Ames, Iowa – Sept. 19, 2023 – For families, especially those who have special needs, planning their travels may include mapping out accessible restroom facilities that include adult changing stations. At the Iowa Department of Transportation, we’ve recently installed these facilities in many of our rest areas. This project is now competing with 11 other projects from around the country for the “People’s Choice” award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Here’s where you come in.
You can help by voting for Adult Changing Facilities in Iowa Rest Areas as the People’s Choice.
You can vote once each day from now until Nov. 14, 2023. Please vote often and share this link!
Winning this award would mean a $10,000 donation to the Changing Spaces Campaign, an organization that advocates for accessible restrooms with universal changing tables.
More about the competition.
After four rigorous regional competitions earlier this year that included 81 entries from 36 states, state departments of transportation from Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, South Dakota, Maine, Vermont, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky, and Iowa emerged with the top scores, earning their spots in this year’s distinguished Top 12 list.
“These vital projects deliver a range of benefits for their communities—whether providing emergency services during natural disasters, adding mobility options such as transit and active transportation infrastructure, or working with partners to address larger societal issues like homelessness. These Top 12 projects and initiatives showcase how state DOTs are building more equitable, resilient, and multimodal infrastructure for our communities,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon.
Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the America’s Transportation Awards contest serves as a catalyst to honor state DOTs and the positive impacts their projects bring to communities across the country. These projects are sorted into three categories – Quality of Life/Community Development, Operations Excellence, and Best Use of Technology & Innovation – further emphasizing the diverse ways transportation infrastructure generates economic growth and improves quality of life.