Transportation Planning Excellence Awards

TPEA is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration and co-sponsored by the American Planning Association and Transportation Research Board

The Transportation Planning Excellence Awards Program is a biennial awards program developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and co-sponsored by the American Planning Association and the Transportation Research Board. The program provides a unique opportunity to recognize and celebrate the outstanding transportation planning practices performed by planners and decisionmakers in communities across the country.

An independent, expert panel of judges reviewed each nomination, and identified nine Award Winning projects that went well beyond standard practice to demonstrate an exceptional level of innovation and creativity. Another six projects were recognized as Honorable Mentions.

We applaud the winners for their projects as well as all of the outstanding projects nominated for an award this year. Due to the tremendous responses and the number of exceptional planning submittals, the job of our independent panel of judges to select the most outstanding projects was particularly challenging.

We recognize all applicants for their efforts in applying to the program and appreciate the work that is being done to advance transportation planning across the county. The following list of award winners and honorable mentions represent excellence in transportation planning and may serve as models for their peers.

Watch a recording of the Awards Ceremony here.

AWARD WINNERS

2035 Regional Transportation Plan: Linking Health & Mobility
Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Nashville, TN

Fast Forward Transit Plan Mobile Outreach Bus
Indian Nations Council of Governments
Tulsa, OK

Georgia Statewide Freight and Logistics Plan
Georgia Department of Transportation
Atlanta, GA

GO TO 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Chicago, IL

Hillsborough Countywide Bicycle Safety Action Plan
Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization
Tampa, FL

Holyoke Multi-modal Transportation Center Project
Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
Springfield, MA

Lake Champlain Bridge Project
New York State Department of Transportation
Schenectady, NY and
Vermont Agency of Transportation
Montpelier, VT

Toward Universal Access: Leveraging Technology for ADA Compliance
City of Bellevue, WA

Uptown Circle
Town of Normal, IL

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Aquidneck Island Transportation Study
Aquidneck Island Planning Commission
Newport, RI

Emil "Lucky" Reznik Administration, Maintenance and Operations Facility
South Bend Public Transportation Corporation
South Bend, IN

Haywood County Comprehensive Bicycle Plan
Haywood County Recreation and Parks Department
Waynesville, NC

Highway District Transportation Plan
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Planning
Frankfort, KY

Memphis MPO Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Memphis, TN

Minnesota GO: Crafting a Transportation Vision for Generations
Minnesota Department of Transportation
St. Paul, MN

Who is Eligible?

• Anyone may nominate an individual or organization that used Federal FHWA/FTA funding to develop a plan, project, or planning process that demonstrates excellence in planning.
• You may nominate yourself or another individual or organization.
• The plan, project, or planning process must have been completed within the past three years, as evidenced by actions such as formal adoption by a government agency, completion of a built project, incorporation into a TIP, STIP, or City Plan, or other similar action.
• Plans, projects or planning processes can be in one or more of these categories.

How are submissions judged?

The TPEA team of judges from a diverse set of planning backgrounds will judge the nominations on the following criteria:

1. Community and Public Involvement: How did this project successfully engage the community in the planning process?
2. Context Sensitive Solutions: How does the effort demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of contexts (local, regional, etc.)? How does the project or process create effective transportation solutions, while preserving and enhancing community and natural environments?
3. Demonstrated Results/Effectiveness/Replication: What has been the result of these efforts? How are results being measured? To what extent can these efforts be replicated by other organizations around the country?
4. Equity: What initiatives have been undertaken to ensure that these efforts of this project are implemented in an equitable manner and impacts to individual communities are minimized?
5. Implementation/Implementation Strategy: Has any part of the planned transportation-related project, plan, idea, model, design, or policy been executed to its final stages?
6. Innovation: What innovative approaches were used?
7. Multimodalism: To what extent do these efforts efficiently address multimodal transportation options, including bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and automobile?
8. Partnerships and Collaboration: Was this program created as a collaborative effort? Are public and private partners still at the table?
9. Potential for Long-Term Benefits: What provisions have been used to ensure the long-term viability of this effort?