State departments of transportation, along with toll authorities and even public-private partnerships or P3s, continue to be affected by the massive decline in travel spurred by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders across the country. [Above photo by the Minnesota DOT.] According to a news story, the Maine Department of Transportation is expecting a roughly $74 million loss […]
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Preliminary estimates of 2019 highway crash data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on May 5 indicated that traffic fatalities continue to decline even as vehicle miles traveled or VMT increases. That mirrors a similar dip that occurred in 2018, though only roughly half as large. [Above photo via Wikipedia Commons.] NHTSA said […]
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In a World Economic Forum blog post, Hanns-Christian Hanebeck – the founder and CEO of Texas-based software firm Truckl – indicated that blockchain technology could eventually provide highway administration agencies with an “unprecedented set of capabilities,” from improving traffic volume flow to more efficient and faster toll collection efforts. [Above photo via the Texas DOT.] […]
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NASA has launched a new project called Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations or STEReO that would improve the ability of drones to assist emergency responders in making natural disaster interventions even faster, more targeted, and better able to adapt to changing circumstances. [In photo above, NASA’s George Lawton discusses drone connecting capabilities.] For […]
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A 15-page report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on April 30 indicates that despite facing “tight schedules” that may make software installation “more acute,” the railroad industry remains “generally optimistic” about finishing required positive train control (PTC) implementation work by the end of 2020. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT.] PTC is a […]
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The Federal Railroad Administration issued more than $22 million via its Restoration and Enhancement grants program on May 5 to fund three intercity passenger rail service projects that collectively span eight states. [Above CTrail photo via Wikipedia Commons.] All three grants will be awarded to projects located in opportunity zones, the FRA said; areas deemed […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau said on May 4 it will provide a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or TIFIA loan to the Port of Long Beach for up to $500 million to help finance construction of the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, which is located at the Port of Long […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration announced the names of eight private companies that will assist in the development of Remote Identification or remote ID requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), more commonly called drones. The agency also launched a new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS-CTI) designed to foster closer collaboration with students who pursue careers in […]
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The Florida Department of Transportation unveiled plans on May 6 to design and build a replacement pedestrian bridge for the Florida International University; a structure spanning State Road (SR) 90/SW in Miami-Dade County to replace one that collapsed in 2018; a collapse that killed six people, injured 10 others, and crushed eight vehicles. [Above photo […]
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The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development kicked off a two-week highway cleanup effort on May 5 as part of an extensive statewide effort to beautify Louisiana’s roadways. [Above photo by the Louisiana DOTD.] The agency said in a statement that the significantly reduced traffic volumes due to the COVID-19 stay-at-home order put in place […]
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