Committee Leadership Comes into Focus for 116th Congress
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSCongressional transportation committee leadership is poised to change come January following the results of the midterm elections on Nov. 6, which gave control of the U.S. House of Representatives back to the Democrats while keeping the Senate in Republican hands. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., will become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, while […]
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Interstate System Report Calls for More Funding, Tolling, VMT Fees, and Cybersecurity
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSA consensus study report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on Dec. 6 recommends an annual investment of $57 billion in the U.S. interstate system, a near-term increase in federal fuel taxes indexed to inflation and accounting improvements in vehicle fuel mileage, plus a long-term changeover to tolling and vehicle miles […]
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In Memoriam: President George H. W. Bush, ISTEA, and Transportation
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe funeral service for President H. W. George Bush, held Dec. 5 in the nation’s capital, evoked many memories of the 41st president’s one term in office – especially his impact on transportation, via the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. [Above photo by Master Sgt. Amaani Lyle, Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs.] On the […]
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Growth Projected for Transportation Projects, but Costs a Challenge
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. transportation infrastructure market is expected to grow 4.2 percent in 2019, according to the annual economic forecast released Dec. 5 by the American Road &Transportation Builders Association. Yet a report issued by Fitch Ratings, also on Dec. 5, cautioned that “external factors” such as “protectionist trade policies, rising interest rates and volatility in fuel […]
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FAA Reshuffles Executives, Plans Drone Identification Rulemaking in Spring 2019
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSAs the Federal Aviation Administration prepares to issue a long-awaited rulemaking regarding the identification and tracking of unmanned aerial system or UAS devices, typically called drones, the agency is changing up its leadership ranks. [Above photo by Andrew Turner.] On Nov. 29, the FAA promoted Earl Lawrence to executive director for aircraft certification, succeeding Dorenda […]
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Predictive Technology Helps Reduce Crashes on I-15 Corridor in Las Vegas
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSA pilot program that combines in-vehicle and city data with predictive analytics has reduced primary crashes by 17 percent along a key corridor of Interstate 15 in Las Vegas — without requiring any additional resources from state or local agencies,according to a statement by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. [Above photo by Nevada […]
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Video Report: MoDOT Produces Multi-Lingual Safety Message
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Missouri Department of Transportation recently tried something new to draw attention to its two-year-old Buckle Up Phone Down safety campaign that encourages drivers to buckle their seat belts every time they get in the car and to put their cellphones down or turn them off if necessary when driving: producing a two-and-a-half-minute video emphasizing […]
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PennDOT Nears Completion of Rapid Bridge Replacement Project
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Pennsylvania Department of Transportation noted in a Nov. 30 update that 511 of 558 “poor-condition” bridges statewide have now been replaced and opened to traffic via the state’s public-private partnership or P3 Rapid Bridge Replacement project. [Above photo by PennDOT.] “This unique project has been a large undertaking for PennDOT and the private sector […]
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Infrastructure Grants Awarded to “Smaller” South Dakota Communities
editor@aashto.org December 7, 2018 0 COMMENTSOn Nov. 30, the South Dakota Transportation Commission awarded $4.7 million in economic development grants for infrastructure improvements in “smaller” communities – grants aimed at improving roads leading to schools, main business areas, hospitals, grain elevators, and other economic areas in the communities. [Above photo by Collen Farley, South Dakota DOT.] The agency said the grants […]
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EPW Hearing Focuses on Long-Term, Formula-Based FAST Act Reauthorization
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSState DOT executives and transportation industry representatives threw their full support behind a bipartisan goal to draft a full five-year reauthorization of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act based on formula-funding during a July 10 Senate Environment and Public Works committee hearing. “I am working with ranking member [Sen. Tom] Carper [D-Del.] to […]
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State DOT Executives Highlight Research Funding Need at House Hearing
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSCutting the cost of highway concrete by 90 percent, even while boosting its strength and longevity; using carbon-fiber reinforcement in bridges to reduce the corrosive impact of snow- and ice-melting chemicals; and constructing a 32-acre testing facility to experiment with connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies. Those are just some of the many benefits ultimately […]
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Video: Utah DOT Hopes Self-Driving Shuttle Fosters AV Acceptance
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSA 12-month joint pilot test of autonomous shuttle buses started in April is but one example of nationwide efforts being undertaken by transportation organizations to foster greater acceptance of autonomous vehicle or AV technology by the general public. The self-driving, all-electric shuttles being deployed by the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Transit Authority don’t […]
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Celebrating Highway History: The U.S. Army’s 1919 Cross-Country Convoy
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSOne hundred years ago this month, a U.S. Army convoy consisting of 81 vehicles, 24 officers, and 258 enlisted men set out on a 3,251-mile transcontinental journey, primarily as a way to test the ability of the military to move great distances over roads under wartime conditions. The convoy took 62 days to complete the […]
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Four State DOTs Win Awards in Regional Transportation Competition
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSSix projects from four northeastern state departments of transportation received top honors in the second of four regional America’s Transportation Awards competitions. Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the 12th annual America’s Transportation Awards competition is comprised of three categories. The first is “Quality of Life/Community Development,” which recognizes projects that […]
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FTA Allocates $300M in CIG Funding to Three Rail Projects
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration is allocating $300 million in fiscal year 2019 funding via its Capital Investment Grants or CIG program to rail transit projects in Arizona, California, and Washington, pushing its total of CIG-sponsored projects over the last two years to 25 overall worth approximately $7.63 billion in funding commitments. [Above photo by the FTA.] […]
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FAA Rolls Out Next Allotments of Airport Infrastructure Grants
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Aviation Administration awarded $477 million in airport infrastructure grants to 264 airports in 45 states, the Pacific Islands, and the District of Columbia on July 9, which follows $495 million in similar grants to 327 airports in 46 States and the Pacific Islands on June 24. [Above photo by Atlanta Hartsfield Int’l Airport.] […]
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TRB Contest Highlights Transportation Communication Best Practices
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Public Involvement in Transportation is sponsoring a contest to highlight the “best practices” in how to communicate complex transportation finance and related policy solutions to industry stakeholders and the general public. [Above photo by the Colorado DOT.] Top entries, as judged by an independent panel of transportation and communication […]
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Video: Caltrans Rapidly Repairs Route Split by Two Major Earthquakes
editor@aashto.org July 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe two earthquakes that struck southern California July 4 and 5 – measuring 6.4 and 7.1 on the Richter scale, respectively – caused at least $1 billion in damages, according to estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey. And that tally includes damages to roads and other transportation infrastructure. [Above photo from the USGS.] “We have […]
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From coast to coast, state governors are signing budgets that increase funding for transportation in a variety of ways. The $863 million Fiscal Year 2020 capital budget signed by Delaware Governor John Carney (D) (seen above) on July 1 includes $425.3 million for state’s the Transportation Trust Fund – part of a six-year, $3.2 billion […]
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