ARTBA awards 2005 traffic safety award

Former Federal Highway Associate Administrator for Safety George Ostensen is the 2005 recipient of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) prestigious “Jake Landen Safety Award.”

Established in 1989 by ARTBA’s Traffic and Safety Industry Division (TSID) in memory of industry leader and past ARTBA Chaiman (1976) J.C. Landen, the award annually recognizes outstanding contributions to highway safety. It was presented to Ostensen last month during the TSID Summer Meeting in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Ostensen became associate administrator in March 2002 and worked continuously to reduce the number and severity of highway crashes. In this position, it was not only the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) strategic goal, but also Ostensen’s personal vision to reduce fatalities and injuries related to highway crashes by 20% over a 10-year period (ending in 2008).

Previously, Ostensen served in a number of positions at FHWA, including Midwest director of field services, director of the Midwestern Resource Center, director of the Office of Safety and Traffic Operations Research and Development, division administrator in Michigan and assistant division administrator of the South Carolina Division. He entered FHWA’s career “highway engineer training program” in 1969.

Ostensen is a recipient of numerous performance awards, including the Administrator’s Award for Superior Achievement and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s “Team Award” for the “Intelligent Vehicle Initiative Management Program.”