During a virtual infrastructure summit this week, Rep. Peter DeFazio (seen above), D-Ore. – chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – reiterated his focus on passing a nearly $500 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill out of his committee by the third week of May. “We have to do a reauthorization […]

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sent a five-page letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on April 1 outlining recommendations for that agency’s Automated Driving System Safety Framework, which was published in the Federal Register in December 2020. [Above photo by Google.] AASHTO noted in its letter that, “there is […]

The $2.3 trillion infrastructure investment package unveiled by the Biden Harris administration on March 31 – entitled the American Jobs Plan – allocates $621 billion in overall spending to the transportation sector, with the largest slice of that funding aimed at spurring major growth in the electric vehicle market. “Is it big? Yes. Is it […]

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials co-signed a March 28 letter with 35 other transportation organizations to Janet Yellen, secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, to provide “clear guidance and flexibility” regarding the use of American Rescue Plan or ARP funds to support transportation infrastructure projects . [Above photo of […]

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is helping support National Work Zone Awareness Week or NWZAW – held April 26-30 this year – with a public service announcement that encourages safe driving through highway work zones. The Michigan Department of Transportation will be hosting the national rollout of the annual NWZAW campaign […]

The Federal Aviation Administration announced awards totaling more than $627.7 million in fiscal year 2021 funding for infrastructure and safety projects through its Airport Improvement Program or AIP. [Above photo by McCarran International Airport.] “Airports serve as a lifeline for communities across the nation,” noted U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “Modernizing our infrastructure […]

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (seen above) and members of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discussed the possible priorities for a potentially $2 trillion-plus infrastructure funding package during a hearing on March 25. Sec. Buttigieg, appearing via video, noted in his remarks that “this moment [offers] the best chance in any […]

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials voiced support for the Driving for Opportunity Act of 2021, introduced on March 25, which would end suspensions and restrictions of driver’s licenses for unpaid court fines and fees. “Suspending licenses limits people’s ability to access work, groceries, education and health care services but it does […]

While a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association showed pedestrian fatalities trended up in the first half of 2020, the report also noted how several state-directed efforts are successfully improving pedestrian safety. [Above photo by the NCDOT.] GHSA’s annual Spotlight on Highway Safety report found that the U.S. pedestrian fatality rate increased 20 percent in the first […]

New analysis AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 2,008 deaths occurred wrong-way driving crashes on divided highways between 2015 and 2018 for an average of approximately 500 deaths a year; up 34 percent from the 375 deaths annually from 2010 to 2014. [Above photo via AAA.] AAA said in a statement that it is […]