AASHTO Journal, 26 November 2014
A nearly 10-minute video that looks at the history of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials was the star of the gala dinner celebration during the annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C.
The video, now available on YouTube, looks back at the organization’s beginnings 100 years ago and the role AASHTO and State DOTs have played in helping shape U.S. economic development by building up the nation’s transportation system.
It drew hearty applause that night and numerous praises afterward from those at the meeting, who appreciated both its historical perspective and its modern-day examples of what the organization means to the American transportation network.
The production works in interviews with past-year AASHTO President Mike Hancock of Kentucky, new president John Cox of Wyoming and many other officials, to underscore how AASHTO’s push for construction funding and its standardization rules have improved safety and mobility across the country.
The video can serve as an introduction to the 327-page centennial history book that was distributed to annual meeting participants and is now available for sale at the AASHTO Bookstore.
Elsewhere in this week’s special annual meeting edition of the AASHTO Journal are news reports on special speakers at the Charlotte conference, and major actions taken by the heads of State transportation departments in the Board of Directors’ session.
The AASHTO Board of Directors approved a number of special measures to guide AASHTO staff in the coming year on legislative and regulatory priorities. We will have more on those policy actions, along with links to those documents, in our Dec. 5 edition of the Journal.
Meanwhile, you can see some photos from the meeting posted on Flickr. One album includes photos from the plenary session speeches and entertainment.
Another album includes photos of press interviews with U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx at the AASHTO meeting, and images of a “multi-modal” transportation cake that was served up for dessert at the gala.