The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is up for a national award for its disaster response after the December 2021 tornadoes that devastated parts of western Kentucky.
According to a news release, America’s Transportation Awards were created to highlight the impactful work of state transportation agencies. The communities of Dawson Springs, Bremen, Princeton, and many others but in particular in this instance, Mayfield, were brutally hit by a tornado that killed roughly 80 Kentuckians and destroyed parts of those communities.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Mayfield tornado response was one of 12 projects that emerged from four regional competitions to compete for two national 2023 America’s Transportation Awards.
Two winners will be announced in November at the AASHTO annual meeting in Indianapolis. The Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award winners will receive $10,000 each toward their preferred scholarship or charity.
Governor Andy Beshear says, “Our Transportation Cabinet crews responded rapidly when that devastating and unprecedented tornado outbreak swept down upon Mayfield and many other communities throughout Western Kentucky. Streets and roads had to be cleared – and quickly – before any other recovery effort could begin. Recognition of the cabinet’s efforts is gratifying, though no one was thinking about awards at the time.”