U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao (seen above) said her agency is launching a new rural infrastructure-focused initiative during a speech at the 2019 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials annual meeting in St. Louis – an effort that will be buttressed by the creation the Rural Transportation Council that will officially […]

Establishing the hyperloop electro-magnetic transportation system on a regional and/or national basis may hinge on highway rights-of-way, viewed as the ideal footprint for constructing the low-pressure tubes that will contain the high-speed hyperloop pods expected to travel at 670 mph. “How do we leverage the investment in the highway system that we’ve made? How do […]

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) believes that “imagination and necessity are changing transportation across this country” and that “bold solutions” will be needed to provide “safe, convenient, and accessible transportation options” for travel throughout the United States now and in the future. “You can make a lot of things a priority, but if you make […]

New research from AAA indicates that motor vehicles equipped with automatic emergency braking or AEB systems that feature pedestrian detection capability “perform inconsistently.” The pedestrian -detection technology also is “completely ineffective at night,” which the group called “alarming” as 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur after dark. [Above photo by AAA.] AAA also found that […]

The growth in commercial truck freight could be put at risk by inadequate highway capacity; lack of funding for improving the freight network and a shortage of truck drivers. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT.] That’s according to a new 37-page report issued October 3 by the national transportation research firm TRIP, which projects that […]

A state-level infrastructure report is reflecting in detail a growing national trend that links the ability to expand broadband access to leveraging assets such as highway rights-of-way – especially for rural residents. [Above photo by the Ohio DOT.] InnovateOhio, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation, issued a 16-page broadband access report on September […]

A September 25 hearing held by the House of Representatives Committee on the Budget examined the need for increased across-the-board infrastructure funding – including more money for roads and bridges – while also touching on the need to beef up revenue flows into the Highway Trust Fund and repeal the $7.6 billion rescission in Federal-aid […]

The Federal Highway Administration published a final rule on September 27 to give states more “flexibility and choice” to use proprietary or patented materials on federally funded highway projects. The new rule will take effect on October 28. [Above photo by the Ohio DOT.] The agency said in its regulatory filing that the final rule […]

The U.S. Senate passed a Continuing Resolution or CR on September 26 by a vote of 81-16, extend government funding through November 21. That measure – crafted in the House of Representatives and passed by a vote of 301-219 on September 19 – now awaits President Trump’s signature to take effect. “I’m glad the continuing […]

Drones, a virtual reality bicycle simulator, mobile roadway material testing labs, plus a bevy of autonomous vehicle projects were just some of the highlights of the 2019 Federal Highway Administration research showcase; a first-of-its-kind event held at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., on September 18. Transportation TV toured the event to […]