The House of Representatives and the Senate are working on a continuing resolution or CR that would fund federal government programs from the beginning of fiscal year 2021 on October 1 through December 11. The House passed its CR, which included the FAST Act extension, on September 22 by a vote of 359 to 57, […]
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The Transportation Law Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
editor@aashto.org September 25, 2020 0 COMMENTSSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away on September 18 after an 11-year battle with pancreatic cancer, was involved in several major transportation legal cases during her time on the nation’s highest court – most of them coming near the end of her formidable 27-year Supreme Court tenure. [Above photo by the Yale […]
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ASCE: Nation’s Surface Transportation Faces $5T Investment Gap
editor@aashto.org September 25, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe American Society of Civil Engineers recently released a 12-page report that indicates the “cumulative investment gap” between what the United States currently spends on surface transportation infrastructure versus what it needs to spend to decrease traffic congestion and maintain its assets in a state of good repair is approximately $5 trillion in 2019 dollars. […]
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House Hearing Examines Reauthorization of USDOT’s DBE Program
editor@aashto.org September 25, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise or DBE program plays a critical role in “leveling the playing field” in the transportation industry for individuals, businesses, and communities of race, color, and gender, according to testimony provided during a House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing on September 23. [Above photo of […]
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The Federal Highway Administration plans to support seven transportation “innovations” via the sixth round of its Every Day Counts or EDC program. Created in 2010 in collaboration with state, local, and tribal transportation agencies, the EDC program promotes the “accelerated use” of tools, technologies, and methods nationwide to improve road and bridge projects: reducing their […]
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Study: State DOTs Could Gain Revenue from Solar Arrays
editor@aashto.org September 25, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Ray – a corporate venture devoted to roadway technology testing – and the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas-Austin recently released a study that indicates state departments of transportation could generate roughly $4 billion in “economic value” by establishing solar energy arrays in highway rights-of-way (ROW) locations. [Above photo by the Federal […]
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Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, re-introduced the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution or SELF DRIVE Act on September 23 in an effort to create what they call a “national framework” for the development and testing of autonomous vehicles or AVs. [Above photo by General Motors.] Rep. […]
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The Federal Railroad Administration issued $320.6 million in grants on September 23 to support 50 railroad projects in 29 states via its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements or CRISI program. [Above photo by the FRA.] The agency noted that nine of those 50 projects funded with this fiscal year 2020 grant money specifically address […]
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FTA Issues Final Rule For Transit Investment Oversight
editor@aashto.org September 25, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration issued a final rule on September 23 amending regulations governing project management oversight (PMO) of transit capital investments. [Above photo by the MBTA.] The FTA added that this final rule streamlines PMO regulations by reducing the number of projects subject to FTA project management oversight as well as modifying them to […]
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The Federal Aviation Administration issued $335 million in safety and infrastructure grants to fund 61 airport projects in 25 states to support a variety of initiatives, including the purchase of aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment; construction and repair of runways and taxiways; installing aircraft lighting and signage; conducting airport master plan studies; and installing airport perimeter […]
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