FCC Votes to Move Forward with 5.9 GHz Reallocation Proposal
editor@aashto.org December 13, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously at a December 12 hearing to move forward with an effort to open up the 5.9 GHz wireless safety spectrum to non-transportation use. FCC commissioners argued their decision was prompted by the “slow deployment” of dedicated short-range communications or DSRC technology, the emergence of new transportation and other communication […]
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‘Smart City’ Event Examines Data’s Role in Transportation
editor@aashto.org December 13, 2019 0 COMMENTSTechnology and the data it provides are key to “re-imagining” and re-shaping transportation infrastructure in the very near future, according to participants in the “Smart American City” roundtable event hosted by media company Axios in Washington D.C. on December 12. The roundtable featured conversations with: Jeff Marootian (above at left), director of the District Department […]
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USDOT to Provide TIFIA Loan for Interstate 64 Projects
editor@aashto.org December 13, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. Department of Transportation finalized an up to $502.9 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or TIFIA loan to the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission to help finance several “regional priority projects” all located along Interstate 64 in Virginia. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT.] That loan – issued through USDOT’s Build America […]
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Fitch Ratings Predicts Slowdown in Transportation Bonding
editor@aashto.org December 13, 2019 0 COMMENTSA new report issued by New York-based international credit rating agency Fitch Ratings predicts that transportation bonding activity in the United States will mirror a “leveling off” in the nation’s gross domestic product growth in 2020. Volume growth remains favorable for U.S. airports, ports, and toll roads and will remain largely tethered to the country’s […]
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A new report released by the Governors Highway Safety Association in partnership with Responsibility.org is calling for a “systemic and holistic approach” to “high-risk impaired drivers” that focuses on the individual and the need to treat the underlying problem prompting the unsafe behavior. [Above photo via Wikipedia.] According to the December 9 report, High-Risk Impaired Drivers: […]
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The National Transportation Safety Board issued a 100-page report on December 5 containing 22 recommendations for improving bicyclist safety, including changes to roadway and intersection design, the deployment of collision avoidance technology and blind spot detection systems, plus helmet use requirements for cyclists. [Above photo by the District Department of Transportation.] The report stems from a […]
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Governor Larry Hogan (R) appointed Gregory Slater to serve as secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation on December 9; succeeding Pete Rahn, who is returning to his home in New Mexico. Slater’s appointment, which will be subject to Senate confirmation, is effective January 10, 2020. [Above photo by Towson University.] “Greg Slater has committed […]
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is beginning to implement 34 safety recommendations that includes 61 corrective actions suggested by a 69-page report commissioned last June after a series of derailments and other safety incidents. [Above photo by Joshua Qualls/Massachusetts Governor’s Office.] The report – issued December 9 – is based on 100 interviews, six focus […]
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Florida DOT to Invest $60M in Rail Crossing Improvements
editor@aashto.org December 13, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Florida Department of Transportation launched a two-year, $60 million effort to deploy brighter and bigger pavement markings at more than 4,000 railroad-grade crossings across the state alongside the implementation of a public safety education program regarding such crossings. [Above photo by the Florida DOT.] Kevin Thibault, Florida DOT secretary, said in a December 5 […]
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Georgia DOT Signs Preservation Accord for Highway Construction
editor@aashto.org December 13, 2019 0 COMMENTSThe Georgia Department of Transportation signed an agreement on December 9 that aims to streamline the completion of certain approval processes for historic preservation efforts involving highway construction within the state. [Above photo by the Georgia DOT.] Touted as a “first-of-its-kind” Section 106 Programmatic Agreement by the Georgia DOT, the accord is the result of […]
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