The National Operations Center for Excellence or NOCoE recently named the winners of its 2025 Transportation Systems Management and Operations or TSMO Awards. NOCoE made the announcement during the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Transportation System Operations.
NOCoE – a partnership between AASHTO, the Institute for Transportation Engineers, and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, with support from the Federal Highway Administration – holds the yearly awards to promote the value of TSMO, a set of strategies that focus on operational improvements that maintains and restores existing transportation system performance without adding extra capacity.
This annual contest celebrates TSMO strategies and tools that leverage existing infrastructure to increase safety and reliability. Additionally, each year, NOCoE develops case studies for each winning entry as well as for many of the other submissions, which contribute to a library of over 200 TSMO case studies.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation took home top honors as the 2025 TSMO Awards contest’s overall winner. NCDOT won for its response to Hurricane Helene when its TSMO Unit implemented a proactive, multi-faceted, and dynamic response which saved lives, mitigated further loss, and expedited recovery efforts. A new case study outlines how the TSMO Unit served as a central coordination point for NCDOT’s field response and was the primary source of transportation intelligence that local, state, and Federal partners needed for action.
NCDOT was chosen from the four TSMO Award Category winners. Idaho Transportation Department, Delaware DOT, and Georgia DOT also won category awards for “Agency Improvement,” “Emerging Practices and Technologies,” and “Cybersecurity for TSMO,” respectively. Case studies on those winning projects are on the NOCoE website.
NOCoE also named John Hibbard – Deputy Engineer for Georgia DOT – as the winner of its 2025 Joey Sagal TSMO Leadership Award. This award, formerly TSMO Champion, celebrates an individual for both advancing TSMO transportation system in their agency as well as for making significant contributions to advancing TSMO on a national level.
“NOCoE, along with our three partner associations, are thrilled to recognize John Hibbard for his tireless efforts to expand TSMO in Georgia and across the country,” said Nicholas Ramfos, Director of NOCoE. “He takes a vested interest in nurturing talent, particularly with individuals just beginning their careers. Through his guidance, wisdom, and encouragement, he has not only strengthened Georgia’s TSMO programs but has also influenced professionals and initiatives across the country.”
NOCoE will announce its 2026 TSMO Award submission process in late 2025. Sign-up for the NOCoE newsletter to for award related case studies and to learn more about TSMO.