You could literally feel the excitement and tension fill the West Virginia University Institute of Technology’ Van Meter Gym as middle and high school students watched the destructive testing of bridge models they built with balsa wood and Elmer’s wood glue at the 2023 West Virginia Bridge Design & Build Contest. [Above left to right: […]
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently sent two letters – one to the Council on Environmental Quality or CEQ and the other to the Federal Communication Commission – regarding recently proposed regulatory initiatives. [Above image by AASHTO] In its March 31 letter to the CEQ, AASHTO commented on the “National Environmental […]
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USDOT Initiates Wildlife-Vehicle Collision Prevention Program
editor@aashto.org April 7, 2023 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. Department of Transportation recently began what it calls a “first-of-its-kind” pilot program to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity. [Above image by the Colorado DOT] Created and funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021, that pilot program – dubbed the “Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program” […]
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is holding its annual “U Drive, U Text, U Pay” distracted driving prevention campaign April 3 through 10. [Above photo by the Delaware DOT] Together with Captain Ron Mead of the Washington State Patrol, Steve Kiefer of the Kiefer Foundation, and Torine Creppy of Safe Kids Worldwide, NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie […]
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ETAP Podcast: Bringing Young Professionals into Transportation
editor@aashto.org April 7, 2023 0 COMMENTSThe latest episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast examines different ways to recruit young professionals into the transportation industry, in part to help guide the sector’s new emphasis on issues such as infrastructure resilience, equity, and reducing greenhouse gas or GHG emissions, to name just a few. [Above photo by AASHTO] […]
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NOAA: Dust Storms Contribute to Higher Traffic Fatalities
editor@aashto.org April 7, 2023 0 COMMENTSA new research paper by the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory determined that dust storms – long assumed to be rather rare and isolated to particular regions – contribute to a larger number of U.S. traffic fatalities than previously thought. [Above photo by the Arizona DOT] For that reason, NOAA proposed modifications to the current reporting classifications to […]
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The U.S. Department of Labor recently made $80 million available through its Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program to help workers across a variety of industry sectors access training and develop construction trade skills. [Above photo by the Oregon DOT] The agency added that it intends to make a total of approximately $200 million […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration recently issued 33 grants worth a total of $20 million to 29 small towns and at regional airports to upgrade and/or build traffic control towers. [Above photo by the Colorado DOT] Those fiscal year 2023 grants – issued via the FAA Contract Tower Competitive Grant program – are funded via the $1.2 […]
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Workers for the Washington State Department of Transportation and Idaho Transportation Department recently went beyond the call of duty to help save the lives a car crash victim and an injured hiker, respectively. [Above photo by WSDOT] In early March, WSDOT Maintenance Work Jerry Bennett was on a routine patrol on State Route 410 a […]
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The Illinois Department of Transportation has launched a new public outreach effort called “Think Before You Throw!” as part of its ongoing awareness campaign to reduce littering on state highways and roads. [Above photo by Illinois DOT] The “Think Before You Throw!” initiative aims to reduce roadside litter along the state’s more than 150,000 miles […]
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