House Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2020 Transportation Funding
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSBy a vote of 29 to 21, the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations formally approved a fiscal year 2020 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies or THUD funding bill that would provide the U.S. Department of Transportation with a total budget of $86.6 billion; roughly $167 million above the amount enacted for […]
READ MORE
Severe Flooding Continues to Impact Highway System in Midwestern U.S.
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSRecord-setting storms and flooding continue to force the closure of roads and bridges on the National Highway System by the dozens in states throughout the Midwest, according to the Federal Highway Administration – especially in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. [Above photo by U.S. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Rebecca Imwalle.] The […]
READ MORE
Disaster Bill Provides $1.6B to FHWA Emergency Relief Program
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSPresident Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 2157 – the “Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019” – on June 6 that provides $19.1 billion to cover recovery and other costs associated with a series of catastrophic disasters that have struck the United States over the past three years. [Official White House photo […]
READ MORE
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America reserved an entire day at its 2019 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., to highlight the needs of highway emergency response crews and the traveling public they serve. To that end, “Emergency Response Day” at ITS American 2019 examined the educational and technological resources now being deployed to improve the […]
READ MORE
FHWA Awards Grants to Six Federal Lands/Tribal Transportation Projects
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration awarded six road repair and bridge undertakings a total of $321.4 million worth of grants via its Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects or NSFLTP program. [Above photo via Wikimedia Commons.] FHWA said in a statement on June 5 that those are the first grants awarded under this program via […]
READ MORE
House Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Transportation Security Funding Measures
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSOn June 5, the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security approved by voice vote a fiscal year 2020 funding bill that provides a gross total of $63.8 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security – including monies to pay for a variety of transit and port security needs. [Above photo […]
READ MORE
The Federal Aviation Administration awarded the first allotment of some $3.18 billion worth of fiscal year 2019 in Airport Improvement Program or AIP funds on June 5; disbursing $840 million among 432 grants for infrastructure projects at 381 airports around the country. [Above photo by the Richmond International Airport.] According to a statement, the FAA said those projects include […]
READ MORE
Video: Bridge Competition Connects Students to Transportation
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe 2019 National Bridge Challenge is part of the Transportation and Civil Engineering or TRAC program that teaches secondary school students from 7th through 12th grade how to apply a variety of math and science concepts to common engineering problems occurring in the development of transportation systems. [Left to right: Theo Kumpula, Collin Remilong, and […]
READ MORE
Amtrak Shuffles Executives, Makes Further Northeast Corridor Rail Investments
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSAmtrak’s board of directors approved two leadership changes on June 6: promoting Stephen Gardner into a newly-created position, that of chief operating and commercial officer, while naming Tracie Winbigler to be executive vice president and chief financial officer. [Above photo by the Massachusetts Office of Travel.] Amtrak is also beginning upgrade work along its Northeast Corridor from […]
READ MORE
Transit and Transportation Agencies Form Automated Bus Testing Group
editor@aashto.org June 7, 2019 0 COMMENTSA collection of 10 U.S. transit and transportation agencies – including divisions of the Michigan Department of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Virginia Department of Transportation – helped form the Automated Bus Consortium on May 30 to “investigate the feasibility” of implementing pilot automated bus projects across the country. [Above graphic from AECOM.] Led […]
READ MORE