The U.S. Department of Transportation published a notice of funding opportunity on April 13 for $1 billion worth of fiscal year 2021 discretionary grants via the new Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity or RAISE program. [Above image via the USDOT.] The agency said in a statement that RAISE grant funding applications are due […]

The Senate confirmed Polly Trottenberg as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation by a vote of 82 to 15 on April 13. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation had approved Trottenberg for that position by a vote of 24 to 4 on March 24. Trottenberg most recently spent seven years as […]

The Federal Railroad Administration is conducting what the agency calls the “first-of-its-kind” nationwide “disparity study” of small, minority-owned, and woman-owned businesses – seeking to determine whether the playing field is level for firms aspiring to win subcontracts from projects receiving FRA grants. [Above photo by the FRA.] The agency noted that it awarded more than […]

The Department of the Interior plans to invest $1.6 billion in 2021 to address critical deferred maintenance projects, plus improve transportation and recreation infrastructure in national parks, national wildlife refuges, recreation areas, and at Bureau of Indian Education schools. [Above photo by the Interior Department.] That funding comes from the National Parks and Public Land […]

The National Transportation Safety Board unveiled its 2021–2022 “Most Wanted List” of 10 transportation safety improvements on April 6, with four of them focused on motor vehicle-related activity – including one that seeks to improve pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorcyclist safety. [Above image via the NTSB.] The NTSB noted in a statement that those improvements should: […]

Business is booming at 14 major cargo-focused hub airports across the United States, according to a 12-page policy brief recently issued by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. [Above photo by the Chicago Rockford International airport.] That brief indicated that, based on an analysis of Bureau of Transportation statistics, tonnage increased at […]

The Northwest ports of Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver, British Columbia plus the combined container operations of the Northwest Seaport Alliance are jointly committing to a new vision to phase out emissions from seaport-related activities by 2050. [Above photo by the Port of Seattle.] In a collaboration among the four ports, the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy seeks […]

The Federal Transit Administration is providing a total of $187 million to help fund four bus rapid transit or BRT infrastructure projects in three Western states: California, Utah, and Washington State. [Above graphic by the FTA.] That funding – disbursed through the FTA’s “small starts” initiative within its Capital Investment Grants or CIG program – […]

New research compiled by the Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (AVA), the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), and AARP examines how technology can provide “barrier-free mobility” to people with age-related or physical impairments – helping them navigate their immediate surroundings when they enter and exit the vehicle. [Above photo of the Utah DOT AV Shuttle […]

The Maritime Administration recently issued a notice of funding opportunity for $230 million in discretionary grant funding for port and intermodal infrastructure-related projects through its Port Infrastructure Development Program or PIDP, with an application deadline of July 30. The minimum award size is $1 million. [Above photo via the Port of Tampa Bay.] To provide […]