The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed its $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill H.R. 2, known as the Moving Forward Act, by a mostly party-line vote of 233 to 188 on July 1. This package was built primarily around the $494 billion INVEST in America Act surface transportation reauthorization bill adopted by the House Transportation and […]
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The steep drop in traffic volumes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing the Highway Trust Fund closer to insolvency faster than projected, according to comments made during a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on July 1. That decline in traffic volumes also significantly reduced motor fuel tax and toll receipt revenues, […]
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The House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis unveiled a broad 547-page plan on June 30 that includes among its recommendations that Congress fund a “massive expansion of public transit” and “further examine” switching to a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or similarly styled fee in lieu of motor fuel taxes. [Above photo by […]
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As traffic volumes begin rebounding as COVID-19 lockdown orders are relaxed, renewed emphasis is being placed on highway work zone safety especially as higher incidences of speeding recorded during the pandemic are abating only slowly. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT.] “Though overall [motor vehicle] fatalities have decreased in the long run, the top three […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration awarded nearly $800 million in airport safety and infrastructure grants to 347 airports across 46 states, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Marshall Islands. [Above photo of Salt Lake Airport via Wikimedia Commons.] The FAA noted in a statement that some of the projects covered by those grants […]
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TRB Analysis Illustrates Benefits of Roundabout Intersections
editor@aashto.org July 2, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Transportation Research Board noted that a recent National Cooperative Highway Program analysis of roundabout intersections finds that while improved safety is their main benefit, roundabouts may also be a less expensive option as well as a way to make better use of space at roadway intersections. [Above photo by Michael Quinn/National Park Service.] That […]
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To help freight move efficiently while ensuring that commercial vehicles operate safely on state highways, the Arizona Department of Transportation is expanding its use of technology that screens moving trucks for both weight and identification information. [Above photo by the Arizona DOT.] The system – originally installed five years ago at select rest areas on […]
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Georgia Department of Transportation, The Ray, Donovan Energy, and the ABB Group upgrade the solar-powered electric vehicle or EV charging station located at the visitor information center off Interstate 85 in West Point, Georgia, to a more powerful 175 kilowatt (kW) unit. [Above photo by the Georgia DOT.] The new station – which became operational […]
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The Minnesota Department of Transportation made a second round of funding available to cities, counties, ports, waterways, railroads, and airports statewide on July 1 to improve the safety and mobility of freight transport. [Above photo by the Minnesota DOT.] The agency said up to $56 million may be available for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 […]
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The California Department of Transportation took advantage of the falloff in San Francisco traffic volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic to “fast track” a bridge deck replacement project on U.S. 101 near Alemany Circle. Because of a 60 percent-plus drop in traffic and by working around the clock, Caltrans said its crews completed the 18-day […]
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