A $3.5 billion discrepancy that dates back at least 18 years between the accounting systems used by the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation could negatively affect federal highway contract authority provided by formula to the states. [Above image by Jericho via Wikimedia Commons] At issue is that FHWA tracks more comprehensive […]
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Biden Touts Infrastructure in State-of-the-Union Speech
editor@aashto.org February 10, 2023 0 COMMENTSPresident Biden (above) placed key emphasis on his administration’s success in promoting infrastructure investment across the country in his second “State-of-the-Union” address to Congress on February 7. [Above Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz] “To maintain the strongest economy in the world, we also need the best infrastructure in the world,” the president said […]
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The Office of Management and Budget issued a notice of proposed rulemaking or NPRM on February 9 to revise its guidance for grants and agreements in support implementation of the “Build America, Buy America” or BABA Act. Comments are due by March 13. [Above image via OMB] Those proposed revisions build upon OMB’s initial guidance […]
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently issued a video report on a “risk and resilience” knowledge session held during its 2022 Annual Meeting in Orlando. [Above photo by AASHTO] That knowledge session – sponsored by the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) – examined how state departments of transportation address risk and […]
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The U.S. Maritime Administration – known as MARAD – has issued a notice of funding opportunity that makes more than $662 million worth of fiscal year 2023 grants available to support port modernization efforts across the country. [Above photo by Stephen B. Morton for the Georgia Ports Authority] Those funds – available through MARAD’s Port […]
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Study: Self-Driving Trucks Can Boost Work Zone Safety
editor@aashto.org February 10, 2023 0 COMMENTSA recent study completed by the University of Missouri found that using a self-driving truck to follow a crewed vehicle has the potential to reduce worker injuries in highway work zones. [Above photo by MoDOT] Henry Brown, a research engineer in the school’s civil and environmental engineering department, presented the study’s findings to the Missouri Department of […]
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FTA Funding Research into ‘Transportation Insecurity’
editor@aashto.org February 10, 2023 0 COMMENTSAccording to the Federal Transit Administration, one in four Americans is unable to regularly and reliably access transportation to meet their daily mobility needs: a situation the agency calls “transportation insecurity.” [Above image by FTA] To find solutions for this issue, the FTA awarded a $6 million grant to the University of Minnesota to design […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation is now accepting proposals to tap into $1.7 million in funding from its Small Business Innovation Research or SBIR program. [Above photo by USDOT] The agency said its SBIR Program awards contracts to small businesses across the country to spur research into and the subsequent commercialization of innovative transportation technologies. […]
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The North Carolina Department of Transportation is managing an innovative drainage project that captures storm-water runoff while addressing chronic flooding in a historic, coastal neighborhood. [Above photo by NCDOT] Cedar Street in Beaufort, NC, carries two lanes of traffic and off-street parking through a mix of residential and small businesses in this 310-year-old town. Because […]
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Governor Lee Calls for Major Transportation Investments
editor@aashto.org February 10, 2023 0 COMMENTSDuring his fifth “State-of-the-State” address on February 6, Governor Bill Lee (R) (above) proposed to invest billions in state funds into Tennessee’s transportation system. [Above photo by the Tennessee Governor’s Office] “It’s time to invest in a transportation strategy,” he said in his remarks before the state legislature. “Here’s the bottom line – there is […]
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