Midwestern projects earn regional awards

Seven projects by Midwest state transportation departments in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa were named as winners of regional awards for innovation, cost savings and community focus on Tuesday.

The winners were announced at the 2015 Mid America Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials yearly meeting. This was the fourth and last regional contest within the America’s Transportation Awards competition.

The competition is co-sponsored by AAA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Each year, the contest recognizes the top transportation projects in four regional competitions within the U.S. Judges select 10 regional winners. The participants with the highest overall scores then compete for the People’s Choice Award, the National Grand Prize and $10,000 prizes, which are then donated by the winners to scholarship or charity programs that are related to the transportation industry.

The two national winners are scheduled to be announced at the AASHTO annual meeting in September in Chicago.

"These projects are winners for managing costs, meeting community needs and innovation," AASHTO President and Wyoming Department of Transportation Director John Cox said. “When state DOTs succeed, the nation wins because everyone depends on transportation.”