JACKSON, MS — The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) received three Engineering Excellence Awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Mississippi at their Annual Assembly in Madison. The Engineering Excellence Awards competition honors engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value, and ingenuity.

MDOT was awarded the Engineering Excellence Grand Award for the U.S. Highway 49 project in Rankin County. This project reconstructed and widened eight miles of U.S. 49 from Florence to Richland. MDOT was also awarded the Engineering Excellence Grand Conceptor Award for a bridge replacement project on I-20 over I-55 south in Hinds County.

“Both of these projects were massive undertakings that took teamwork and dedication to complete,” said Brad White, MDOT Executive Director. “I am proud of each and every individual that played a role in the construction and completion of these projects. Neither would have been possible without their dedication.”

MDOT was honored a third time and was awarded the Engineering Excellence Honor Award for a pavement design method research project called Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Methodology (ME-Design). The method utilizes pavement performance models based on the properties of all pavement materials as well as traffic estimates and historic climate data. MDOT is in the process of implementing ME-Designs into projects moving forward.

“The innovative thinking from the team behind this research project is extraordinary. This award is well deserved,” White said. “MDOT’s goal is to keep Mississippi moving, and that’s exactly what the ME-Design does. It keeps Mississippi moving forward and into the future of transportation.”