Faces of Transportation

July 20, 2017

We’re Giving You Some Extra Time

Time is precious. We know that.

And the summer is hot. Hard to get out and shoot when it’s 98 in the shade.

So, to give you a chance to cool off, take your best shot, and send it to us, we’ve decided to extend the deadline for submitting your photos and videos.

New deadline: August 25, 2017.

Now, get out there and take some great photos and video of the faces of transportation!

May 9, 2017

2017 Themes

We’ve completely revamped the themes for this year’s contest, making them broader and simpler.

Basically, they are based on what we here at AASHTO call “modes” – that is, the ways that people and goods get around.

Motor Vehicles
Car, trucks, motorcycles – you name it. If it has an engine and has people in it or on it, we want to see it.

Roadways & Bridges
In a typical year, we get lots of photos of pretty roads and bridges – without people using them! Give us those same beautiful roadways with lovely faces.

Pedestrians & Bicycles
Walking, running, biking, hiking – the possibilities are endless as long as they are people-focused.

Ships & Boats
The water makes a gorgeous setting for this mode of transportation, whether it’s for recreation, freight, security, or any other maritime-related activity (with people).

Trains
Railways and transit are a natural for photography. Show us those passengers who are using the system to get around the city, or across the country.

Planes
Jetting off to a business meeting, to a vacation with the family, or to an exotic locale (even shipping packages by air freight) can be exciting and make a good photo.

May 4, 2017May 9, 2017

We’re back!

Sparks fly as construction crews work quickly to remove an old bridge over I-235 in Oklahoma City during a complete closure of the entire interstate overnight.

After a year’s hiatus, we’ve retooled, revamped, and reorganized the Faces of Transportation Photo Contest. Gone are the broad categories that made photographers try to shoehorn images into descriptions that didn’t really fit. And gone are the restrictions that that placed on your creativity.

Now you’ll find that we have opened up the categories to be much more focused on transportation subjects. Here at AASHTO, we talk of “modes” (planes, trains, and automobiles!) that move people and goods around the country. It’s much more natural to be taking a photo of a worker on a road or bridge, or a person on a bike, or the conductor of a train, or of an experienced truck driver – than it is to classify a beautiful photo into something like Building the Future. (What were we thinking?)

So. Get out there. Take some great photos. (Be careful!) Free up your creativity. Show us the wonderful faces that make transportation across our beautiful nation. Enter today!

December 30, 2015

2015 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 48,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 18 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015

AASHTO Awards Top Prizes In the 2015 Faces of Transportation Photo/Video Contest

Two aesthetically intriguing photographs and two compelling videos won top prizes in the 2015 Faces of Transportation competition sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Chris Solan, an ironworker with Mammoet USA, ensures that a 105-foot-tall modular lift tower is running smoothly before it hoists sections of the SR 99 tunneling machine to the surface for repairs. The custom-engineered tower in downtown Seattle is rigged with 7 miles of steel cable.

Two photographs taken of people working behind the scenes at state DOTs won the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Awards. A judge selected the Grand Prize photograph and more than 4,500 online votes decided the People’s Choice award winner. Three other photographs capturing highway construction workers and citizens using transportation facilities also received awards. (See all of the photos in the Gallery on the right of this page.)

Kayti Ewing holds a flat of milkweed she is about to plant in right-of-way off I-430 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The plants are meant to help the habitat of Monarch butterflies as they migrate through Arkansas.

Twenty-nine transportation department employees from 16 states and nine private citizens submitted 103 photographs and 12 videos in the competition. The photographic entries were judged in three categories: People building America, People Touring America, and Innovators in Transportation. Videos competed in two categories: Professional Production and In-House/Amateur/Novice.

The Grand Prize in the photography competition was awarded to Washington State Department of Transportation photographer Greg Phipps for this photograph of Chris Solan, an ironworker making sure that the lift tower of the state route 99 tunnel boring machine in downtown Seattle was running smoothly.

An Idaho Transportation Department worker oversees placement of girders for the Meridian Interchange in Meridian, Idaho. The overnight job began at 10 p.m.

The People’s Choice Award was presented to photographer Rusty Hubbard who captured Kayti Ewing from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department about to plant a flat of milkweed in the median off of Interstate 430 to help the monarch butterflies that migrate through the area.

Idaho Transportation Department photographer Mark Hall took this dramatic shot of a worker overseeing the placement of girders during an overnight job in Meridian to win the People Building America category.

The Brookfield Floating Bridge is a hidden gem in the center of Vermont. The bridge is a major source of tourism, and plays a key role in the economic vitality of the small town of Brookfield. The bridge was replaced in 2015 after being closed for 7 years.

Eric Goldmann, a private citizen in Burlington, Vermont won the People Touring America category with this picture of the Brookfield Floating Bridge, a hidden gem in the center of Vermont, which plays a key role in the economic vitality of the small town after which it’s named.

Nebraska Department of Roads photographer Daniel Luedert won the Innovators in Transportation category with his photograph of a worker surveying the grade of a new bypass near Kearney, while a grader works behind him.

Work continues and a grader passes along the new bypass near Kearney, Nebraska, as a worker surveys the grade.

In the video competition, the Tennessee Department of Transportation won in the Professional Production category for its high quality production highlighting the state’s multimodal freight plan in a video entitled “How TDOT Ensures You Get Your Stuff”.

And, last but not least, the Nevada Department of Transportation won the In-House Production/Amateur/Novice category for its up-close and personal video of a Snow Plow Ride-Along on Mount Rose in the western part of the state.

Thank you to all the entrants, and look for more information about next year’s competition right here!

September 10, 2015

Voting Closed – Watch for Winners Soon!

Chief Deputy Director Rick Land during final inspection of I-Bar repair on the West Span of the Bay Bridge prior to its reopening.

People’s Choice voting has now closed. But, never fear! We will be announcing all the winners next week! Stay tuned…

August 25, 2015

2015 Faces of Transportation People’s Choice Voting Now Open!

Here is your chance to pick a winning photograph! Browse through the entries, view the pictures, and vote for your favorites. You can vote for as many images as you like, but can only come to the site and cast your votes once.

The photograph with the most votes will win the People’s Choice Award!

Enjoy!

Recent Photos

Chris Solan, an ironworker with Mammoet USA, ensures that a 105-foot-tall modular lift tower is running smoothly before it hoists sections of the SR 99 tunneling machine to the surface for repairs. The custom-engineered tower in downtown Seattle is rigged with 7 miles of steel cable.

A welder working for Seattle Tunnel Partners modifies one of the new cutting tools on the SR 99 tunneling machine’s cutterhead. STP is replacing the machine’s cutting bits as part of the effort to repair the machine and resume tunneling.

Seattle Tunnel Partners used a custom-engineered lifting tower to hoist the front end of the SR 99 tunneling machine to the surface for repairs. Here Justin Smith (L) and an unidentified worker adjust a set of strandjack cables ahead of the 2,200-ton lift.

Crews take cement core samples from construction on US-6 near Spanish Fork, Utah. The road and bridge upgrade made one of the least safe roads in the state much safer.

SR 87 Chip seal: Employees work a chip sealer to improve SR-87 in Duchesne County, Utah. The route is an important connector for small rural communities wanting to access Roosevelt and Duchesne.

Workers apply a new 70 mph sticker to a sign on Interstate 15 in Lindon, Utah. In an effort to optimize mobility and decrease speed differentials, UDOT increased the urban speed limit to 70 on Dec. 10, 2014. 99 signs along the Wasatch Front were changed out that day.

Employees test varieties of asphalt at the UDOT Region Three Materials Lab on May 8, 2014 in Orem, Utah. Asphalt testing and verification of asphalt mix design is done by baking, scooping, calculating and compacting the material to ensure the most efficient, longest-lasting roads are created.

Bikers from the Southern Utah Bike Association (SUBA) celebrate the completion of the Bluff Street at Red Hills Parkway Interchange with a ride. The innovative center exit interchange improved safety for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists by creating a safer section of road at a busy intersection in St. George, Utah.

1100 S. Geofoam Brigham: A wall of geofoam greets a construction worker at the 1100 South Diverging Diamond Interchange on I-15 at Brigham City, Utah. Because of the project’s proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the DDI used geofoam to “float” the interchange over difficult geotechnical conditions.

SCOOT 18-year veteran Fred Taylor with Richland Maintenance smooths out asphalt during an emergency repair on 1-26 in Columbia. SCOOT crews were quick to respond to an accident where a burning gas tanker destroyed a large section of asphalt in a high-traffic area.

Incident Responder Matthew Perry works out of the District 1 Traffic Management Center in Columbia. Incident Responders can make minor repairs to stalled vehicles to keep traffic moving in high traffic areas. The program is well liked in the Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Greenville areas of the state.

SCDOT Lexington Construction B employee Allen Frierson manages and monitors the work of contractors as they replace a bridge and realign the roadway of a portion of Hope Ferry Road off U.S. 378 in Lexington County.

Members of the California Legislature tour a Teichert Materials asphalt plant and quarry April 23, 2015 in Sacramento California. Pictured, from left: Assemblyman Eric Linder, R-Coronoa, Assemblymember Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto, and Teichert Regional Operations Manager Mike Cunningham. Asphalt storage tanks are in the background.

Everything breaks and everything can be rebuilt. A worker repairs a heavy-duty engine at the shop. Downtime costs the company time and money.

Construction workers take a quick break during the SH-51 bridge slide at Cottonwood Creek in Creek County. This was the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s first project to utilize Accelerated Bridge Construction methods to replace a bridge with only a few days of impact to drivers.

Construction crews help pave the way for the brand new US-70 Durant Bypass, which will improve traffic movement by re-routing commercial traffic around the city’s southern edge.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation enlisted the help of internationally-recognized experts to help clear a rock slide that closed part of I-35 in southern Oklahoma.

Sparks light up the night during deconstruction of an old bridge over I-235 in Oklahoma City during a complete closure of the entire interstate overnight.

Sparks fly as construction crews work quickly to remove an old bridge over I-235 in Oklahoma City during a complete closure of the entire interstate overnight.

Just part of the daily grind during a repair project on the historic US-77 bridge between Purcell and Lexington.

Work of pouring concrete is framed in the reflection of a supervisor’s sunglasses on the new Kearney bypass along Interstate 80 in Nebraska.

Work continues and a grader passes along the new bypass near Kearney, Nebraska, as a worker surveys the grade.

Working together, workers tie rebar on a portion of the new bypass construction near Kearney Nebraska.

Cara Thompson patches the roadway guaranteeing a smooth ride for the travelling public.

Fresh asphalt looks like a black river as it cuts across the wide open North Dakota landscape.

A new bridge inspection machine allows department employees to more easily inspect all areas of large and small bridges with its extendable and adjustable arm.

MoDOT engineer Vince Kaimann performs a final inspection of the reinforcing steel cage for one of 30 bridge columns on the new Daniel Boone River Bridge. The new bridge will carry Eastbound I-64 traffic from St. Charles County over the Missouri River into St. Louis County.

The Fortify construction project is part of a 10-year plan to strengthen North Carolina’s roadways and alleviate traffic congestion in the Triangle. The southern portion of I-40/I-440 is 30 years old and needs repair. This photo, taken on a bitterly cold February night, depicts the dedicated workers on that project.

Joplin Maintenance Worker Jay Lovatt checks the hydraulics on a snow plow ahead of an expected snow storm March 3, 2015. Nearly 300 plows are deployed to make the Southwest District’s highways safe for motorists during winter weather.

Kevin Gange, US Army Corps of Engineers park ranger, talks to a group of tourists who have gathered near the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge/Duluth Harbor entry. Gange leads tours twice daily during the summer, sharing information about the bridge and the economic benefits and history of Great Lakes shipping.

David Mattison, MnDOT transportation generalist, signals to the driver of a tandem dump truck during a mill and fill blacktop patching project on Interstate 35 near Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota. Steaming hot mix has just been dropped from the truck obscuring everything behind Mattison.

Shannon McIntyre, MnDOT transportation generalist, looks ahead as she drives a Caterpillar compactor over hot asphalt on the edge line along Interstate 35 near Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota.

A worker on the Richard I. Bong Bridge reconstruction project creates dust clouds as he saw cuts near the edge of the bridge. At 8,320 feet, the Richard I. Bong Bridge is the longest bridge in Minnesota. The bridge serves as a link between Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.

Environmental review work being conducted by Dokken Engineering employees on the Capital SouthEast Connector Expressway segment near Folsom, California.

An Idaho Transportation Department worker oversees placement of girders for the Meridian Interchange in Meridian, Idaho. The overnight job began at 10 p.m.

Idaho’s Interstate 85 was officially renamed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway during a public ceremony held on the Idaho Statehouse steps.

Kayti Ewing holds a flat of milkweed she is about to plant in right-of-way off I-430 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The plants are meant to help the habitat of Monarch butterflies as they migrate through Arkansas.

Ms. Ehrhart and Freddie were taking part in a quarterly guide dog training exercise that PSTA conducts with Southeastern Guide Dogs(SEGD). The exercises help train dogs for people with visual impairments, such as wounded veterans who get dogs – free of charge – through the SEGD Paws for Patriots™ program.

Accompanied by her grandson Awesome, American recording artist, songwriter, businesswoman, humanitarian and author Gladys Knight, known as the “Empress of Soul”, raises her hands in jubilation during a Georgia DOT ceremony dedicating a new highway in her name.