State department of transportation projects that swiftly addressed a spike in wrong-way driving fatalities; used high-tech tools like Bluetooth sensors to make work zones safer; and improved pedestrian access to heavily traveled corridors are among the twelve finalist announced today in the 2017 America's Transportation Awards competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The three highest scoring projects in four regional contests became the competition’s Top 12 and are now competing for the national Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award, both of which come with a $10,000 check for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winners’ choosing.

This year, online votes will be weighted to each state’s population, allowing for greater competition between states with larger and smaller populations. The winners will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Phoenix on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

How voting works: You may vote on any number of projects, once per day. You may vote again for the same project(s) once 24 hours have elapsed. Voting period will close at 11:00 PM on September 21.