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BILOXI, MISS. — The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have announced that the Missouri Department of Transportation's (DOT) I-64 St. Louis Project was selected as the 2010 America's Transportation Awards Grand Prize winner. The Mississippi DOT’s Laurel S-Curve Reconstruction Project won the People's Choice Award. The prestigious awards were presented on Oct. 31 at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Biloxi, Miss.

"These projects are making travel smoother, safer, and less congested for millions of motorists every day," said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. "We know that taxpayers understand the value of quality transportation and this contest shows how states are investing their limited resources wisely."

The competition recognizes outstanding transportation projects in four categories: Best Recovery Act, On Time, Under Budget, and Innovative Management. The 10 projects that scored the highest number of points during judging in four regional contests competed for both the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award.

AASHTO presented a $10,000 cash award to each of the winning transportation departments to be used to support the charity or academic scholarship program of its choice.

I-64/US Route 40 was the oldest highway in St. Louis. During the years, the highway and its 30 bridges had become so deteriorated they had to be replaced. Anticipating public concern compared with the impending closing, the Missouri DOT began public outreach and ad campaigns with suggestions to help motorists prepare for and navigate around the closure. In December 2009, I-64 reopened to traffic nearly one month early and $11 million under budget. A customer survey taken after construction was completed determined that the project has an overall public approval rating of 95 percent.

More than 270,000 online votes were cast in this year's People's Choice Award competition. The Mississippi DOT project involved the reconstruction and realignment of an elevated segment of I-59 through Laurel, Miss., eliminating the notorious "Laurel S-Curve," which had one of the highest crash rates in the state. The project dramatically improved safety, smoothed traffic flow, and ultimately was delivered $6 million under budget.

A total of 43 projects were entered in this year's America's Transportation Awards competition. A video outlining the top 10 projects and announcing the winners is available at http://bit.ly/ATAVID102510.