The leaders of all 50 state departments of transportation, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico signed a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission on August 20 to “continue our nation’s commitment to improving transportation safety” by reserving the 5.9 GHz wireless spectrum for transportation-only usage. [Above graphic from the National Highway Traffic Safety […]

The top 12 winning transportation projects from four U.S. regional competitions will battle it out in this year’s America’s Transportation Awards competition, with two $10,000 cash awards for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winners’ choosing at stake. [Above photo by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.] The broad scope of the projects in […]

Gridlock on America’s roadways is increasing, according to the 2019 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute – in part due to job growth that is “exacerbating” the nation’s traffic woes. The United States added 1.9 million jobs from 2016 to 2017, TTI note in its report – slower growth than the […]

The District Court for the Southern District of Georgia blocked enforcement of “Water of the United States” or WOTUS rules in seven states on Aug. 21. The rules were developed during the Obama administration and the Trump administration is working to establish new regulations that were proposed last year. In a lawsuit filed by the […]

The first in a series of quarterly studies compiled by J.D. Power and SurveyMonkey finds that consumers “lack confidence” in the future of self-driving and all-electric battery-powered vehicles. The inaugural J.D. Power 2019 Mobility Confidence Index Study, which polled 5,749 consumers about self-driving vehicles and 5,270 about battery-electric vehicles or BAVs, gauges “sentiment” in three […]

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 […]