobility during snow and ice conditions in the face of such events being rare in Texas. Even though NTTA crews and contractors do not conduct snow removal or sanding of icy roadways on a regular basis as is the case in northern states, NTTA customers find that they have the ability to continue to travel NTTA facilities during icy conditions. This capability comes as a result of the development and execution of a plan that stores adequate sand and ice-preventative materials and routes sanding trucks efficiently. NTTA crews and contractors actually practice implementing the plan so that smooth execution during the real event is assured. 

 

While Texas is lucky to have very few snow and ice events, it’s good to know that NTTA crews stand ready to keep toll roads safe for motorists to use.