President-elect Joe Biden nominated Pete Buttigieg (seen above) – former 2020 Democratic candidate for president and mayor of South Bend, Indiana – to serve as the 19th U.S. Secretary of Transportation. [Above photo by Gage Skidmore.] First elected South Bend’s mayor at age 29 – in which he served for eight years – Buttigieg plans […]
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The Transportation Research Board recently highlighted a bevy of resources available to state departments of transportation to support monarch butterfly habitat and migration support efforts. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT.] A new report from the TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program – Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies – provides […]
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Group Releases ‘Roadmap’ for Automated Vehicle Deployment
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Alliance for Automotive Innovation released what it described as a “comprehensive roadmap” on December 2 to guide the development of federal government policies to advance the testing and deployment of automated vehicles or AVs in the United States. [Above photo by the Ford Motor Co.] The 13-page AV Roadmap includes a four-year plan for […]
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FTA Issues $544M in CIG Grants to Seven Transit Projects
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Transit Administration is providing a total of $544.3 million to help fund seven transit infrastructure projects in seven states –Arizona, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Utah – via its Capital Investment Grants or CIG program. [Above graphic via the FTA.] The agency noted that two of the projects receiving a share […]
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ARTBA: Transportation Construction Market to Shrink in 2021
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. transportation construction market should shrink by 5.5 percent in 2021 primarily due to the severe economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an annual forecast released December 10 by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. [Above photo by the West Virginia DOT.] Overall, the value of work should drop from […]
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DOE to Invest $128M in Sustainable Transportation Research
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe U.S. Department of Energy plans to invest of up to $128 million in funding for research and development of sustainable transportation resources and technologies — money subject to the availability of appropriated funds, it stressed. [Above photo by the DOE.] That money – split between three separate funding opportunity announcements or FOAs– aims to […]
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FRA Issues Final Rules on Grade Crossing Plans, Rail Brake Inspections
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Federal Railroad Administration recently published two final rules – the first one regarding highway-rail grade crossing action plans, with the second one extending the amount of time freight rail equipment can be parked with air brake systems depressurized before a new brake inspection is required. [Above photo by the NTSB.] The FRA highway-rail grade […]
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FTA Provides COVID-19 Regulatory Relief, Issues TOD Planning Funds
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSIn response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Transit Administration is improving access to grant funding and providing relief from certain regulatory and administrative requirements for public transit agencies. [Above photo by the FTA.] The agency is also providing $6.2 million to nine projects in seven states via its Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development […]
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KYTC ‘Rounding Third’ in Brent Spence Bridge Repair Effort
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSRepairs on the Brent Spence Bridge – closed since November 11 due to damage by a truck crash and resulting vehicle fire – are now “rounding third base” according to a recent update from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. [Above photo by the KYTC.] “We’re now past the midpoint of this project to repair and reopen […]
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Minnesota Pedestrian Plan Dovetails with USDOT Effort
editor@aashto.org December 18, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Minnesota Department of Transportation unveiled its first Statewide Pedestrian System Plan, which provides policy and investment guidance to improve places where people walk across and along Minnesota highways. [Above photo by the Minnesota DOT.] The agency said the plan “identifies priority areas for investments” and lays out specific strategies to improve walking availability and […]
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