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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently named regional winners of America’s Transportation Awards, which include a rail bridge project in the southeastern region.

Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the awards — now in their fifth year — recognize transportation projects in three main categories: “ahead of schedule,” “under budget” and “best use of innovation." The categories are split into small (less than $25 million), medium (between $25 million and $199 million) and large ($200 million and more) subgroups.

“The America’s Transportation Award competition is a great way to highlight tremendous transportation projects that demonstrate how state DOTs continue to deliver value with limited transportation dollars,” said Kirk Steudle, AASHTO president and director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, in a prepared statement.

Among two southeastern regional winners in the “under budget” category is the Prescott railroad overpass project in Prescott, Ark. The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department managed the construction of a $6.2 million bridge over Union Pacific Railroad tracks on time and under budget, AASHTO officials said.

“The project improved safety conditions and addressed concerns for pedestrians and motorists along a heavily traveled freight-rail line,” they said. “With the completion of the overpass, motorists, emergency vehicles and pedestrians no longer need to wait for trains to pass to get to the other side of town, saving all motorists a little extra time.”