House Subcommittee Targets Design Changes to Improve Roadway Safety
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit delved into ways to improve roadway safety during a hearing on April 9 and roadway design changes were targeted by members of Congress as well as witnesses as one of several ways to achieve that goal. Yet the need to increase transportation funding […]
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Work Zone Safety Touted at Kickoff Event in Nation’s Capital
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSIn the shadow of the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge – Washington, D.C.’s largest transportation infrastructure project to date – federal, state, and local officials gathered with other transportation industry representatives to re-emphasize the importance of roadway work zone safety, especially since 799 motor vehicle drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians were killed in work zone crashes […]
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Sec. Chao Reiterates Transportation Budget Priorities in House Testimony
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSAppearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies or THUD Appropriations Subcommittee on April 10, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao reiterated the Trump administration’s positions on infrastructure investment within its Fiscal Year 2020 budget request – a position she staked out in a hearing before the […]
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House Subcommittee Hearing Seeks to Stem ‘Misuse’ of Harbor Maintenance Taxes
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSA hearing held by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment on April 10 explored ways to stem what Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chair of the House T&I Committee, described as the “misuse” of harbor maintenance taxes. [Above photo by the Army Corps of Engineers.] “Because the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund […]
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Proposed Legislation Seeks to Extend Tax Credits for Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSFour U.S. Senators and one member of the House of Representatives proposed legislation on April 10 that would maintain and also extend tax credits for consumers purchasing an eligible electric or hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. [Above photo by the Oregon Department of Transportation.] Under current law, that $7,500 electric/hydrogen fuel cell vehicle tax credit would […]
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FTA Allocates $1.36B in CIG Funds for 16 Transit Projects
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration issued $1.36 billion in federal funding allocations through its Capital Investment Grants or CIG Program on April 9 to 16 new and existing transit projects. [Above photo by the FTA.] FTA said in a statement that it is allocating approximately $424.8 million in Fiscal Year 2018 CIG funding to two projects that have […]
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University Study Says ‘Flying Cars’ Ideal for ‘Congested Cities’ as ‘Ride-Share Taxis’
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSA new study of flying cars – formally known as electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft or VTOLs – finds that they would be “especially valuable” in congested cities or in places where there are geographical constraints as part of a “ride-share taxi service,” as well as play a “niche role” in “sustainable mobility” for […]
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IIHS Report Ties Increased Highway Fatalities to Rising Speed Limits
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSA new study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety blames rising speed limits for 37,000 additional highway fatalities over the past 25 years, including more than 1,900 in 2017 alone. [Above photo by the Virginia Department of Transportation.] The group’s research – an update to a study it conducted in 2016 – analyzed […]
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Tom Sorel (seen above), director of the North Dakota Department of Transportation, plans to retire April 26 from his position. Ron Henke, the agency’s deputy director for engineering, will serve as interim director until a permanent director is named. [Above photo by the North Dakota DOT.] Appointed as North Dakota DOT’s director by Gov. Doug […]
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New Jersey DOT Delivers $161.25M in Municipal Aid Grants
editor@aashto.org April 12, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe New Jersey Department of Transportation is distributing $161.25 million in Municipal Aid grant awards to 537 cities and towns across the state – roughly 95 percent of all New Jersey municipalities – to advance road, bridge, safety, and quality-of-life improvements. [Above photo by the New Jersey DOT.] The agency also issued Bikeway Grants to […]
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