The year 2002 has been a year of recognition for RPM Transportation Consultants. Three RPM projects received highest honors at the Excellence in Development awards. The Excellence in Development awards honor projects that show respect for the land and its people and serve as benchmarks for education, inspiration and conversation in the community.

Awards of Excellence went to RPM Transportation Consultants for their role in developing The Gulch Master Plan and the Music Row Roundabout. As part of the master planning team, RPM developed traffic, parking and pedestrian circulation recommendations for The Gulch project. Guided on the principals of New Urbanism, the plan was designed to include all travel modes and create functional, attractive streetscapes in the 30-acre mixed-use area. The Gulch was recently featured in Urban Land magazine as a key residential and business component that will complete "Nashville's downtown renaissance."

RPM's second Award of Excellence was for their role on the Music Row Roundabout, now considered the gateway to Nashville's Music Row and the cornerstone for that corridor's revitalization. The Music Row Roundabout is Nashville's first modern roundabout. Since opening in April 2001, the roundabout has efficiently served the five-way intersection at Division and Demonbreun streets.

The Music Row Roundabout also gained industry acclaim on another occasion this year. The Consulting Engineers of Tennessee awarded RPM Transportation Consultants its Honor Award for Engineering Excellence in a ceremony held on March 26.

An Award of Merit went to RPM for their work on the Country Music Hall of Fame. RPM conducted an extensive parking study and developed recommendations for accommodating parking demands for the museum.

In 2001, the City of Gallatin retained RPM Transportation Consultants to develop an effective access management plan for Nashville Pike in Gallatin, Tennessee. Access alternatives were evaluated to meet key goals for the access plan. The resulting access management plan recommended a connective driveway system and backage road plan that would enable the city to avoid providing access to each parcel along Nashville Pike. In 2002, this plan received an Award of Excellence from the Greater Nashville Regional Council for excellence in Comprehensive Community Planning.

To build on its reputation for sustainable development, the regional planning agency for the area that includes Chattanooga and surrounding towns in Tennessee and North Georgia retained Hawkins Partners, Inc. and RPM Transportation Consultants, LLC in 2001 to develop a bicycle master plan. Based on extensive public input, the project included a bikeway network plan for on and off-street bicycle facilities. RPM wrote a comprehensive set of design guidelines to guide development of the bike plan. In 2002 this plan received an Award of Excellence from the TN Chapter of ASLA.