Senate Passes FAA Bill; Heads for White House Signing Ceremony
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSBy a vote of 93 to 6, the U.S. Senate passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 on Oct. 3, which President Trump expected to sign during a White House ceremony on Oct. 5. The legislation provides a five-year authorization of federal aviation programs that includes reauthorizations and reforms of the Transportation Security Administration and the […]
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USDOT Releases Third Guidance Update for Automated Vehicles
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe USDOT issued the third version of federal regulatory guidance for autonomous vehicles of Oct. 4 to “support the safe integration of automation into the broad multimodal surface transportation system,” according to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. “The safe integration of automated vehicle technology into our transportation system will increase productivity, facilitate freight movement and create […]
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NHTSA: 2017 Highway Fatalities Decline Even as VMT Increases
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSData released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Oct. 3 indicates highway fatalities declined overall in 2017 after two consecutive years of large increases, with preliminary estimates for the first six months of 2018 indicating that the “downward trend” in fatalities is continuing – even as the number of vehicle miles travelled or VMT […]
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New USMCA Trade Deal Supplants NAFTA, Yet Metal Tariffs Remain
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA finalized by the three countries on Oct. 1, updates and replaces the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA with “modern provisions” to “serve the interests of American workers and businesses,” according to a statement by President Trump. [Above: Norfolk International Terminals, Port of Virginia. Photo: Tom […]
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FHWA Offers $300M in Grants for Federal Lands and Tribal Projects
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration published a 22-page Notice of Funding Opportunity in the Federal Register on Oct. 4 to make $300 million available through its Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects or NSFLTP program – with this funding being made available “for the first time” to build and repair roads and bridges that serve […]
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Hearing Indicates Delays for Positive Train Control Implementation
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSDuring an Oct. 3 hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Ronald Batory, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said that while railroads are “making progress” implementing positive train control or PTC technology, the agency expects that most railroads will need to request an alternative schedule to complete testing, obtain PTC […]
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USDOT Officially Awards INFRA Grants in Chicago, L.A. County
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe USDOT held two separate ceremonies on Oct. 1 to officially award Infrastructure for Rebuilding America or INFRA grants in Illinois and California: one for more than $132 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation and the other for $47 million to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Illinois DOT’s grant will go […]
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FTA Provides Bus Grant to Colorado, Salutes Six Rural Transit Agencies for ‘Good Service’
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration awarded a $2.2 million competitive grant to the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority in Colorado on Oct. 2 – one of the nation’s largest rural transit agencies – to buy new vehicles for its bus rapid transit or BRT service. The agency also recognized six rural transit systems that “exemplify good community […]
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Video Report: Building an Alaskan Road to Reduce the Cost of Living
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSMany communities in rural Alaska are only accessible by air or by barge, making the transport of both people and goods expensive – an issue well known to the 300 residents of Tanana, Alaska, located 130 miles west of Fairbanks. But a $13.7 million road project – the first major project of its kind to […]
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NSC Report Highlights Fatigue Risks Among Construction, Transportation Workers
editor@aashto.org October 5, 2018 0 COMMENTSA new 20-page report issued by the National Safety Council on Oct. 1 stated that 69 percent of workers it polled across the construction, manufacturing, transportation, and utility industries said they are “tired at work,” which the group said “increases the risk of injuries and incidents on the job.” The report, entitled Fatigue in Safety-Critical Industries: Impact, […]
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