Updated: State DOTs Net $10B in Aid from COVID-19 Relief Legislation
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSState departments of transportation are getting $10 billion in long-awaited emergency aid from a $900 billion COVID-19 relief measure passed by Congress late on December 21 as part of a final year-end legislative package. The House of Representatives passed the legislative package that included the COVID-19 rescue bill by a vote of 359 to 53, […]
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Disabled Workers Donate 60,000 Facemasks to Transit Providers
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSTo fight the spread of COVID-19 infections as millions of Americans travel this holiday season, the nonprofit firm AIP Foundation – which employs disabled workers – manufactured and donated 60,000 disposable facemasks to urban clinics in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and to rural transit providers in Oregon and New Mexico. [Above photo via the […]
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NHTSA: Traffic Deaths, Fatality Rate Both Declined in 2019
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSAccording to the 2019 traffic fatality data report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on December 18, traffic deaths decreased by 2 percent in 2019 compared to 2018, even though vehicle miles traveled or VMT increased by 0.8 percent. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT] As a result, the fatality rate for 2019 dipped […]
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The U.S. Department of Transportation recently launched a new $5 million demonstration program via a notice of funding opportunity that aims to establish several Regional Infrastructure Accelerators across the country. [Above photo via the USDOT] Those “accelerators,” to be managed by the USDOT’s Build America Bureau, are entities designed to help deliver transportation infrastructure projects […]
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Rural Transit: A Critical Lifeline during the COVID-19 Pandemic
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSFor many of the tens of thousands of people living in sparsely populated communities across the country, rural transit is the only travel option available – and the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic strained that lifeline like never before. [Above photo via the Michigan DOT.] Andrea “Andy” Brush knows that better than anyone does. A […]
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The states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, along with the District of Columbia, signed a memorandum of understanding or MOU on December 21 committing themselves to a “multi-jurisdictional program” to pursue systematic and substantial reductions in motor vehicle greenhouse gas or GHG emissions while “re-investing” $300 million annually in cleaner transportation infrastructure. [Above graphic via the […]
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Utah Governor-Elect Spencer Cox (R) reappointed Carlos Braceras (seen above) as executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation, which employs 1,700 and is responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of Utah’s 6,000-mile system of roads and highways. “Transportation is such a critical element in establishing and enhancing our quality of life,” Governor-Elect Cox […]
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Missouri Replaces, Rehabilitates 100 Bridges in a Year
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Missouri Department of Transportation said that it replaced or rehabilitated 100 bridges in one year via a “Focus on Bridges” program developed by Governor Mike Parson (R) (seen above). [Above photo by MoDOT.] “This was a major priority for our administration and we are proud of MoDOT for continuing to move these critical projects […]
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Illinois DOT Contest Sparks Transportation Innovations
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSAn idea to help conserve deicing materials and a tool that assists engineers and designers in improving safety are the winners of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s third annual Innovative Ideas Contest. That contest is a statewide initiative that brings the agency’s employees together to share creative solutions to common problems, with the winning ideas […]
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Virginia DOT Launches Second Major Anti-Litter Initiative
editor@aashto.org December 23, 2020 0 COMMENTSThe Virginia Department of Transportation recently began its second major anti-littering effort on December 7: the Beautify Virginia program, which is part of a broader effort by the agency to keep Virginia’s roadways litter free. [Above photo by the Virginia DOT.] Through the new Beautify Virginia program – which is part of the agency’s broader Environmental Stewardship Initiative – […]
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