FRA Rescinds Funding for California High Speed Rail Project
editor@aashto.org February 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSIn a Feb. 19 letter, the Federal Railroad Administration informed the California High Speed Rail Authority that it intends to cancel $929 million in federal grants yet to be paid for building a high-speed rail link between Los Angeles region and the San Francisco bay area. [Above photo by Jack Snell.] Additionally, the U.S. Department […]
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Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is calling for an 18-cent-per-gallon increase in Ohio’s fuel tax as part of his first transportation budget; an increase expected to raise an estimated $1.2 billion a year for state transportation needs, including $480 million for local government projects, according to news reports. [Above photo via the Ohio Governor’s Office.] The […]
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Minnesota Governor Proposes Fuel Tax Hike as Part of Transportation Funding Plan
editor@aashto.org February 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSGov. Tim Walz (D) is proposing to phase in a 20-cent increase in Minnesota’s fuel tax over the next two years and index that tax to inflation as part of his overall state budget proposal unveiled on Feb. 19. [Above photo via the Minnesota Governor’s Office.] “Minnesota’s transportation system is aging and struggling to keep […]
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Connecticut Governor Looks to Tolls, Transportation ‘Debt Diet’ to Balance Budget
editor@aashto.org February 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSGov. Ned Lamont (D) (seen above) is seeking to reduce transportation spending in the near-term in order to help balance Connecticut’s budget via a “debt diet,” while implementing new tolls on both cars and commercial trucks to rebuild funding levels to support future infrastructure investments. According to fiscal year 2020-2021 budget details issued by the […]
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Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., (seen above) chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is planning to hold a hearing on Feb. 26 focused on the links between the transportation industry and climate change and what policy initiatives need to be developed as a result of that relationship – including some of […]
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AASHTO Files Comments to USDOT Regarding V2X Communications
editor@aashto.org February 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSIn response to a request for comment filed by the U.S. Department of Transportation last December seeking insight on how best to deploy vehicle-to-everything or V2X communication systems, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials stressed that future cooperative and collaborative development needs to occur without disrupting investments in current technology. “Cooperative systems […]
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USDOT’s Rosen Nominated to Become Deputy Attorney General
editor@aashto.org February 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSJeffrey Rosen, currently the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is poised to move to the U.S. Department of Justice to become the next deputy attorney general, following his nomination on Feb. 19 by President Trump to fill that position. Rosen previously served as general counsel at USDOT from 2003 to 2006 during […]
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FRA Issues Trespassing Strategy, Updates PTC Adoption Rates
editor@aashto.org February 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Railroad Administration published its first National Strategy to Prevent Trespassing on Railroad Property on Feb. 12 and subsequently delivered it to Congress; a report originally requested by U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations last year. [Above photo by NTSB.] “Almost every trespasser death or injury is preventable and FRA is working to intensify […]
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The American Traffic Services Association is hosting a webinar on March 5 starting at 1 p.m. EST entitled “Using Lessons from Abroad to Truly Support and Expand Multimodal Transportation” that features Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards, who serves as chair of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Council on Active Transportation. […]
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The Federal Transit Administration recently initiated $5 million in fiscal year 2018 grants to American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments to fund 36 transportation projects in 14 states. Meanwhile the agency opened up the opportunity to apply for a separate pool of $30 million in fiscal year 2019 grants to fund passenger ferry projects nationwide. The […]
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