The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials issued a 15-page policy white paper on July 7 that updates the organization’s key surface transportation priorities by addressing several critical issue elevated in importance over the last two years since its adoption of comprehensive surface reauthorization policies in 2019. Entitled “Policy Recommendations on Key Surface […]
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National passenger rail operator Amtrak recently signed a $7.3 billion deal with California-based Siemens Mobility Inc. to manufacture a new fleet of up to 83 trains for deployment on various state-supported routes, long-distance Palmetto route, and the Northeast Corridor. [Above image by Amtrak] The deal also contains options to add up to 130 additional trains to […]
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The Cherokee Nation is the first tribe in the nation to participate in a U.S. Department of Transportation “self-governance program” developed in 2020 – giving the tribe the ability to plan and oversee road construction and transit projects on the reservation without having to seek federal permission and oversight. [Above photo by the Cherokee Nation] […]
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ATCMTD Grants Include Racial Equity, Environmental Factors
editor@aashto.org July 9, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration issued a notice of funding opportunity on July 7 for $60 million worth of Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment or ATCMTD program grants – a program that, for the first time, includes a focus on racial equity, environmental justice, and access to opportunity. [Above photo by the FHWA] Established […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding more than $845 million in fiscal year 2021 Airport Improvement Program grants to support projects at 388 airports in 49 states plus the District of Columbia. [Above graphic via the FAA] The agency said in a statement that those grants are to help fund projects that seek to “mitigate environmental impacts, increase accessibility, and […]
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Austria-based technology firm SWARCO AG and San Francisco-based micromobility provider Lime are jointly testing a system to reduce the risk of crashes between motor vehicles, e-scooters, and bicyclists at intersections controlled by traffic signals. [Above photo by Lime] The joint pilot project seeks to “optimize” SWARCO’s adaptive traffic light management algorithms in concert with Lime’s […]
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Indiana DOT, Purdue University to Test “Magnetizable Concrete”
editor@aashto.org July 9, 2021 0 COMMENTSTo provide electric vehicles or EVs with the ability to recharge their power supply wirelessly while “on the go,” the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University plan to test a new material called “magnetizable concrete.” [Above photo by Magment GmbH] Developed by German startup Magment GmbH, the material should enable wireless charging of EVs […]
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The North Dakota Department of Transportation is participating in a global research effort spearheaded by United Against Slavery or UAS to fight human trafficking via the 2021 National Outreach Survey for Transportation or NOST. [Above image via UAS] More than 100 contributors including 59 oversight agencies from Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the United States […]
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With help from federal COVID-19 relief funding, the Texas Transportation Commission recently approved $89 million to support rural and urban transit services in more than 96 percent of the state’s land area, serving 41 percent of the state’s population. [Above photo by Texas Transit Association] That funding – comprised of $35 million in state funds […]
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Roughly $110 million in funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program aims to support community-based transportation investments across New York – strengthening the “cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects” of local and regional transportation systems, while promoting safety and mobility. [Above photo via the New York Governor’s Office] The New […]
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