CTDOT Wins Award for Wrong Way Driving Detection Program

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is pleased to announce it was named the Overall Winner at the 2026 Transportation Systems Management and Operations Awards (TSMO Awards) for the Wrong Way Driving Detection Program.

The National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) made the announcement during the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Transportation System Operations in March 2026. The Overall Winner was chosen from the four TSMO Award Category winners.

CTDOT won for its Wrong Way Detection Program, which is one of the largest wrong way detection programs in the country. The program was launched in 2023, after 13 wrong-way crashes in 2022 resulted in 23 fatalities. With each additional detection site, the program aims to prevent wrong way entries, improve response times, and gather reliable data to strengthen future interventions.

Since December 2023, nearly 900 drivers have activated one of these systems, and successfully turned around before entering the highway in the wrong direction.

"Our Wrong Way Detection Program continues to prove its life-saving effectiveness, using innovative technology to protect motorists and prevent tragedies on Connecticut's roadways," said Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. "We are incredibly proud to be recognized with this award, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our crews. This program is an example of how we are using the latest technology to save lives."

"Connecticut DOT's project demonstrates exactly how TSMO strategies are necessary to improve the safety of our roadways," said Nicholas Ramfos, Director of NOCoE. "By using existing technology, innovative interagency coordination, straightforward deployment, CTDOT helped to save lives and to enable the transportation operators and responders to do their jobs even better."

This annual awards program celebrates TSMO strategies and tools that leverage existing infrastructure to increase safety and reliability. Additionally, each year, NOCoE develops case studies for each winning entry as well as for many of the other submissions, which contribute to a library of over 200 TSMO case studies.

Since December 2023, there have been more than 200 detection sites activated across Connecticut. To learn more about the program and view a map of active locations, visit portal.ct.gov/WrongWayDriving.