The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently awarded the Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award at the 2021 America’s Transportation Awards in San Diego.
The awards were presented at the AASHTO Annual Meeting. Winners received $10,000 to be used to support a charity or transportation-related scholarship program.
The Grand Prize was awarded to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s $101.6 million Reconstruction of Salem Parkway (U.S. 421/I-40 Business). An independent panel of industry judges selected the winner.
The project included 10 bridge replacements, two pedestrian bridges, reconstructed shoulders and ramps, rehabilitated pavement, reduced interchanges, a multiuse path, and bike lanes. It was the first major improvement to the roadway since 1958.
The People’s Choice Award, based on online votes from the public, was awarded to the Kansas Department of Transportation’s $30.3 million Turner Diagonal: Partnering for Growth project in Kansas City.
The project redesigned the interchange and provided more transit access. The Turner Diagonal Interchange was designed in the 1960s to accommodate tolls booths that never were installed, leaving miles of obsolete and hazardous ramps.
This year, there were 80 project nominations from 25 state departments of transportation. Four regional competitions were held, with the three highest-scoring projects from each region competing for the final two awards.