Contentious House Hearing Examines FTA’s CIG Program, HTF Impact
editor@aashto.org July 19, 2019 0 COMMENTSAccusations of deliberate transit project grant funding delays on the part of the Trump administration comprised the central focal point of a July 16 House Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing – with concerns about the near-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund thrown in for good measure. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. – chairman of […]
READ MOREThe American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has named Brandye Hendrickson, currently the Federal Highway Administration’s deputy administrator, as its new deputy director. Appointed as FHWA deputy administrator in July 2017, Hendrickson served as the agency’s acting administrator for two years until Nicole Nason officially became FHWA’s administrator in May. “I am thrilled […]
READ MOREGAO Report Finds INFRA Grant Program Lacks Consistency, Transparency
editor@aashto.org July 19, 2019 0 COMMENTSA report compiled by the Government Accounting Office finds that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America or INFRA grant program “lacks consistency and transparency” and recommends that Congress writ legislation that “ensures the [grant] evaluation process is clearly communicated, that applications are consistently evaluated, and that the rationale for USDOT decisions are […]
READ MOREFHWA’s Nason Highlights Need to Reserve 5.9 GHz Spectrum for Transportation
editor@aashto.org July 19, 2019 0 COMMENTSImproving highway safety while reducing traffic congestion are two of biggest potential benefits from wider deployment of fully autonomous vehicles or AVs, noted Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason in a July 17 speech at the 2019 Automated Vehicles Symposium held in Orlando, FL. However, she also stressed that reserving the 5.9 GHz wireless communication spectrum […]
READ MOREA final rule issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on July 16 that permanently bans drivers convicted of human trafficking from operating a commercial motor vehicle or CMV is the latest deterrent effort launched by a U.S. Department of Transportation agency, based in part from a final report submitted by USDOT’s Advisory Committee […]
READ MORENHTSA Launches Grant Program to Combat Drug-Impaired Driving
editor@aashto.org July 19, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police launched a new $2.3 million grant program on July 15 to fund Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and Drug Recognition Expert training to state and local law enforcement, judges, and prosecutors. Training courses are expected to begin later this year, the […]
READ MOREMissouri DOT Receives Emergency Relief Funds to Combat Flooding
editor@aashto.org July 19, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration issued $2 million in “quick release” emergency relief funds July 12 to the Missouri Department of Transportation to help repair roads and bridges damaged by severe flooding that hit the northwest and southeast areas of the state in April and May. [Above photo by the Missouri DOT.] That’s in addition to […]
READ MOREStudy Touts Benefits of High-Speed Rail for Pacific Northwest
editor@aashto.org July 19, 2019 0 COMMENTSA long-awaited Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation Business Case Analysis issued on July 12 claims that an all-electric high-speed rail network linking the major Pacific Northwest cities could cost between $24 billion to $42 billion to build while providing between 1.7 million to 3.1 million one-way one to two-hour annual trips at start-up. The exact route and type […]
READ MORESeveral measures within a transportation bill signed into law July 16 by Governor Phil Scott (R) seek to boost the “electrification” of Vermont’s transportation system – including the use of special electric vehicle purchase-price incentives reserved for low- and moderate-income state households. “Electrifying the transportation sector will help clean the air and keep millions of […]
READ MOREThe New Jersey Department of Transportation issued $30.1 million in grants on July 16 as part of its local freight impact fund program to help counties and municipalities provide for the safe movement of large truck traffic. “New Jersey roads and bridges carry some of the heaviest amount of commercial truck traffic in the country […]
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