AASHTO: President's Transportation Awards

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) announce the winners of the 2012 President's Transportation Awards, which will be presented on November 18th at AASHTO's annual meeting to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

''Leading the selection process is one of the most difficult and rewarding tasks assigned to AASHTO's President each year,'' said AASHTO President Kirk Steudle. ''These honorees represent just a small fraction of the many talented and dedicated individuals, projects, and programs making travel safer, faster, and less costly, across America."

Individuals are recognized for the awards based on programs, or teams improving environmental conditions, utilizing technology, implementing excellent executive management skills, increasing efficiencies, and making effective use of taxpayer dollars.

Steudle and the Presidents of the four regional associations of state highway and transportation officials selected the recipients of the President's Transportation Awards.

The President's Award Recipients:

New York (Administration) – Department of Transportation's Comprehensive Asset Management/Capital Investment Team: The team worked to address New York's urgent need to replace the state's aging infrastructure with limited resources. The ''Forward Four'' process was established to ensure consistency and accountability to New York's capital program and asset management framework, saving time and precious resources.

Kansas (Aviation) – Department of Transportation's Division of Aviation: The Division of Aviation utilized 21st century technology to develop the Kansas Airspace Awareness Tool which utilized Google Earth to display a 3D map of Kansas airspace. The team also worked with law enforcement through the Law Enforcement Operations on Airports Program to teach non-airport police how to respond to airport situations.

Hawaii (Environment) – Department of Transportation's Christopher A. Dacus, Landscape Architect and Arborist: Dacus's Statewide Noxious Invasive Pest Program (SNIPP) set out to combat invasive plants and animals along highway rights of way. The program has decreased the cost of removing invasive species by 80 percent since SNIPP's implementation. His efforts will ensure Hawaii's beautiful landscape along its highways remain intact for future generations.

North Carolina (Highways) – Turnpike Authority Team: North Carolina's $1 billion Triangle Expressway project delivered the state's first modern toll road and the nation's first expressway to use all electronic tolling. Public support for the popular expressway is high, with 12,000 more transponder sales than original estimates during the first year of operation.