After lengthy negotiations over the past month, a group of 21 Senators – comprised of 10 Republicans and 11 Democrats – and the White House reached a deal on July 28 regarding the bipartisan $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA. The IIJA then successfully passed a cloture motion 67 to 32 later […]
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AASHTO Provides USDOT with Transportation Equity Data Insight
editor@aashto.org July 30, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials submitted a 32-page letter on July 22 to the U.S. Department of Transportation containing advice for the agency as to how it can best collect transportation equity data. That letter came in response to a USDOT “Request for Information” issued in May. [Above photo by the […]
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Senate Committees Examine Cyber Threats to Infrastructure
editor@aashto.org July 30, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation along with the Committee on Environment and Public Works held separate hearings on July 27 and July 21, respectively, to examine the potential cybersecurity threats currently facing U.S. infrastructure. [Above photo by the Architect of the Capitol] “Our nation relies on more than 2.8 million miles of […]
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The Community Transportation Association of America recently issued a 61-page paper chronicling the “new normal” created by the COVID-19 pandemic for the public transit sector. CTAA also provided six recommendations within that paper to help preserve some of the positives that came out of the re-orientation of transit services during the pandemic. [Above photo by […]
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Survey: Older Adults ‘Trust’ Self-Driving, Ride-Hailing Services
editor@aashto.org July 30, 2021 0 COMMENTSAn online survey of older adults conducted by the National Council on Aging and Volkswagen Group of America found that 70 percent of respondents “trust” self-driving technology and ride-hailing service and believe they could help them achieve tasks outside the home and do the things they want in life. [Above photo via the NCOA] “Technology […]
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George Mason University researchers are using “statistical methods” to study the possible factors that may influence the exposure of commuters to air pollutants – factors such as frequency, time, and duration of commute. [Above photo by the Massachusetts DOT] Jenna Krall, assistant professor at the George Mason University College of Health and Human Services, is […]
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Governor Charlie Baker formally appointed Jamey Tesler (seen above) on July 27 as secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Tesler has served as acting secretary since January, replacing Stephanie Pollack after her appointment as deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration for the Biden-Harris administration. [Above photo by the Massachusetts DOT] “Jamey […]
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Video Highlights Michigan DOT Diversity Recruitment Program
editor@aashto.org July 30, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe Michigan Department of Transportation recently put together a video reviewing the benefits of its Transportation Diversity Recruitment Program or TDRP, which the agency is using to “educate and inspire” the next generation of transportation professionals. [Above photo by the Michigan DOT] “This program, its structure, the fact that it’s been around for eight years […]
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NCDOT Oversees Trial Flights of Drone Deliveries to Island Communities
editor@aashto.org July 30, 2021 0 COMMENTSThe North Carolina Department of Transportation recently completed two successful trial flights of a delivery drone from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island. [Above photo by NCDOT] “This is a tremendous first step in better connecting Ocracoke Island to potentially life-saving supplies and equipment,” explained Eric Boyette, NCDOT’s secretary, in a statement. “Today Ocracoke Island is accessible […]
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ARTBA Calculates Benefits of California’s Transportation Investments
editor@aashto.org July 30, 2021 0 COMMENTSFederal, state, and local transportation infrastructure funding yields nearly $200 billion in economic activity and creates 700,000 jobs annually for California, according to a new report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. [Above photo by Caltrans] ARTBA added in its report that, over the next 10 years, investments in California’s transportation infrastructure should grow from […]
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