Senate EPW Committee Hearing Examines Benefits of Highway Infrastructure Investments
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSJob creation, economic growth, and creating an avenue for cost-effective recycling are just some of the benefits from greater investments in highway infrastructure projects nationwide, a panel of witnesses explained during a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on March 6. Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation and the 2018-2019 […]
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House Ways and Means Committee Holds Infrastructure Funding Hearing
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSA hike in federal fuel taxes, more private sector financing, plus continued reduction in “red tape” are just some of the solutions being touted to beef up surface transportation funding now and in the future – with support growing for changing over to a vehicle miles traveled or VMT fee in lieu of fuel taxes […]
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AASHTO’s Tymon Provides Fuel Tax Insight to Ohio Legislators
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSRaising fuel taxes is currently the most direct and efficient way to generate the money to funded overdue investments in Ohio’s transportation system, though a decade down the road, a vehicle miles traveled or VMT fee might prove to be a more viable option. Those were just two of several points Jim Tymon (seen above), […]
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Former NYSDOT Commissioner and Amtrak Executive Joe Boardman Dies
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSJoe Boardman (seen above), the longest-serving Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation and second-longest serving president and CEO of Amtrak, passed away March 6 at age 70 from a stroke while on vacation in Florida with his family. He is survived by his wife Joanne and their three children. Boardman, a lifelong […]
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Knowledge Session Examines Impact of Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Technology
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSOne of the biggest challenges in the future facing state departments of transportation when it comes to the broader deployment of connect and autonomous vehicles or CAVs is how to integrate them and their needs with the non-CAV population. “The good news is that there are a ton of things going on and a ton […]
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SHRP2 Meeting Examines Interaction Between CAVs and Railroad Crossings
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSNew principles may be needed to guide the “interaction” between connected and autonomous vehicles or CAVs and railroad crossings as CAVs will require “brighter” signs and even data connections with crossing guard equipment in order to operate effectively. Those were some of the takeaways from a panel discussion held March 6 during a two-day Second […]
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‘Pittsburgh Principles’ for Testing Autonomous Vehicles Held up as ‘National Model’
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSAn executive order issued by Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto (seen above) on March 4 is being touted as a “national model” to guide autonomous vehicle testing in cities and communities around the world. The mayor’s order, which designates the city’s department of mobility and infrastructure as the “principal point of contact” for the five entities currently […]
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NAM Report Ties Infrastructure Investment to Economic Competitiveness
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSA 44-page report issued by the National Association of Manufacturers notes that U.S. investment in infrastructure is now one-third of what it was in 1960; an inadequate level the group believes will lead to the loss of 5.8 million jobs by 2040. [Above photo by VDOT.] “Infrastructure investment means jobs. It means safer families, better […]
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The 2019 National Roadway Safety Awards Open for Submissions
editor@aashto.org March 8, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe National Roadway Safety Awards is a competition sponsored every two years by the Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation to recognize transportation organizations – including state departments of transportation – that have made “verifiable and significant strides” toward improving the safety of our nation’s highways through infrastructure improvements or operational improvements. In […]
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The Federal Transit Administration officially announced on Feb. 28 that Florida, New Jersey, and New York obtained federal certification of their rail transit state safety oversight or SSO programs, in advance of an important safety deadline. [Above photo of the Miami Dade Transit Metrorail by Phillip Pessar.] The FTA noted in a statement that federal […]
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