12 Transportation Projects Vying For 2 Prestigious Awards

The top 12 winning transportation projects from four U.S. regional competitions will battle for this year's American Transportation Awards competition. Up for grabs are two $10,000 cash awards for a charity or a transportation-related scholarship of the winners' choosing.

The scope of the projects in the final round include one credited with using drone technology to get transportation back up and operating after a hurricane, as well as others that endeavor to incorporate citizen feedback and involvement in project design and development.

The competition, which is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, evaluates projects in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Best Use of Technology & Innovation; and Operations Excellence. Projects are divided into three sizes: small (less than $25 million); medium ($25 million to $200 million); and large (more than $200 million).

 
The three highest scoring projects from the four regional contests earned a place in the Top 12 nationals and will be competing for the national Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award.

"These final projects are just a small sampling of the many ways in which state DOTs are making communities safer and supporting economic development," said Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director.

"Not only does this year's Top 12 include highway and bridge projects, but also projects to improve bike and pedestrian access/safety, a transit project, a drone program, and a planning program designed to improve community involvement," Tymon continued.

This year's Top 12 finalists are:
California Department of Transportation - Highway 1/Mud Creek Emergency Restoration - Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Medium category
Connecticut Department of Transportation - I-84 Waterbury Widening Project - Operations Excellence, Large category
Florida Department of Transportation - SunRail Southern Expansion - Quality of Life/Community, Large category
Georgia Department of Transportation - Northwest Corridor Express Lanes - Operations Excellence, Large category
Maryland Department of Transportation - Dover Bridge Project - Quality of Life/ Community Development, Medium category
Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation - Improvements for Downtown City of St. Louis - Quality of Life/Community Development, Large category
North Carolina Department of Transportation - UAS Hurricane Florence Response - Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Small category
Ohio Department of Transportation - I-71 & Martin Luther King Jr. Interchange - Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium category
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation - PennDOT Connects/Connecting Communities - Quality of Life/Community Development, Small category
Texas Department of Transportation - US 290 Reconstruction from I-610 to Beltway 8 - Quality of Life/Community, Large category
Washington State Department of Transportation - 1-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project, Phases 1 and 2A - Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Large category
Wisconsin Department of Transportation - Zoo Interchange Core and Adjacent Arterials - Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Large category

AASHTO says an independent panel of transportation industry experts will select the Grand Prize winner, while the general public will decide the People's Choice Award winner through online voting.

Online votes will be weighed to each state's population, allowing for greater competition between s3tates with larger and smaller populations. Winners will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in St. Louis on October 8.

Filed Under: AASHTO, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS, AMERICA??????S TRANSPORTATION AWARDS, AAA, COMPETITION, US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, JIM TYMON

Comment Box is loading comments...