Office of Planning, Environment, & Realty (HEP)
Real Estate
Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 Excellence in Right-of-Way Awards and all who were nominated for these awards.This biennial awards program was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to honor those who excel in improving the real property acquisition process while ensuring that property owner and tenant rights are protected.The awards recognize outstanding innovations that enhance the right-of-way professional's ability to meet the challenges associated with acquiring real property for Federal-aid projects.
This year FHWA received many impressive entries that included exceptional right-of-way programs, projects, and leaders from around the country. The entries were nominated for a variety of award categories, including Innovation, Leadership,Stewardship, Streamlining and Integration, Technical Specialty, Peer of the Year, Judges Award, Tribal Partnership, and Current Initiative.The winning submissions demonstrate methods to effectively acquire property and manage right-of-way for Federal-aid projects.The 2012 award recipients were honored during the FHWA and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Subcommittee on Right-of-Way and Utilities annual meeting in Portland, Oregon.
These projects are significant not only as examples of forward-thinking work being conducted by State departments of transportation, but also because they are timely in light of recent initiatives that emphasize process efficiency and improved project quality.For example, FHWA's Every Day Counts campaign pushes Federal, State, and local partners to shorten project delivery and accelerate innovative technology use to achieve this goal.Many of the projects represented here use technology to accelerate right-of-way acquisition processes while increasing interagency and public involvement.I am pleased to share these great ideas from around the country that will serve to benefit the right-of-way community and the public.
Once again, I congratulate the winners of the 2012 Excellence in Right-of-Way Awards!Thank you for developing innovative methods to meet the challenges of acquiring real property and serving the public.
Gloria M .Shepherd
Associate Administrator for
Planning, Environment and Realty