Safety, Infrastructure Touted at USDOT Secretary-Designee Hearing
editor@aashto.org January 22, 2021 0 COMMENTSPete Buttigieg – former 2020 Democratic candidate for president and mayor of South Bend, Indiana – touted safety and infrastructure investment as his key priorities during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on January 21 to be the 19th U.S. Secretary of Transportation. “Safety is the foundation of the […]
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Biden-Harris Administration Crafting COVID-19 Relief, Infrastructure Plan
editor@aashto.org January 22, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe newly installed Biden-Harris administration said it is working on a “two-step plan of rescue and recovery” plan to provide more COVID-19 relief funding – especially for transit agencies across the country – alongside a major infrastructure investment program. [Above photo of President Joe Biden (left) and Vice President Kamala Harris via the White House.] […]
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Following the inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials released a list of 2021 policy priorities to guide its efforts in support of a broad swath of transportation infrastructure strategies and investments. To that end, AASHTO highlighted two sets of key priorities it plans to pursue in 2021. […]
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces USDOT Appointees
editor@aashto.org January 22, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Biden-Harris administration has nominated a broad slate of appointees to take over crucial positions within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Those appointees include members of the state department of transportation community, with Stephanie Pollack – currently secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation – nominated to be deputy administrator of the Federal […]
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ACI Report: COVID-19 Pandemic Will Cost Airports Billions
editor@aashto.org January 22, 2021 0 COMMENTSNew report by the Airports Council International–North America trade association indicates U.S. airports will lose at least $17 billion between April 2021 and March 2022 due of the prolonged decline in commercial aviation traffic resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. [Above photo by the Seattle-Tacoma Airport.] Those losses are in addition to the $23 billion U.S. […]
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Biden-Harris Administration Urged to Commit to Zero Deaths by 2050
editor@aashto.org January 22, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe nation’s largest coalition of traffic safety organizations – Road to Zero, along with Toward Zero Deaths, Vision Zero Network, Families for Safe Streets and 74 partner organizations and individuals – sent a letter to President Joe Biden on January 21 urging him to commit the efforts of the federal government to achieve zero roadway […]
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Whitepaper Details LIDAR Sensor Benefit for Road Infrastructure
editor@aashto.org January 22, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe University of Nevada-Reno and Velodyne Lidar recently published a whitepaper that highlights their joint research into using light detection and ranging or “LIDAR” sensors along roadways to improve traffic analytics, increase pedestrian safety, reduce accidents, and provide navigation support for autonomous vehicles. [Above photo by the University of Nevada-Reno.] The white paper – entitled […]
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a final rule on January 13 to modernize numerous Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and clarify “ambiguities” in current occupant protection standards to cover vehicles equipped with automated driving systems designed without traditional manual driver controls. [Above photo by Argo/Ford.] The new rule also amends several crashworthiness regulations […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration made $19.6 million available on January 20 via its Small Shipyard Grant Program to help support “efficiency improvements and modernizations” that allow U.S. shipyards to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. [Above photo by MARAD.] Since its inception in 2008, MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program has awarded […]
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The Federal Transit Administration noted on January 19 that 37 projects will share of $15.8 million in funding to support strategies that “develop, deploy, and demonstrate solutions” for making COVID-19 related transit operational efficiency and rider mobility improvements. [Above photo by the Utah Transit Authority.] “These additional resources will provide transit agencies and the states with the […]
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