House T&I Committee Seeks Rescission Pullback, More Harbor Fund Spending
editor@aashto.org May 10, 2019 0 COMMENTSMembers of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent a letter to House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to request the repeal of a $7.6 billion surface transportation budget rescission due to go into effect next year, as well as release of $9.3 billion in […]
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A panel discussion hosted by the American Council of Engineering Companies at its annual legislative summit in Washington, D.C., focused on several key infrastructure challenges, especially in terms of funding sources and finding enough workers to meet construction demand. [Above photo by ACEC.] “There is an appetite in Congress to spend money on infrastructure. It […]
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Panel Examines Changes Being Driven by Advanced Automotive Technologies
editor@aashto.org May 10, 2019 0 COMMENTSRoad signs that incorporate barcodes so onboard vehicle systems can “read” the information they contain; sensor data that insurance companies can analyze in order to fine-tune premiums based on vehicle and driver behavior; a transportation industry “based more on electrons than anything else.” [Above left to right: Bryan Reimer, MIT; Finch Fulton, USDOT; Jessica Nigro, […]
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials filed a comment letter on May 6 in accordance with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Register notice issued back on Feb. 5 that seeks industry input regarding revisions and/or updates to its existing regulatory guidance documents. AASHTO’s letter focused principally on guidance documents issued by the Federal […]
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Nicole Nason officially became the 20th administrator of the Federal Highway Administration during a U.S. Department of Transportation ceremony held on May 2. The U.S. Senate confirmed Nason as FHWA administrator on March 28 by a vote of 95 to one. [Left to right: Nicole Nason, her husband David with daughters Alex and Abby; Elaine […]
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Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the First Transcontinental Railroad
editor@aashto.org May 10, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe competition of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States – originally called the Pacific Railroad – officially occurred on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit in what was then the Territory of Utah when the tracks of the eastbound Central Pacific Railroad joined those of the westward Union Pacific Railroad. It took 16 […]
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The Federal Transit Administration opened up an opportunity to apply for $15 million in research funds on May 8 through its new Integrated Mobility Innovation demonstration program. The agency is splitting that funding between three facets of the IMI program, it noted in a statement: Mobility on Demand or MOD gets $8 million. Building on what FTA termed […]
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FRA Plans Rule to Clarify Locomotive Engineer Certification
editor@aashto.org May 10, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Railroad Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on May 8 to “clarify” locomotive engineer qualifications and ensure their certification process is aligned “consistently” with that of conductors. “The proposed revisions would modernize locomotive engineer certification regulations to match those for train conductors … streamlining the engineer certification process and reducing paperwork burdens […]
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A 107-page “aerospace” forecast released by the Federal Aviation Administration on April 30 predicts that aircraft operations will increase more than 25 percent over the next 20 years, while the commercial drone fleet is expected to nearly triple by 2023. [Above photo by the FAA.] According to the FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2019-2039, U.S. […]
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Vice President Pence Highlights Commercial Space Benefits, 5G Spectrum Needs
editor@aashto.org May 10, 2019 0 COMMENTSPresident Trump’s administration will continue to focus on helping grow the U.S. commercial space industry, noted Vice President Mike Pence in a recent speech; an effort that includes providing more detailed “open source” to commercial space firms data resources as well as the establishment of 5G wireless networks for faster and more efficient communication. [Official […]
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