A new report compiled by national transportation research nonprofit TRIP noted that traffic fatalities in the U.S. surged by 19 percent from 2019 to 2021, even as vehicle travel rates plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Above photo by WSDOT] That report – entitled “Addressing America’s Traffic Safety Crisis: Examining the Causes of Increasing U.S. Traffic Fatalities […]
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials joined 42 other organizations in calling for further delays in implementing new “Buy America” and “Build America Act” or BABAA requirements for construction materials due to inflation. [Above photo by the New Mexico DOT] In a June 21 letter sent to Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor to […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation opened the application portal for $1 billion worth of grants through what it dubs the “first-of-its-kind” Reconnecting Communities pilot program. [Above photo by the USDOT] Created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021, this new pilot program seeks to help “reconnect” communities previously cut […]
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Three new U.S. Bicycle Routes in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Delaware, along with the realignment and extension of additional routes through Indiana and Michigan, have added more than 650 miles to the U.S. Bicycle Route or USBR system. [Above photo by the Minnesota DOT] The new routes in Oklahoma and Delaware are the first U.S. Bicycle […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a notice of funding opportunity on June 30 to make more than $573 million in fiscal year 2022 grants available for the new Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. [Above photo by INDOT] This new discretionary grant program – funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA […]
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The Federal Transit Administration recently awarded $16.2 million in grants to 40 projects in 32 states and two territories through its Areas of Persistent Poverty or AAoP program. [Above photo by the FTA] FTA said it awards those grants on a competitive basis to state and local governments, transit agencies, and nonprofit organizations to create better transit for […]
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The West Virginia Department of Transportation recently created the new Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities by combining three previously separate divisions: the Port Authority and Aeronautics Commission with the Division of Public Transit and State Rail Authority. [Above photo by WVDOT] Governor Jim Justice (R) signed a bill creating the Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities […]
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and freight rail conglomerate Norfolk Southern Corp. reached an initial agreement on June 27 to expand passenger rail access in western Pennsylvania. [Above photo by PennDOT] The deal follows a February announcement that both PennDOT and Norfolk Southern would jointly examine opportunities to eliminate chokepoints and improve Pennsylvania’s rail system to better […]
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The Ohio Department of Transportation is in the process of testing several different technologies designed to improve work zone safety at highway construction sites where I-70, I-71, and State Route 315 meet in downtown Columbus. [Above photo by the Ohio DOT] The agency said these safety systems should help reduce the risk of congestion-related work […]
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The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently joined the North Carolina State Highway Patrol on June 23 to open a new Traffic Incident Management Training and Development Track in Raleigh, NC – a closed half-mile course that helps first responders safely train for emergency events that occur on highways statewide every day. [Above photo by […]
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