State departments of transportation now have until April 13 to get their nominations in for the 2018 America’s Transportation Awards competition. By that date, all nominations must be completely submitted to be considered in both the regional competition and the Top 12 finals. State DOTs may each nominate up to three projects.
The competition began in 2008 (through a partnership between sponsors AAA, AASHTO, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) as a way to recognize state DOTs and highlight the tremendous projects they delivered to make their communities a better place to live, work, and play. Now in its 11th year (with the same sponsors and the addition of Socrata), the America’s Transportation Awards still showcases why transportation infrastructure–and properly funding it–is so important. Make sure your story is told and nominate one of your projects (or three!) in the 2018 competition.
Here are the categories for the 2018 America’s Transportation Awards competition:
- Operations Excellence
- Projects in the Operations Excellence category demonstrate the ability to make more effective use of existing transportation assets in order to reduce congestion, improve reliability, address maintenance, or advance transportation systems management and operations efforts. This category will recognize those projects that delivered a more reliable, well-functioning, and/or safer transportation system through operational solutions.
- 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?).
- 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.
All nominated projects will first compete on a regional level against projects of their own size–small (projects costing less than $25 million), medium (projects between $25 million and $199 million) or large (projects $200 million or more). After all regional meetings have taken place over the summer, the three highest scoring projects from each region will be named the “Top 12” and will go on to compete for the top two national prizes. The Grand Prize is selected by a panel of judges, while the Socrata People’s Choice Award will be decided by online popular vote (votes will be scaled to state populations to determine the winner and allow smaller states to compete more fairly). Winners of those top two prizes will each receive $10,000 to donate to a charity or scholarship of their choice.
Projects must have been completed sometime between January 1 and December 31 of 2017 to be eligible for this year’s competition.
Got questions? Contact Maggie Kasperski, AASHTO communications manager, at 202-624-3659 or by emailing mkasperski AT aashto.org.
America's Transportation Awards 