The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) today earned a regional award in the 2022 America’s Transportation Awards competition at the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Annual Meeting (SASHTO) held in Biloxi, Mississippi. Georgia DOT’s winning submission, “The Talbotton Road Project: Capacity, Pedestrian and Transit Improvements,” won in the Operations, Excellence category and competed alongside projects of similar size and scope from the 14-state SASHTO region which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia in addition to Georgia.

The Talbotton Road improvement projects required Georgia DOT to upgrade a former two-lane road that services two hospitals, medical facilities and a university, with no safe accommodations for pedestrians, in an area of Columbus, Georgia that had become a more urban environment. Working through unexpected delays and challenges, the department converted the existing two lane road into a four-lane highway with a continuous center turn lane, thus greatly increasing capacity, reducing congestion and improving safety and mobility by removing backups caused by left-turning vehicles. Additionally, a sidewalk on both sides of the highway was added to provide pedestrian infrastructure which offered connectivity to businesses, hospitals, the university, and link to walking and bike trails. The sidewalk also allows for safer stops that serve riders of the Columbus transit system. The project has revitalized the area, beautifying the roadside with new grass and plantings and creating walkability and safe transit access that did not exist previously.

“Georgia DOT’s first obligation is to provide safe and efficient transportation options to the citizens of Georgia,” said Meg Pirkle, Georgia DOT Chief Engineer, who accepted the award on behalf of the department. “Winning an America’s Transportation Award for this project is confirmation of the excellence the department strives to achieve everyday with that commitment top of mind.”

Sponsored by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the America’s Transportation Awards serves to recognize state DOTs and highlights the projects they deliver that make their communities better places to live, work, and play. Project nominations fall into one of three categories: Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Quality of Life/Community Development.