AASHTO Asks Congress for $50B Fiscal Backstop for State DOTs
editor@aashto.org April 10, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sent a letter to Congressional leadership on April 6 requesting the immediate emergency injection of $49.95 billion to offset an estimated 30 percent loss in state transportation revenues over the next 18 months. “State departments of transportation are forecasting a significant reduction in state transportation revenues […]
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FHWA Grants States Broad Emergency Truck Weight Permitting
editor@aashto.org April 10, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration is providing state departments of transportation with broad truck weight permitting leeway for shipments of emergency supplies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Above photo by the MInnesota DOT.] “Although Congress has not provided authority allowing states to waive weight restrictions on the interstate system during national emergencies or major disasters, states […]
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A “historic agreement” finalized between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Illinois-Chicago on April 8 will encourage transportation and energy firms to voluntarily participate in Monarch Butterfly conservation by providing and maintaining habitat on potentially millions of acres of rights-of-way corridors on both public and private lands. [Above photo by the […]
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IIHS: ‘Centerline Hardening’ for Streets Helps Protect Pedestrians
editor@aashto.org April 10, 2020 0 COMMENTSBollards and rubber curbs that prevent drivers from cutting across intersections at a diagonal can make streets safer for pedestrians, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. [Above photo by IIHS.] The group said such “centerline hardening” forces drivers to turn more slowly at close to a right angle by […]
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To increase recreational use on public lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed on April 2 a new set of regulations governing the use of electric bicycles or e-bikes within the National Wildlife Refuge System – a move that supports two directives issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Secretary’s Order 3366 to increase […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration awarded $2.6 million in research, education, and training grants to universities that comprise the agency’s “Air Transportation Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems” or drones – a program also known as the “Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence” or ASSURE. [Above photo by NCDOT.} The agency noted […]
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While all of Virginia’s 13 highway weigh stations – officially known as motor carrier service centers – are temporarily closed until at least April 23, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is turning 10 of them into temporary rest areas to accommodate increased truck traffic that’s delivering food and essential supplies during the COVID-19 […]
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As part of its annual listing of “top ten” construction projects event, the Utah Department of Transportation recommitted to keep pushing forward with 220 construction projects statewide worth nearly $3.3 billion collectively. [Above photo by Utah DOT.] “Transportation is vital in providing essential goods and services during these uncertain times and will continue to be […]
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Idaho Transportation Department crews finished removing tons of rock, dirt, and snow from Idaho Highway 21 one week after a record 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the state. [Above photo by the ITD.] The agency said the earthquake triggered several avalanches and landslides in Canyon Creek, an 11-mile corridor west of Stanley. Large boulders shaken loose […]
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Oklahoma DOT Commits to Keeping Transportation System Open
editor@aashto.org April 10, 2020 0 COMMENTSDuring an April 6 virtual meeting of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, Tim Gatz – executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and state transportation secretary – said his agency remains “committed” to maintaining the “continuity of critical transportation operations” during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Above photo by the Oklahoma DOT.] “While there is significantly less […]
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