A new study conducted for the Port of Los Angeles and unveiled at a November 12 press event in Washington D.C. indicates that tariffs resulting from the ongoing trade war between the United States and China threatens nearly 1.5 million U.S. jobs and more than $186 billion of economic activity nationwide. Those tariffs are increasing […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation officially announced it has awarded $900 million through its Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development or BUILD discretionary grants program to fund 55 transportation projects in 35 states on November 12. [Above photo by the USDOT.] In a statement, the agency said its fiscal year 2019 BUILD grants are targeted […]

A wide-ranging House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing regarding Amtrak included growing concerns about the state-level impacts of the national passenger rail operator’s ongoing service cutbacks as part of a larger effort to reduce costs. [Above photo via Amtrak.] “Mr. [Richard] Anderson [president and CEO of Amtrak], all we are seeing are cuts. […]

The Federal Railroad Administration issued a notice of proposed rulemaking or NPRM on November 7 that would requiring 40 states and the District of Columbia to develop and implement highway-rail grade crossing action plans. That NPRM would also require 10 states previously required to develop highway-rail grade crossing action plans by the Rail Safety Improvement […]

UPS Flight Forward Inc. and CVS Pharmacy successfully completed two deliveries via drone of medical prescriptions from a CVS pharmacy directly to two separate home residences in North Carolina using the M2 drone system developed by Matternet. [Above photo by UPS.] UPSFF – a subsidiary of United Parcel Service formed in July – said in […]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab computer scientists are working with the California Department of Transportation to combine high performance computing and machine learning with the algorithms that control traffic management systems. As a result, those algorithms will be able to generate more accurate and timely traffic predictions and to aid real-time traffic control, such as rerouting […]

Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W. Va., introduced H.R. 4896 – known as the Advancing Infrastructure Development (AID) in Appalachia Act – on November 1, which seeks to transfer “unspent” federal transportation funds to West Virginia to help complete the Corridor H Highway Project. [Above photo by the West Virginia DOT.] Rep. Mooney’s bill is “companion legislation” […]

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao led the inaugural meeting of the agency’s new ROUTES Council this week USDOT’s headquarters in Washington D.C.; an advisory group that seeks to analyze USDOT’s discretionary funding and financing opportunities to address “disparities” in rural transportation infrastructure. Part of the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success Initiative Secretary […]

Distracted driving is “truly one of the most significant issues in transportation across our nation,” noted Patrick McKenna (seen above at left), director of the Missouri Department of Transportation and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2019-2020 president, in remarks during a one-day roundtable hosted by the National Transportation Safety Board in […]

National passenger railroad Amtrak appointed Steve Predmore as its executive vice president and chief safety officer starting on November 4. Predmore –  responsible for safety planning, training and performance across the Amtrak national network – replaces Ken Hylander, who will return to retirement on November 15. Predmore will report directly to Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s senior […]