Projects overseen by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Transportation took home top honors at the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards. Those national winners each receive $10,000 cash awards donated to a charity or scholarship of their choosing.
The winners – announced during the 2020 annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on November 9, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic – were among 12 finalists selected from four regional contests earlier this year.
WSDOT won the Grand Prize – selected by a panel of judges – for its State Route 99 Tunnel Project, which replaced the dilapidated and earthquake prone Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle. That $3.3 billion project installed a two-mile long tunnel designed to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
Meanwhile, the Georgia DOT took home the People’s Choice award for its Columbus Riverwalk project, which is providing residents with a safe place for biking, jogging and walking.
Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the 13th annual America’s Transportation Awards competition evaluated projects evaluated projects in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Best Use of Technology & Innovation; and Operations Excellence.
“Our way of life in America depends on a strong and reliable transportation network and this competition recognizes the people and the projects that keep us moving,” said Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director, in a statement.
“COVID 19 has challenged the transportation industry in many ways, but we moved forward with this year’s competition to highlight the hard work and dedication of the people associated with these projects,” he added.
AASHTO Annual Meeting
