By Trish Svoboda

The National Asphalt Pavement Association has awarded the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) the 2023 Sheldon G. Hayes Award -the top paving award- for its I-70 asphalt improvement project in Gove County, as stated in a release.

The award was presented at the NAPA annual meeting in Orlando, Florida to the project’s contractor, APAC Kansas, Inc., Shears Division, of Hutchinson.

“This award acknowledges what we Kansans have always known; Kansas

contractors are second to none,” said Calvin Reed, Secretary of Transportation. “It is the result of exceptional collaboration between Kansas-based industry partners and KDOT who completed the I-70 project with a high degree of skill and attention to detail.”

Around 76,000 tons of asphalt was used on the driving lanes and shoulders for the Gove County project, covering just over 9 miles of I-70.

The winner and finalists are selected via a two-year evaluation process. Eligible projects must use over 50,000 tons of asphalt and have been chosen for a NAPA Quality in Construction Award in the preceding year. Qualified projects are assessed for smoothness and are inspected by an independent pavement consultant.

The award is named in honor of one of NAPA’s founders and the association’s first chairman and has been presented on an annual basis since 1971