In a White House press briefing on April 12, President Trump committed his administration to “freeing up as much wireless spectrum as needed” to speed up the build out 5G wireless networks; a move that could open the 5.9 GHz transmission band, currently reserved for transportation communication needs, for other commercial uses. [Above: Official White […]

A memorandum of understanding signed between the Federal Highway Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation on April 16 allows the state to assume decision-making and legal responsibilities for meeting National Environmental Policy Act requirements for federal highway projects. [Above photo by the Arizona DOT. At left: FHWA Deputy Administrator Brandye Hendrickson. At right: Arizona […]

According to a 37-page report compiled by the American Public Transportation Association, U.S. public transit ridership decline by 2 percent to 9.9 billion trips in 2018 compared to 2017. However, certain regions of the country witnessed a year-over-year uptick in ridership, the group noted, along with several specific transportation modes – such as commuter rail, […]

The U.S. Department of Transportation published a Notice of Funding Opportunity in the Federal Register on April 18 for $900 million worth of fiscal year 2019 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development or BUILD transportation grants. [Above photo by the Ohio Department of Transportation.] The agency said funds for the FY 2019 BUILD Transportation grants […]

A new report finds American motorists “strongly support” a broad array of safety measures, from reducing local street speed limits and building more roundabout intersections to stricter seatbelt enforcement efforts. [Above photo by the Virginia Department of Transportation.] Based on a survey of 2,000 U.S. motorists conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for […]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration relaunched a joint $5.6 million public safety campaign on April 18 to raise awareness regarding the dangers of highway-railway crossings. The agencies noted that in 2018 alone, 270 people were killed at railroad crossings. Of those, 99 died after the driver went around lowered crossing […]

The House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit delved into ways to improve roadway safety during a hearing on April 9 and roadway design changes were targeted by members of Congress as well as witnesses as one of several ways to achieve that goal. Yet the need to increase transportation funding […]

In the shadow of the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge – Washington, D.C.’s largest transportation infrastructure project to date – federal, state, and local officials gathered with other transportation industry representatives to re-emphasize the importance of roadway work zone safety, especially since 799 motor vehicle drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians were killed in work zone crashes […]

Appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies or THUD Appropriations Subcommittee on April 10, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao reiterated the Trump administration’s positions on infrastructure investment within its Fiscal Year 2020 budget request – a position she staked out in a hearing before the […]

A hearing held by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment on April 10 explored ways to stem what Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chair of the House T&I Committee, described as the “misuse” of harbor maintenance taxes. [Above photo by the Army Corps of Engineers.] “Because the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund […]