Federal Shutdown Impacting Project Planning for State DOTs
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSAs the partial shutdown of the federal government over border wall funding stretches past 20 days, some state departments of transportation are beginning to curtail planning for new projects while several mass transit systems are scrambling as many rely on federal grants for both operating revenues and capital funding. In his first media briefing as […]
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U.S. Chamber Touts Infrastructure in 2019 State of American Business Address
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSTom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, (pictured above) stressed that “infrastructure is integral to opportunity” in order to sustain the current economic growth experienced by the United States and said infrastructure modernization will be a key part of the Chamber’s agenda for 2019. [Above photo by U.S. Chamber] “Our highways, […]
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House, Senate Set Committee Leadership for 116th Congress
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSSeveral new faces are set to take over key Congressional committees in 2019 that affect the transportation industry, especially in the House Representatives, which reverted back to Democratic Party control following the midterm elections on Nov. 6 last year. [Above photo via Pixby] The Democrats officially selected Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., as chairman of the […]
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The 98th Annual Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting kicks off Sunday, Jan. 13, in Washington D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and will run through Jan. 17. TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen (pictured above) explained in a Transportation TV interview that this yearly conference, which attracts more than 13,000 participants from around the […]
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Several Key Technology Trends in 2019 May Impact Transportation
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSA “convergence” of several “transformative technologies” are expected to impact U.S. society and the transportation industry as well in 2019, according to a new whitepaper published by research firm IHS Markit on Jan. 3. [Above photo by Andrew Turner] Entitled “The Top Trends of 2019: Powered by Transformative Technology,” the whitepaper suggests that video technology, […]
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Multistate Effort Establishes Truck Parking Location System
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSEight states – Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin – have officially launched a truck parking information management system or TPIMS to help truck drivers more easily locate available commercial vehicle parking spaces at both state-run rest areas and select private truck stops around the Midwest. [Above photo via Wikimedia Commons] The […]
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New Director Tapped for Ohio DOT; Interim Secretary Named for Kansas DOT
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSIncoming Kansas Governor Laura Kelly named Julie Lorenz (above right) to serve as interim secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation on Jan. 10, according to news reports, while Jack Marchbanks (above left) is being tapped by Ohio Governor-elect Mike DeWine as the Ohio Department of Transportation’s new director. Lorenz previously spent eight years with the […]
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Virginia’s Governor, Legislature Agree to Back I-81 Tolling Plan
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSA tolling plan to help generate more than $2 billion in maintenance and expansion funds over the next decade for the 325 miles of Interstate 81 that passes through Virginia got the go-ahead from Gov. Ralph Northam and key state legislators on Jan. 8. [Above photo by VDOT] “Interstate 81 is the economic engine of […]
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PennDOT Maintaining Efforts to Battle Human Trafficking
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSHuman trafficking is the exploitation of people using force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of commercial sex, forced labor, or domestic servitude and – according to the International Labor Organization – there are 21 million victims of human trafficking globally, generating $150 billion annually for traffickers. [Above photo by the U.S. Air Force] The […]
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Proposed Washington State Maritime Strategy Melds with WSDOT Ferry Planning
editor@aashto.org January 11, 2019 0 COMMENTSA broad 30-year plan to boost Washington State’s maritime industry while also reducing its greenhouse gas emissions also aims to provide more support for its ferry system, which is operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation, carries 24.5 million people per year, and is considered one of the largest such ferry systems in the […]
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