Top 12 America’s Transportation Awards Finalists Named

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials today revealed the Top 12 finalists in the 2024 America’s Transportation Awards competition.

[Above photo by AASHTO]

After four regional contests this summer, state departments of transportation from California, Arizona, Washington State, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio achieved the highest scores.

These finalists, selected from 106 nominations by 39 state DOTs, will now vie for the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award, each offering a $10,000 cash award for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of their choice.

Jim Tymon. Photo by Arkansas DOT.

“These 12 projects serve as the best of the best transportation projects completed by state DOTs across the country, but they are only a fraction of the incredible work states are doing to better their communities,” said Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director, in a statement.

“State DOTs today are focused on a wide range of work, including projects that enhance every mode of transportation and increase safety, equity, and quality of life,” he added. “This list of Top 12 contenders serves as a great example of just how diverse these state DOT projects are.”  

Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the America’s Transportation Awards recognizes the positive impacts of state DOT projects have on communities across the nation.

Projects are nominated in four categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Operations Excellence; Best Use of Technology & Innovation; and Safety – awards emphasizing the vital role transportation plays in every community.

In response to the recent rise in roadway fatalities, AASHTO introduced the Safety category for the 2024 contest; highlighting projects that have effectively tackled safety challenges.
The Top 12 projects in alphabetical order by state are:

AASHTO said the Grand Prize will be decided by an independent panel of transportation experts, while the People’s Choice Award will be determined by online voting, weighted by state population.

The contest winners will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in October.

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