The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has unveiled the Top 12 finalists for the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards, representing state department of transportation projects from Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
[Above photo by Virginia DOT]
Selected from 127 nominations by 45 state DOTs by an independent panel of transportation industry judges, these top 12 finalists will now compete for the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award – to be announced in November at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY – with each final winner receiving a $10,000 cash award for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of their choice.
“This year’s Top 12 finalists demonstrate some of the most innovative and impactful work being delivered by state DOTs across the country,” said AASHTO President Russell R. McMurry, P.E., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation, in a statement.
[Editor’s note: Many of the projects represented here epitomize some of the emphasis areas McMurry focused on during his tenure as AASHTO’s president.]
“As the largest America’s Transportation Awards competition to date, these 12 projects truly represent the best in transportation nationwide,” he noted.
“This competition showcases how state DOTs are evolving — from incorporating new technologies into their transportation plans to bridging the gaps in mobility to ensure that everyone can access their destinations. We are proud to recognize these state DOT achievements and look forward to seeing the continued impact of their work,” McMurry added.
The Top 12 finalists were selected from four regional level competitions held this past summer. Projects were nominated in four categories: Quality of Life/Community Development, Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Safety. These awards underscore the critical role of transportation in every community from coast to coast.
The Top 12 finalists in alphabetical order by state are:
- Georgia Department of Transportation’s Day One Deployment District
- Illinois Department of Transportation’s Improving Safety, CREATEing Opportunity: The Forest Hill Flyover
- Maryland Department of Transportation’s One-Stop Government Shop
- Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Reconstruction of Route 20 in Charlton and Oxford
- Michigan Department of Transportation’s Fruit Ridge Avenue Over I-96 Rebuild and Modernization
- Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Twin Ports Interchange Project
- New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Statewide Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS)
- North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere in NC
- Texas Department of Transportation’s US 181 Harbor Bridge Project
- Utah Department of Transportation’s Multiple Interchanges on Bangerter Highway
- Virginia Department of Transportation’s I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) Project
- Washington State Department of Transportation’s State Route 520 Montlake Lid and Bridges
The Grand Prize will be decided by an independent judging panel, while the People’s Choice Award will be determined by online voting, weighted by state population. Voting for the People’s Choice Award begins today and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 15, with the winners will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY.
Visit https://americastransportationawards.org/ to learn more about this year’s Top 12 honorees.
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