Today, the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) received the regional “Quality of Life/Community Development, Small Project” award from the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO) as part of the annual America’s Transportation Awards (ATA) competition. Georgia DOT’s Macon-Bibb County Design-Build Bridges project took top honors in the competition, tying for first place out of 80 projects nominated by 35 different state DOTs. The award was presented at the SASHTO annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.  
 
The bridge replacements were needed to provide adequate vertical clearance on the Norfolk Southern Railway in order to accommodate double-stacked rail cars coming from the ever-expanding Ports of Savannah and Brunswick. This project was put on an aggressive design-build schedule, as both bridges needed to be replaced by August 2021 to avoid any negative impact to freight operations. Initial construction began in March 2020. Construction on the Pio Nono Avenue bridge was completed in 25 days, and the bridge was reopened to traffic on June 2, 2020. The College Street bridge was completed in February 2021.
 
“This recognition highlights the department’s continued commitment to providing the safest and most innovative transportation system for Georgia’s residents and visitors,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. “The Georgia Department of Transportation is honored to receive this prestigious award.”
 
Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AAA, the ATA competition showcases transportation projects delivered by state departments of transportation and tells the story of the importance of transportation to our communities.
 
Learn more about the ATA competition and this year’s entries at americastransportationawards.org.