(February 6, 2008) - The Maryland Quality Initiative (MdQI) recently announced its Awards of Excellence winners for highway projects completed during calendar year 2007 at its annual conference. State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen and industry leaders presented awards to State and private sector project teams and firms at the 15th Annual Maryland Quality Initiative Conference in Towson.           
          
MdQI is a consortium of public highway agencies and industry associations created to promote excellence in the quality of State highway construction projects. Highway design consultants and construction contractors participating in MdQI commit to exceed the minimum performance standards of a State contract and provide high-quality products and services.           
          
“Our top priority is safety and this is particularly evident in these award-winning projects,” said State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen. “MdQI encourages contractors to go above and beyond what’s required to deliver projects that improve safety, reduce congestion and protect the environment. We should all be proud that Maryland has one of the best highway networks in the nation.”          
          
MdQI’s mission is to provide the Maryland highway industry a forum that fosters coordinated and continuous quality improvement to ensure safe, efficient, and environmentally sensitive highways that meet the needs of all transportation stakeholders.          
          
MdQI members include the State Highway Administration (SHA); Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA); Federal Highway Administration; American Council of Engineering Companies; Maryland Asphalt Association; Maryland Aggregates Association; Maryland Highway Contractors Association; American Concrete Paving Association-Northeast Chapter; County Engineers Association of Maryland; and Maryland Ready-Mixed Concrete Association.           
          
A panel of experts representing both public and private sectors of the highway industry reviewed the 2007 Award of Excellence nominations. Awards criteria included: design, specification compliance, traffic maintenance, cooperation, contract administration, materials compliance, production equipment, erosion and sediment control, adherence to schedules, subcontracting and overall quality.          
          
MdQI is affiliated with the National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ), founded in 1992 as the National Quality Initiative. NPHQ is a cooperative effort by the public and private members of the highway industry to place emphasis on quality improvement.           
          
As part of the ceremony, NPHQ Executive Director Bob Templeton presented the MD 70 (Rowe Boulevard) team its National Achievement Award for a Structure project.           
          
The $28.5 million project replaced the existing steel girder bridge over Weems Creek with a new five-span steel girder bridge and rehabilitated the 16-span steel beam bridge over College Creek. Both bridges are located along Rowe Boulevard (MD 70), the principal arterial roadway that provides direct access to downtown Annapolis. Project partners for the Rowe Boulevard project included SHA, prime contractor Corman Construction, Inc. and project designer KCI Technologies.          
          
Additional information on MdQI and NPHQ is available online at www.mdqi.org and www.nphq.org.          
          
          
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EDITOR’S NOTE: A list of MdQI Award of Excellence winners for State of Maryland highway projects completed in 2007 is attached. For more information about specific projects, please contact SHA’s Office of Communications at 410 545-0303.