TDOT Receives Three National Awards for Beautification Efforts

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has received three prestigious national awards for its statewide beautification efforts. These efforts include programs for preventing litter, clearing illegally dumped waste tires, and promoting scenic roadways.

“TDOT is proud to deliver award-winning, standard-setting programs for litter prevention and beautification,” said Deputy Governor & TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “As a department, we strive to set national best practices and leverage partnerships to keep roadsides and rights-of-way clean for the enjoyment and safety of the traveling public.”

Awards received include:
2024 Anvil Award, Public Relations Society of America: TDOT’s Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign was recently recognized at the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) 2024 Anvil Awards. In its 80th year, the Anvil Awards honor the top PR campaigns and tactics across the country. TDOT received an Award of Excellence for its 3rd Annual No Trash November campaign, which rallied TDOT partners, Adopt-A-Highway participants, youth groups, and residents to act by participating in a litter cleanup. More than 2,200 volunteers, participating in 154 events across the state, removed more than 86,000 pounds of litter from Tennessee’s roadways and waterways.

2024 Environmental Excellence Award, Federal Highway Administration: The Federal Highway Administration selected a Tires to Trails project for its 2024 Environmental Excellence Award. The project is a collaboration between TDOT and Tennessee State Parks and is a hard-surface walking and biking trail of just over 2.5 miles long at T.O. Fuller State Park. The trail is made entirely from rubber crumbs derived from 24,000 waste and illegally dumped tires and is one of the longest rubber-bearing trails in the country. Tires had been illegally dumped in the area around the park, gathered by volunteers and local contractors, and then transformed into crumbs by Patriot Tire Recycling in Bristol, the only facility in the state with the ability to recycle tires in such a way. Once the tires were recycled into crumbs, the material was brought back to the park for the construction of the trail. The crumbs are between one-quarter inch and three-eighths inch in size.

2024 Byway Community Award, National Scenic Byway Foundation: The National Scenic Byway Foundation congratulates the Tennessee and North Carolina Scenic Byway Programs as the winner of its 2024 Byway Community Award for Interpretation. TDOT partnered with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to create an electronic guide called the ‘Mountain Byways of Tennessee and Western North Carolina.’ The e-Guide is available for free at www.tn.gov/tdot/ScenicRoadways and showcases visitor experiences and attractions found along 14 individual Scenic Byway routes in both states. The Scenic Byways spotlighted are located adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee National Forest, and the Nantahala National Forest. Scenic Byway features highlighted in the e-Guide include scenic views, outdoor recreation sites, historic sites, cultural experiences, and sites for youth & families.