To better accommodate its members, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has extended the deadline for nominations in the 2014 America’s Transportation Awards competition. Nominations are now due by Friday, April 18.
The competition recognizes the best transportation projects across the nation each year administered by state transportation departments. The competition this year will showcase projects that finish under budget, those that feature exceptional uses of innovation, and projects that improve the quality of life and development of communities (a new category for the 2014 competition). The Quality of Life/Community Development category will recognize transportation projects that have contributed to the general quality of life and economic development of local communities. These innovative projects help connect people to businesses, jobs, health care facilities, and recreational activities while encouraging a mix of transportation modes. Projects nominated in this category should demonstrate community involvement and interaction, and must illustrate the public benefit for customers/users (e.g. safety, economic development, improved mobility, access to public lands/open spaces, etc.).
Also new in 2014, states can nominate up to three projects and state DOTs that enter a project in each of the three categories will receive bonus points during the judging process.
Within each category, projects compete in three size groups: large (more than $200 million), medium ($26 million to $199 million), and small (less than $25 million). Projects first compete on a regional level (for which winners are announced during the summer at AASHTO’s regional meetings), after which the 10 projects with the highest scores move on to compete for the national Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award, the winners for which will be announced at the 2014 AASHTO Annual Meeting, held in Charlotte, N.C. in November. Winners of both the Grand Prize Award and People’s Choice Award will take home $10,000 to disperse to a charity or scholarship of their choice.
Projects eligible for the 2014 competition are those by state transportation departments that were substantially completed and open for use between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013. More information on America’s Transportation Awards categories and directions for submission are available at AmericasTransportationAwards.org. Questions on the competition may be directed to Maggie Kasperski at mkasperski AT aashto.org or 202-624-7757.
America's Transportation Awards 