WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twelve winning transportation projects from four U.S. regional competitions will battle it out in this year’s America’s Transportation Awards competition, which will give two $10,000 cash awards for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winners’ choosing. The scope of the projects in the final round include one credited with using drone technology to get transportation systems back up and operating after a hurricane as well as others that incorporate citizen feedback and involvement in project design and development.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the competition evaluates projects in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development, Best Use of Technology & Innovation and Operations Excellence. The projects are also divided into three sizes: small (less than $25 million), medium ($25 million to $200 million) and large (more than $200 million).

The 12th America’s Transportation Awards competition attracted 81 project nominations from 39 state DOTs this year. The three highest-scoring projects from each of four regional contests earned a place in the Top 12 national finals, competing for the national Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award. Both prizes come with $10,000 cash awards.

An independent panel of transportation industry experts will select the Grand Prize winner, while the general public will decide the People’s Choice Award winner through online voting. Online votes will be weighted to each state’s population, allowing for greater competition between states with larger and smaller populations.

The winning transportation projects in Construction Digest’s area are:

Missouri and Illinois Departments of Transportation – Improvements for Downtown City of St. Louis – Quality of Life/Community Development, Large Category

An $801-million collaborative effort between the Missouri Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation included the relocation of one interstate to a new, four-lane cable bridge named the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. The new bridge allowed the states to make improvements to the Poplar Street Bridge, including new lane ramps on the bridge and an extra lane between St. Louis City and St. Clair County, Illinois. A park replaced what was the existing interstate with bicycle and pedestrian access.

Ohio Department of Transportation – I-71 & Martin Luther King Jr. Interchange – Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium Category

The nearly $84-million Martin Luther King, Jr. Interchange is a collaborative effort between the Ohio Department of Transportation, the City of Cincinnati and regional governments. The reconfiguration of the new interchange reconstructed nearly two miles of Interstate 71. It also includes new entrance and exit ramps, rehabilitation of older bridges and ramps, improved bus stops and a new 14-foot multi-use path.