AASHTO Journal - Transportation Awards Given to Five Southern State DOTs

Five southern state departments of transportation won regional awards for eight transportation projects on August 3 during the annual meeting of the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

[Above photo of Victoria Sheehan announcing regional award winners by the Florida DOT]

This is the first of four regional contests within the national America’s Transportation Awards competition. The three highest-scoring projects from each regional competition earn a place on a “Top 12” list of projects, which will compete for the Grand Prize – selected by an independent panel of industry judges – and the People’s Choice Award, chosen by the public through online voting.

The top two winners also receive $10,000 cash awards, to be donated to a charity or scholarship of the state DOT’s choosing.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic forced many Americans to drastically change work patterns, state DOT employees continued the harrowing work of keeping our transportation systems operating safely and efficiently for those who had to travel – whether by vehicle or other means,” explained Jim Tymon, executive director for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Jim Tymon (left) with Louisiana DOTD Sec. Shawn Wilson.

“The America’s Transportation Awards program highlights just a few of the projects and programs across the country that had a positive impact on our communities’ quality of life during an otherwise uncertain time,” he said.

Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the America’s Transportation Awards competition is comprised of three categories: Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Quality of Life/Community Development.

All nominated projects will first compete on a regional level against projects of their own size: “Small” (projects costing up to $25 million), “Medium” (projects costing between $26 million and $200 million) or “Large” (projects costing more than $200 million).

In the Southern region, six states nominated 16 projects with five state DOTs taking home the following eight America’s Transportation Awards.

Florida Department of Transportation — Restoring a Bridge: American Legion Drive over the Peace River project (Quality of Life/Community Development, Small category) (TIE)
Georgia Department of Transportation — Macon-Bibb County Design-Build Bridges project (Quality of Life/Community Development, Small category) (TIE)
North Carolina Department of Transportation — Reconstruction of Salem Parkway (U.S. 421/I-40 Business) (Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium category)
South Carolina Department of Transportation — C. Phase 1 (Rural Road Safety Program) (Operations Excellence, Small category)
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development — I-10 Widening Project (Operations Excellence, Medium category)
Florida Department of Transportation — Leveraging Innovation: How FDOT Transformed the Gateway to Florida Keys (Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Small category) (TIE)
North Carolina Department of Transportation — Reimagining Rural Transit with Technology project (Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Small category) (TIE)
North Carolina Department of Transportation — Monroe Expressway: A High-Speed Alternative to U.S. 74 project (Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Large category)

The “Top 12 finalists” vying for the Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards will be announced this September, with online voting for the People’s Choice award beginning at the same time.

The winners of both Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards will be announced this October at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in San Diego.