The Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recognized the Alabama Department of Transportation on Friday with its first America’s Transportation Award.
ALDOT’s new triple roundabout on State Route 160 in Hayden received regional honors in the Small Project, Safety category.
The $8.6 million safety project installed three roundabouts at the busy intersection of State Route 160 and Interstate 65 in Blount County. The project was designed to reduce wrong-way crashes at the Exit 234 ramps.
Sain Associates designed the project, Vulcan Materials Asphalt and Construction served as the prime contractor, and Neel-Schaffer provided consulting services.
Pre-construction data showed 56 crashes occurred along the short stretch of State Route 160 over three years, including eight that resulted in injuries. After the project was completed in summer 2025, ALDOT crash statistics showed a 50 percent reduction in crashes per month by the end of the year, with no injuries reported in the project area.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that without the roundabouts there, we would have already had a fatality at this intersection,” Hayden Police Chief James Chapman said in late 2025.
ALDOT was one of 12 winners from nine states in the SASHTO region. The agency competed against 34 projects from 11 states before receiving its first America’s Transportation Award, which is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
“For almost two decades, the America’s Transportation Awards has highlighted the innovative work state DOTs do to improve communities and enhance the lives of the people who live and visit them. But the truth is, these projects are just a fraction of the incredible work done by state DOTs every year,” AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon said. “AASHTO is proud to recognize the diverse and forward-thinking projects that are improving safety, mobility, and quality of life in communities across the country.”
The three highest-scoring SASHTO winners will advance to the Top 12 national AASHTO competition. The 12 finalists are expected to be announced in the coming weeks and will compete in the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards in November.
More information about ALDOT’s winning project is available at the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Blount County Triple Roundabout page. Additional information about the agency is available through the ALDOT News Hub.
