In a joint July 16 letter, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Natural Resources Defense Council urged both Democrat and Republican Congressional leadership to “go big” in terms of funding all modes of transportation – including roads and bridges, transit, passenger rail, active transportation, aviation, and water transportation. [Above photo […]

In a four-page letter, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has asked the U.S. Department of the Treasury to permit states to use American Rescue Plan or ARP funds to cover a broad array of transportation expenses. [Above photo by the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development] “AASHTO recommends that the final […]

Editor’s note: The full list of Appropriations earmarks for THUD bill is available by clicking here. The House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies or THUD passed by voice vote a $163 billion fiscal year 2022 THUD funding bill on July 12. That legislation funds all the agencies […]

On July 14, the Northeast Corridor Commission released CONNECT NEC 2035 – a $117 billion 15-year multi-agency action plan to renew the Northeastern U.S. rail corridor. [Above photo by Amtrak] The plan – known as C35 – involves Northeastern state governments and state departments of transportation, the federal government, eight commuter rail agencies, and Amtrak […]

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials issued a 15-page policy white paper on July 7 that updates the organization’s key surface transportation priorities by addressing several critical issue elevated in importance over the last two years since its adoption of comprehensive surface reauthorization policies in 2019. Entitled “Policy Recommendations on Key Surface […]

National passenger rail operator Amtrak recently signed a $7.3 billion deal with California-based Siemens Mobility Inc. to manufacture a new fleet of up to 83 trains for deployment on various state-supported routes, long-distance Palmetto route, and the Northeast Corridor. [Above image by Amtrak] The deal also contains options to add up to 130 additional trains to […]

The House of Representatives passed the “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America” or INVEST in America Act on July 1 by a vote of the 221-201, with eight members not voting. [Above photo via the House of Representatives] The $715 billion package includes the five-year, $547 billion surface […]

The U.S Department of Transportation plans to award $905 million to 24 projects in 18 states via the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America or INFRA discretionary grant program. [Above photo of USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg by the USDOT] USDOT said it selected those INFRA grant recipients based on several criteria. In addition to prioritizing projects that […]

The COVID-19 pandemic “flattened” roadway congestion to levels not seen in 40 years, according to the 2021 Urban Mobility Report  compiled by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, yet that respite turned out to be short-lived. [Above photo by the Texas DOT] When the COVID-19 economic shutdown began in the spring of 2020, daily commuter traffic […]

The Federal Transit Administration issued roughly $182 million on June 25 to fund the acquisition of low- and no-emission buses and to support the facilities that maintain those buses. The agency originally posted a notice of funding opportunity for this grant money in February. [Above photo collage by the FTA] Some 49 projects in 46 states […]