State DOTs Respond as Hurricane Florence hits East Coast
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSThough downgraded to a Category 2 storm before making landfall, the 100 mph-plus winds and heavy rains generated by Hurricane Florence were expected to affect five states along the U.S. east coast: North and South Carolina in particular, along with parts of Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland. All five of them declared states of emergencies well […]
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House, Senate Reconcile Bills on Water Infrastructure Legislation
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe House of Representative’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee successfully reconciled their respective bills on water resources infrastructure spending to craft the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. The full House approved the legislation Thursday afternoon, Sept. 13, by a vote of 377-20 and sending it on to […]
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Senate Appropriators Net Agreement on FY 2019 Energy and Water Development Spending
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Senate Appropriations Committee reached a “bipartisan agreement” on the first of three fiscal year 2019 “minibus” spending packages on Sept. 10, with the first package – H.R. 5895 – including key funding increases for ports and waterways projects via Energy and Water Development legislation. Initially advanced in late May, the fiscal year 2019 Energy […]
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Axios Listening Session Examines Autonomous Vehicle Issues
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSNews website Axios and semiconductor maker Intel sponsored a one-hour listening session on Sept. 13 regarding connected and autonomous vehicle or CAV trends from Rep. Robert “Bob” Latta, R-Ohio, chairman of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection; David Schutt, CEO of SAE International; and John Bozzella, president and CEO of […]
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House Aviation Subcommittee Hearing Examines Drone, ‘Flying Car’ Issues
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe House of Representatives Subcommittee on Aviation delved into the issue of integrating unmanned aerial vehicles – known as UAVs or drones – as well as flying cars into the national airspace system or NAS, especially in terms of smoothing out “interoperability” issues within the existing system. “We are in the early days of a […]
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FTA Launches Pilot Program to Help Expedite Transit Projects
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration began accepting what it called “expressions of interest” from transit project sponsors on Sept. 12 for a pilot program for expedited project delivery, accompanied by a notice in the Federal Register. “Expediting transportation projects is a key part of meeting our nation’s infrastructure needs,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams in a […]
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On Sept. 12 the Federal Aviation Administration awarded $586 million in airport infrastructure grants; the fifth round out of a total of $3.18 billion worth of Airport Improvement Program or AIP funding for U.S. airports. This fifth increment of funding awards – a process that began on June 8 this year – provides 217 grants to […]
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The Federal Railroad Administration announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity on Sept. 12 for at least $46 million in Positive Train Control or PTC Systems grants. This NOFO represents the balance of the $250 million PTC Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements or CRISI program grants that remained after FRA made its initial selections in late […]
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FHWA Awards $8.4 Million to Nine States for ‘Innovative’ Highway Projects
editor@aashto.org September 14, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration initiated $8.4 million in Accelerated Innovation Deployment or AID demonstration awards to nine state departments of transportation on Sept. 7 to fund a variety of what the agency called “innovative” highway projects, focused on improving the safety and operational efficiency of roads and bridges using “cutting-edge” pavement materials, engineering techniques, and […]
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The Governors Highway Safety Association elected Darrin Grondel, director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, to serve a one-year term as the organization’s chair during the group’s annual meeting in Atlanta in late August. [Grondel can be seen above, standing in the middle between FMCSA’s Ray Martinez on the left and the Insurance Institute for […]
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