Governor Tom Wolf (D) nominated Yassmin Gramian (seen above) on November 27 to be the next secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Currently the department’s executive deputy secretary, Gramian will replace outgoing PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards, who is slated to become general manager of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority or SEPTA in January. The governor […]
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New Kentucky Governor Appoints New Transportation Secretary
editor@aashto.org December 6, 2019 0 COMMENTSGovernor-elect Andy Beshear (D) of Kentucky named former Lexington Mayor Jim Gray to serve as secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on December 5; one of five appointments made by the newly-elected governor that do not require confirmation by the state legislature. [Above photo of Jim Gray via Wikipedia.] “Each of these leaders have proven […]
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The California Department of Transportation issued four new assessments on December 3 focusing on the risks posed by wildfires, extreme temperatures, sea-level rise, and coastal bluff erosion for its transportation infrastructure assets in Central California and Orange County. [Above photo by Caltrans.] The agency noted that these assessments – being developed for all 12 of […]
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Public-Private Transportation Partnerships or P3 Board approved a project on December 4 to reconstruct a 4.5-mile section of Interstate 81 near Wilkes-Barre. [Above photo via Wikipedia.] PennDOT said in a statement that this project will widen I-81 to three lanes in both directions between Exit 164 to Exit 168, realigning […]
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AASHTO Makes Committee Chair Appointments, Reappointments
editor@aashto.org December 6, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has appointed Mark Lowe, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, as the chair of the Special Committee on Research and Innovation for a two-year term. AASHTO also reappointed the chairs of eight other committees as well. Appointed Iowa DOT’s director on May 26, 2017, Lowe […]
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Three state departments of transportation and the Houston Transtar traffic management consortium took home top honors in the second annual National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) Transportation Systems Management and Operations or TSMO awards competition. The North Carolina Department of Transportation won for its “Statewide Central Signal System Initiative” in the Agency Improvement: Use of […]
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A one-month continuing resolution or CR that extends federal government funding through December 20 also contained a provision that repealed a $7.6 billion rescission of federal-aid highway contract authority – a cut originally mandated by the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act to occur next year. The House of Representatives passed the CR […]
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Pushback Begins Against FCC Proposal to Share 5.9 GHz Wireless Spectrum
editor@aashto.org November 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSA proposal by the Federal Communications Commission to open up the 5.9 GHz band of the wireless spectrum to non-transportation usage is drawing strong pushback from transportation organizations and others, especially over concerns as to how this move could impact safety. “The 5.9 GHz band has been part of the spectrum that has been reserved […]
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Automated Vehicle Technology Hearing Highlights Safety Concerns
editor@aashto.org November 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSA hearing held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on November 20 stressed that federal regulators need to take a more active role in overseeing the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology – especially on public roads – while reiterating that until vehicles are fully capable of driving themselves, the […]
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Labor & Trade Associations Plan Infrastructure Forum for Presidential Candidates
editor@aashto.org November 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSIn mid-February next year, a group of leading labor unions and associations – including the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, International Union of Operating Engineers, Transportation Workers Union, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Public Transportation Association, Value of Water Campaign, and American Road and Transportation Builders Association – plan to co-host a Presidential Candidate Forum to give candidates an opportunity to share […]
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