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 […]

Governor-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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee (D) and Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) launched a bi-state effort on November 18 to replace the Interstate 5 bridge that spans the Columbia River and connects the two states. [Above photo via the Washington State Governor’s Office.] “This is a new day,” Gov. Inslee said in a Medium blog […]

Leslie Richards (seen above at podium), secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, will become the next general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority or SEPTA effective January 2020. SEPTA is the regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people […]

More than 300 executives representing the highway design and construction industry attended a Georgia Department of Transportation-sponsored forum highlighting the scope and long-term needs of its $1.3 billion State Route (SR) 400 Express Lanes Project, scheduled to be substantially completed in mid-2027. [Above photo by Georgia DOT.] “We were absolutely thrilled with the turnout, and […]

The District of Columbia Department of Transportation launched three pilot pedestrian-only zones on November 18 as part of an ongoing effort to “find innovative uses of public space” across Washington D.C. [Above photo by DDOT.] “The success of Open Streets and our annual Parking Day celebration demonstrates that there’s an appetite for pedestrian-only zones across […]

The Arkansas Department of Transportation officially designated a section of Highway 22 as the “True Grit Trail” on November 14 in recognition of the famous novel by Arkansas author Charles Portis. [Above photo via KARK TV News.] First published in the Saturday Evening Post and later released as a novel, “True Grit” is told from […]

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) – a division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation – unveiled its 2019-2020 winter weather plan, which includes several modifications based on “lessons learned” from the 2018-2019 winter season. [Above photo by Paul Morris.] In a statement, the transit operator – which provides subway, bus, commuter rail, ferry, and […]