A “bomb cyclone” that struck the Midwest in mid-March caused major flooding across Nebraska and parts of Iowa and Missouri, damaging highways, roads and bridges and causing in excess of $1 billion in property losses, according to news reports. [Above photo by Captain Ryan Hignight, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District.] The Nebraska Department […]
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The Federal Highway Administration released new data on March 21 showing total U.S. vehicle miles traveled or VMT reached a record-setting 3.225 trillion in 2018 – an increase of 12.2 billion miles compared to 2017. [Above photo by FHWA.] FHWA’s latest “Traffic Volume Trends” report also showed that 2018 is the fifth year in a […]
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Transit Sector Seeks Investment, Faces Technological Change
editor@aashto.org March 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSA need for more infrastructure investment and grappling with technological change are two of the biggest issues facing the transit sector, according to a series of new reports. [Above photo by the Federal Transit Administration.] First, the American Public Transportation Association released a 17-page report on March 18 during its annual legislative conference in Washington […]
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President Trump nominated Stephen Dickson (seen above) on March 19 to serve a five-year term as the next administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration as well as the chairman of the Air Traffic Services Committee within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Dickson, the recently retired senior vice president of flight operations for Delta Air Lines, […]
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Study Finds ‘Super Commuting,’ Working-From-Home Experiencing Fastest Growth
editor@aashto.org March 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSThough average U.S. commuting times remain “surprisingly stable” over the long-term – averaging roughly 26 minutes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau today, which is only about five minutes longer compared to the 1980s and 1990s – a new study indicates “significant shifts” are taking place at the extreme ends of the commuting spectrum. [Above photo by […]
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USDOT to Provide $46M TIFIA Loan to Texas Expressway Project
editor@aashto.org March 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau will provide up to a $46.94 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan to the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority to help fund phase three of its 290E Manor Expressway Phase III Project. [Above photo of the City of Austin via Pixabay.] This particular roadway project […]
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Bike Summit Panel Forecasts ‘Disruptive Change’ for Streets
editor@aashto.org March 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSStreet designs will need to undergo more “holistic” change in order to accommodate growing needs for both curb and travel space for ride-hailing service vehicles, transit buses, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians alongside traditional car and truck volumes. That was the outlook provided by a group of diverse panelists at the National Bike Summit 2019 on […]
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To better manage the deployment of “micro-mobility” transportation options such as scooters, three cities – Charlotte, NC; Detroit; and Omaha, NE – joined together with data analytics firm Passport to launch a joint pilot project on March 19 that aims to “maintain visibility and control over scooter deployments” as well as better manage curb space. […]
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New Effort Launched to Help Utility Companies Cope with EV Recharging Infrastructure
editor@aashto.org March 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSTo help foster the construction of electric vehicle infrastructure nationwide while mitigating the electrical load implications on utility companies, the Smart Electric Power Alliance is launching a new “transportation electrification” program to bring utilities, regulators, automotive sector representatives, charging infrastructure providers, and other stakeholders together to discuss and find solutions to those challenges. [Above photo […]
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FTA Offers $85M in Bus Grants, Wraps up Rail SSO Program Certification
editor@aashto.org March 22, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration opened up $85 million in competitive grant funds through its Low or No Emission (Low-No) Bus Program on March 18, while at the same time wrapping up its certification of State Safety Oversight or SSO programs for 31 rail transit systems in 30 states. [Above photo by the FTA.] The FTA said […]
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