Quality of Life

Unflinching attention to safety and sure-handed traffic control plans: these were two quality principles that landed the New Jersey Department of Transportation, designer Parsons-Brinckerhoff and J.H. Reid General Contractor the highest honor bestowed by the National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ) in 2003. Safety “tool box” meetings were held weekly to hammer out work-zone safety issues and plan for the week. Attendance sheets were kept for these meetings; they were that important. Unscheduled jobsite safety inspections were a practice. The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) partners with NPHQ because it has a powerful stake in the results delivered by quality-driven highway projects.