Steudle Given Special Merit Award, Leonard Takes Home Johnson Award

September 28, 2018

Kirk Steudle (above, right, in photo by Georgia DOT), the retiring director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, was given a Special Presidential Merit Award at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials annual meeting Sept. 20-24 in Atlanta.

The award recognized Steudle’s 31-year career with the Michigan DOT that encompassed a range of accomplishments, including establishing the first public-private partnership for freeway lighting, the state’s first use of the “bridge slide” construction technique, and the launch of “MCity,” a facility dedicated to connected and autonomous vehicle or CAV research.

Blaine Leonard (right), Photo: Georgia DOT

Blaine Leonard with the Utah Department of Transportation won the Alfred E. Johnson Achievement Award during the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials annual meeting for his longtime work with connected-autonomous vehicles or CAVs.

Malcolm Dougherty, Photo: Georgia DOT

Malcolm Dougherty, the now-retired executive director of the California Department of Transportation, took home the group’s Thomas H. MacDonald Memorial Award for his leadership role in promoting innovation, sustainability, and technology during his career at the agency.

AASHTO also gave its Francis B. Francois Award to the Utah Department of Transportation for the technological achievements associated with its Utah Connected Vehicle Smart Transit Signal Priority Project.

The group also handed out eight President’s Transportation Awards at its 2018 annual meeting to individuals and/or teams who “performed exemplary service benefiting transportation regionally or nationally.” Those winners included:

  • The Development of Menus of Funding Options Team at the South Carolina DOT for excellence in administration
  • Glenn Stott with the New Jersey DOT for excellence in aviation
  • The Idaho Department of Transportation’s Big Wood River Bridge Team for excellence in environmental work
  • The US-23 Flex Route Project at the Michigan DOT for excellence in highway design
  • The South Carolina DOT’s Rural Road Safety Program for excellence in highway traffic safety
  • The Michigan DOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Education program for excellent in intermodal transportation
  • The “Masters of Disaster” recovery team at South Carolina DOT for performance excellence
  • The 17 Bridges Team within the Idaho Transportation Department for planning excellence
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