On April 14, more than 90 federal agencies as well as all cabinet-level agencies – including the U.S. Department of Transportation – released mandated “Equity Action Plans.” [Above photo of President Biden via the White House] Those plans established more than 300 “strategies and commitments” to address what the Biden administration terms “systemic barriers in […]
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials signed on to an April 20 letter that renews calls for Congress to provide more flexibility for previously allocated COVID-19 relief funds. [Above photo by the West Virginia DOT] “State and local transportation capital budgets were hit especially hard by the [COVID-19] pandemic, as changes in […]
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A new report from the General Accountability Office obliquely illustrates a key workforce issue suffered by state departments of transportation, largely as it relates to the hiring of engineering consultants due to a lack of internal staffing. [Above photo by the Louisiana DOTD] That report – based on a GAO-administered survey of state DOTs in […]
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The Federal Highway Administration officially unlocked $6.4 billion in formula funding for states and localities over the next five years via the new Carbon Reduction Program or CRP, created by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in November 2021. [Above photo by the MBTA] Passage of a fiscal year 2022 omnibus appropriations package in March […]
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The Office and Management and Budget recently issued a 17-page memorandum on April 18 to provide “implementation guidance” to federal agencies and other entities of newly retooled “Buy America” rules for infrastructure projects. [Above photo by the Maine DOT] The revamped rules are an outgrowth of President Biden’s Executive Order 14005, issued in January 2021, […]
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The Ray and consulting firm NGI recently released the NextGen Highways Feasibility Study for the Minnesota Department of Transportation that examined strategies for “co-locating” electric and communications infrastructure in highway right-of-ways or ROWs. [Above photo by the Minnesota DOT] The study focused on the potential deployment of buried, high-voltage/direct current or HVDC transmission lines within Minnesota interstate and […]
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The Maritime Administration or MARAD – part of the U.S. Department of Transportation – recently designated a new marine highway route, two new marine highway projects, and one project extension as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program or AMHP. [Above photo by the Missouri DOT] In a statement, MARAD said those initiatives affect eight […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration is providing $4.4 million in drone research, education, and training grants to seven universities – with that research funding focused on three areas: electromagnetic compatibility, detect and avoid classifications, and cybersecurity oversight. [Above photo by the FAA] The universities receiving grants are University of North Dakota, University of Kansas, Drexel University, […]
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To ensure the “efficient and effective” use of funds coming from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021, Arizona recently established a task force to align state-level infrastructure “priorities and investments” with federal funding opportunities. [Above photo by the Arizona Governor’s Office] “In the last seven years, Arizona […]
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Governor Mike DeWine (R) recently announced an annual increase in funding allocations for local bridge projects by more than $47 million for the next five years, bringing Ohio’s annual investment in county and municipal bridges to over $112 million per year. [Above photo by the Ohio DOT] As a result, funding provided by the Ohio […]
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