Federal, State Agencies Ramping Up Pedestrian Safety Efforts
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and state departments of transportation across the country are celebrating October as National Pedestrian Safety Month by strengthening their efforts to improve safety for vulnerable road users. [Above photo by the Oregon DOT] The emphasis on pedestrian safety comes as data show that, in 2019 […]
READ MORE
AASHTO Issues Connected, Automated Vehicle Policy Paper
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently published a policy paper outlining the ten key policy principles needed for connected and automated vehicles or CAVs – a paper intended to be a “living document,” reviewed and updated every year to reflect changes in technology and policy. [Above photo of Google autonomous car […]
READ MORE
New Research Seeks to Improve Drone Navigation Capability
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Mississippi State University or MSU flight lab is researching how “agricultural aviation” flight patterns can help improve aerial drone navigation capability at low altitudes. [Above photo by Jenny Jones via Wikimedia Commons] Meanwhile, a North Dakota-based effort is gearing up to test new technology that improves the beyond-visual-line-of-sight or BVLOS of drones in search […]
READ MORE
Canadian Transit Agencies Test Anti-Bacterial Copper Coatings
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSAntimicrobial copper coatings are being installed on high-touch transit surfaces on Ontario-based Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and British Columbia-based TransLink vehicles following a successful pilot phase that supports copper’s ability to kill up to 99.9 percent of bacteria on equipment surfaces. [Above photo by Translink] This new round of testing seeks to confirm those results […]
READ MORE
Illinois DOT Highway Worker Rescues Trapped Truck Driver
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSAlan Ingle (seen above), who works for the Illinois Department of Transportation as a highway maintainer, recently saved the life of a truck driver trapped following a crash on I-70. [Above photo via the Illinois DOT] While hauling rock from a local gravel pit, Ingle witnessed the crash occur just ahead of him: A tractor-trailer […]
READ MORE
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation recently hosted a ceremony with Governor Dan McKee (D) plus other state and local leaders to break ground on the $78 million Washington Bridge North project. [Above photo by RIDOT] RIDOT said this project – scheduled for completion in 2026 – addresses the structural deficiencies of the westbound portion […]
READ MORE
Caltrans Issues Final Version of Highway/Rail Improvement Plan
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe California Department of Transportation has released the final version of its 2021 Interregional Transportation Strategic Plan or ITSP; a highway and rail improvement plan to prioritize and develop transportation projects that connect the state’s different regions and move people and goods more safely, efficiently, and sustainably. [Above photo by Caltrans] “Caltrans envisions a transportation system […]
READ MORE
Colorado DOT Reinstalls Signs Honoring Tuskegee Airmen
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Colorado Department of Transportation recently reinstalled interstate signs commemorating the Tuskegee Airmen along Interstate 70 at Dahlia Street and I-270. [Above photo by the Colorado DOT] The agency temporarily removed those signs due to construction related to the $1.2 billion Central 70 Project. That project is reconstructing a 10-mile stretch of I-70, adding one […]
READ MORE
Elon University’s School of Communications in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and others will be hosting “Elon Drone Day” on November 8 – a free event aimed at answering questions regarding regulations, safety, and overall use and other trends in the drone industry. [Above photo by NCDOT] “Elon Drone Day aims to […]
READ MORE
Oklahoma DOT Names Winners of Student Trash Poster Contest
editor@aashto.org October 14, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently announced the 14 winners of its annual “Trash Poster” calendar contest. The original artwork of those 14 kindergarten through 12th-grade students highlighting the consequences and negative impacts of littering will adorn a free 2022 calendar distributed by the agency while supplies last. [Above image via the Oklahoma DOT] The […]
READ MORE