Communicating the important role America’s transportation plays in the daily lives of its citizens should be a top priority for state departments of transportation going forward, argued Carlos Braceras (seen above), executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2018-2019 president. “We need to be […]

A new administrator has been sworn in at the Federal Aviation Administration, with a new acting deputy secretary announced for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the current chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board re-confirmed to serve a second three-year term. Meanwhile, both the Federal Highway and National Highway Traffic Safety administrations are getting […]

A protected bicycle lane study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that while bike lanes separated from the roadway by physical barriers improves safety for riders, the risk of injury varies widely depending on the type of bike lane involved. [Above photo by DDOT.] The IIHS study – conducted in collaboration with […]

States are being encouraged to submit applications for the last two years of a grant program designed to test “alternative revenue mechanisms” built upon a user-fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. A Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives or STSFA program issued August 8 […]

A panel discussion held at the 2019 TransComm meeting in Indianapolis in late July stressed that more public outreach on the part of state departments of transportation regarding snow and ice removal operational needs is critical to creating a safer and more efficient highway system during the winter season. “Weather impacts travel-time reliability; and we […]

By a vote of 21 to zero on July 30, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed S. 2302 – the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 – which authorizes $287 billion in highway funding over five years. This represents the first and largest element of surface transportation re-authorization to follow the current […]

To successfully gain support from both politicians and the general public for increases in transportation funding, state DOTS are relying more and more upon key data illustrating the end-benefits it provides, according to a panel discussion held at the 2019 TransComm meeting being held in Indianapolis. “If you are trying to make the case for […]

A “big picture” two-year budget deal hammered out between Congressional leaders of both parties and President Trump on July 23 does not contain any provision to halt the rescission of $7.6 billion in highway contract authority scheduled to occur in 2020. However, though state departments of transportation are being encouraged to “take steps now” to […]

The surface transportation reauthorization bill expected to be formally unveiled next week by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works would appropriate $287 billion for highway infrastructure over the next five years – a 28 percent increase over current spending levels – with nearly 90 percent or $259 billion distributed to states via the […]

A paper released by the Brookings Institution in mid-July indicates that “costly environmental review delays” are a major reason why the cost of building one mile of interstate highway tripled between the 1960s and 1980s, adjusted for inflation – validating some of the cost-reduction rationale behind state efforts to assume decision-making and legal responsibilities for […]