While the debate over the “Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions” or HEROES Act passed by the House of Representatives on May 15 continues, state departments of transportation continue to call for $50 billion to maintain their operations for the next several months due to the severe falloff in motor fuel tax revenues and […]
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Toll Roads Plan to Defer Capital Investments Due to COVID-19
editor@aashto.org May 22, 2020 0 COMMENTSDuring a virtual panel discussion hosted by the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association on May 21, toll road executives from across the country noted that they plan to reduce if not suspend capital investments this year and possibly into 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Above photo via the Pennsylvania Turnpike.] Mark […]
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Changing Behaviors Key to Toward Zero Deaths Program Success
editor@aashto.org May 22, 2020 0 COMMENTSDuring the annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Safety – held virtually from May 11 through 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – a panel discussion focused on how changing human behaviors is one key to the success of the Toward Zero Deaths program. [Above photo by […]
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Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Receives $120M Build America Loan
editor@aashto.org May 22, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau is providing up to a $120.1 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or TIFIA loan to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to help finance the Gilcrease Expressway West project. [Above photo by the Ohio Turnpike Authority.] That project consists of a five-mile four-lane divided tollway that includes […]
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The National Transportation Safety Board and state department of transportation across the country are calling on motorists to practice highway safety with the same sense of responsibility they applied to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 as the country reopens. [Above photo by the Oklahoma DOT.] While it is too early to tell what will happen […]
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The Federal Highway Administration released a video on May 7 touting the benefits of “Integrated Corridor Management,” which is a surface transportation strategy that targets major highway congestion events, such as truck overturns, chemical spills and multi-vehicle crashes. The vision of Integrated Corridor Management or ICM is to improve the efficient movement of people and […]
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SAE International endorsed a “framework” for describing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS technology developed by AAA, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and the National Safety Council on May 12. That framework – a two-page document called Clearing the Confusion: Recommended Common Naming for Advanced Driver Assistance Technologies originally issued in November 2019 – clearly explains […]
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A new survey of 1,200 American adults sponsored by Partners for Automated Vehicle Education or PAVE finds most continue to be “wary” of fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) – with that “skepticism and mistrust” rooted in a lack of knowledge about and exposure to AVs, rather than specific incidents such as the 2018 crash of an […]
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The Iowa Department of Transportation recently released a proposed five-year surface transportation construction program alongside a long-term public transit strategic plan – dubbed Iowa in Motion 2050 – for public comment. [Above photo by the Iowa DOT.] Presented to the Iowa Transportation Commission on May 12, the heart of the Iowa DOT’s draft fiscal year […]
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The Mississippi Department of Transportation began funding statewide pavement restoration projects in April via money provided from lottery proceeds. [Above photo by the Mississippi DOT.] “MDOT is so appreciative of the legislature for designating a portion of the lottery proceeds to Mississippi’s maintenance needs [and] these funds will help ensure our highways stay safe for […]
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