TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) received two regional awards for the S.R. 82 Widening Project and SunTrax Phase 1 from the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO) as part of the annual America’s Transportation Awards competition.

“This recognition further highlights the department’s continued commitment to providing the safest and most innovative transportation system for Florida’s residents and visitors,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, PE. “The Florida Department of Transportation is honored to receive these prestigious awards.”

The America’s Transportation Awards competition is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In the Southern region, Florida and six other states nominated a total of 17 projects in this year’s competition. Projects could be submitted in three categories: Community Development/Quality of Life, Best Use of Technology, and Operations Excellence. Each project was also categorized into groups based on budget size: small (less than $25 million), medium ($25 million to $200 million), and large (more than $200 million).

More information about Florida’s winning projects:

The $55.6-million S.R. 82 Widening Project in Fort Myers contains the state’s first continuous flow intersection, a new design that eases traffic congestion on the connector. The project also included a multimodal approach by adding bike lanes in each direction, along with sidewalks and a multi-use path.SunTrax is FDOT’s $48-million effort to test the transportation solutions of tomorrow and features a 2.25-mile, four-lane oval track that allows the opportunity to test multiple technologies simultaneously. It also has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-Certified operations center with training and testing facilities with fiber optic track connections.

The three top ranking projects from each region will go on to compete in the top 12 list of projects for the national Grand Prize, chosen by industry experts, and the People’s Choice Award, chosen by the public. Winners of these top awards receive $10,000 to donate to a charity or scholarship of the DOT’s selection.