Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Brandye Hendrickson announced on Oct. 12 that Tom Everett will be FHWA’s next executive director, with his tenure starting on Oct. 22. The agency said in a statement emailed to the AASHTO Journal that Everett will “oversee the day-to-day operations and management of FHWA and work directly with leadership in establishing […]
READ MOREState DOTs Mobilize as Hurricane Michael Hits Southeastern U.S.
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Florida panhandle took the brunt of Hurricane Michael’s 155-mph winds and storm surge as it came ashore on Oct. 9; a hurricane that, as it travelled inland and dissipated, brought high winds, heavy rain, and renewed flooding to North and South Carolina as well as Georgia; states still recovering from Hurricane Florence, which struck […]
READ MOREProposed Bill would Cancel Electric Vehicle Subsidy, Tack on User Fees
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSLegislation proposed Oct. 9 by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, aims to terminate and repeal the up to $7,500 electric vehicle federal tax credit, impose a “federal highway user fee” on the owners of alternative fuel vehicles and require that those fees be collected […]
READ MORESenate Passes Water Bill 99-1; Sends to President for Signature
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSOver a month after being passed by the House of Representatives, the reconciled America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 passed the U.S. Senate with a vote of 99-1 on Oct. 10, “President Trump called on Congress to take action on the country’s water infrastructure and we have done that today,” noted Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., […]
READ MORENHTSA Seeking Input for National Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Program
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on Oct. 10 in the Federal Register to help the agency design a national pilot program that will enable NHTSA to “facilitate, monitor and learn” from the testing and development of what it calls automated driving systems or ADS and to “assure […]
READ MOREFAA Bill Provides Critical Legal Oversight of Drone Operations, DHS Says
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSIn a hearing on Capitol Hill held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Oct. 10, Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, hailed new unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV legal provisions within the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which was signed into law by President Trump on […]
READ MOREFHWA Prepares to Pursue MUTCD Update for Autonomous Vehicles
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Highway Administration noted on Oct. 5 that it is preparing to pursue an update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highway or MUTCD to accommodate the needs of automated vehicles, while affording states and local communities “more opportunities” to be innovative with traffic control system designs. [Above photo […]
READ MOREUniversity of Minnesota Gets NSF Grant to Study Autonomous Vehicles
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe University of Minnesota received a three-year $1.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation on Oct. 5 to study the potential impact of fully autonomous vehicles on community “health, equity, livability, and prosperity” or HELP, with the Minnesota Department of Transportation tagged to be one of its “partners” in its research effort. “The research […]
READ MOREState Farm Survey: Deer-Vehicle Collisions Dropping, But Costs Rising
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe 16th annual State Farm deer-vehicle collision study, released on Oct. 1, indicates that U.S. motorists are less likely to be involved in a collision with a deer, elk, moose, or caribou in 2018 compared to previous years – and this despite the fact that there are nearly four million more licensed U.S. drivers in 2018 […]
READ MOREOregon Transportation Commission Adopts State Transit Plan
editor@aashto.org October 12, 2018 0 COMMENTSThe Oregon Transportation Commission officially adopted on Oct. 2 the new Oregon Public Transportation Plan or OPTP that’s been in the works for two years – a plan designed to guide investments locally, regionally, and statewide in services such as fixed-route bus lines, door-to-door buses, streetcars, and light rail, plus intra-community transportation. Lucia Ramirez, principal […]
READ MORE