Judging Criteria

Nominations entered are judged at the regional and national level by a panel of judges from all facets of the transportation industry. These are the categories:

1.- Quality of Life/Community Development

The Quality of Life/Community Development category recognizes transportation projects that have significantly benefited the community in which they exist, especially in the form of economic growth and well-being of citizens. These projects better connect people to businesses, jobs, health care facilities, and recreational activities while also encouraging a mix of transportation modes. Priority is given to projects that enhance and support transit and non-motorized transportation. Project entered in this category should focus on how the project made the community (or state or region) stronger and better.

Judges will look at each overall project and the story that is told. Specifically, successful nominations may include:

• Project benefits (40 points)
  • How did this project impact the community?
  • How did customers benefit/how did it improve the lives of citizens?
  • Was the project focused on alternative modes of transportation and/or allow for increased multi-modal access?
• Anticipated economic benefit (25 points)
  • Is the project anticipated to benefit the local community/regional economy as a whole?
  • What effect, if any, will the project have on the local/regional economy moving well into the future?
• Customer focus (20 points)
  • Demonstrated public support for the project
  • Effectiveness of public communications program to involve customers from planning through final execution of the project
• Quality process and results (15 points)
  • Effectiveness of all partnerships involved in the project
  • Demonstration that management promoted quality as a part of its philosophy of operations

2.- Best Use of Technology & Innovation

The Best Use of Technology & Innovation category recognizes new technology and/or creative/innovative solutions implemented by a state department of transportation as part of a transportation project. Nominees should focus on how the new technology or innovative solution was able to help the project in a way no other solutions could (for example, did it save time or money or help the DOT cross other hurdles? Did it exemplify innovative asset management?).

Judges will look at each overall project and the story that is told. Specifically, successful nominations may include:

• Project benefits (40 points)
  • What was the technology/innovation used to complete this project and why is it innovative?
  • What did the customer gain by utilizing this innovation/technology? How did it impact the project in a way that would not have been possible without it?
• Anticipated economic benefit (25 points)
  • Is the project anticipated to benefit the local community/regional economy as a whole?
  • What effect, if any, will the project have on the local/regional economy moving well into the future?
• Customer focus (20 points)
  • Demonstrated public support for the project
  • Effectiveness of public communications program to involve customers from planning through final execution of the project
• Quality process and results (15 points)
  • Effectiveness of all partnerships involved in the project
  • Demonstration that management promoted quality as a part of its philosophy of operations

3.- Operations Excellence

Projects nominated in in the Operations Excellence category should demonstrate the ability to operate and maintain the existing transportation system as safely and efficiently as possible. They make more effective use of already existing transportation assets and processes (such as infrastructure, procedures, technology, partnerships, etc.) that allow for cost-effective, near term solutions. Nominations in this category might also include efforts at maintaining or even regaining previous levels of capacity while improving safety performance levels, and can be focused on specific areas of operations activities, such as maintenance, traffic incident management, arterial management, etc. This is a category in which to celebrate excellent asset management.

Because an operations approach requires not just improving the system directly but also an additional focus of maintaining an operations-focused mindset, this category is open to projects that have improved operations programs or the role of operations within the agency.

Judges will look at each overall project and the story that is told. Specifically, successful nominations may include:

Project benefits (40 points)

• How did the project better utilize existing assets to increase safety, improve reliability, or reduce congestion within the transportation system to benefit users?
• How did customers win from this project and its operations solutions?

Anticipated economic benefit (25 points)

• Is the project anticipated to benefit the local community/regional economy as a whole?
• What effect, if any, will the project have on the local/regional economy moving well into the future?

Customer focus (20 points)

• Demonstrated public support for the project
• Effectiveness of public communications program to involve customers from planning through final execution of the project

Quality process and results (15 points)

• Effectiveness of internal and external partnerships involved in the project
• Demonstration that management promoted quality as a part of its philosophy of operations

The  nomination form also asks additional questions, including how equity and asset management plays into each project. We want your stories on what your project is doing in these areas. Direct any questions to Maggie Kasperski at 202-624-3659.