TransCore of Nashville, Tennessee will develop the initial design for a Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program that was awarded up to $20 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation last month. Up to 10,000 cars, busses, and limousines will eventually be retrofitted with this technology that may significantly reduce traffic congestion and lessen greenhouse gas emissions. Read More »

Rep. Bill Shuster (R–PA), the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently released a statement about the bipartisan Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2015. In it, Shuster expressed confidence the House and Senate could reach a workable solution on the bill to fund as well as extend the authorization of federal highway and transit programs. Read More »

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) recently announced that it will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday for the new U.S. Highway 52 project in Rushville, Indiana. Completed on the west side of Rushville, the $4-million project involved installing water mains and storm sewers, removing the current roadbed, construction of the full-depth asphalt pavement on top of treated subgrade, and adding sidewalks that have ramps that comply with the ADA. Read More »

Officials from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced a new webinar with Build America Transportation Investment Center (BATIC) Institute that will emphasize Pennsylvania’s bridge replacements. Anthony Foxx, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, recently launched BATIC. The webinar is scheduled for November 4. Read More »

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), recently announced that it has updated its National Transportation Statistics (NTS). Updated every quarter, the NTS is an online reference guide that posts reports involving data from national-level transportation in the U.S. The database includes a variety of information about the U.S. transportation and infrastructure system, including data for safety. Read More »

The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved bipartisan legislation to fund as well as extend the authorization of federal transit and highway programs and also extend the deadline for implementing Positive Train Control technology. The programs and their funding now will reach until November 20. Approving the act guarantees that the nation can fund transportation projects as Congress progresses with its multi-year bill for infrastructure. Read More »

The Michigan Department of Transportation said various design and schedule changes have been made in the 2016 plans for the M-66/M-55 widening project near Lake City. The plan is to widen and reconstruct M-66/M-55 to three lanes in Lake City, from Jennings Road to 1st Street. The project is now scheduled to start in late spring 2016 and most of the work will continue after July 4. Read More »

The Arizona Department of Transportation recently announced that crews will start work on the eastern frontage road portion of Interstate 19 at Canoa Ranch Road. The project will widen an approximately half-mile long portion of the road between mileposts 35 to 36. Drivers using the frontage road in the Green Valley region should allow extra time in their commutes for short delays. Read More »

U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) said Monday she applauds the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for investing in South Dakota rail through a partnership between the Rapid City Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E) and the state of South Dakota. RCP&E has gained a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant worth $6 million from USDOT to increase capacity. Read More »

The U.S. Department of Transportation released an interim final rule that doesn’t allow battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices, such as e-cigarettes, e-pipes and electronic nicotine delivery systems, or personal vaporizers in a passenger's checked baggage. The rule also prohibits passengers from charging their devices or batteries while they are on board the plane. Read More »

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee is holding a hearing Tuesday about how to best prevent and respond to dirty bombs that may arrive in U.S. ports. The hearing will focus on ocean transportation, which is used by the U.S. to import and export approximately 95 percent of cargo tonnage. Read More »

The Indiana Department of Transportation said Friday that lanes of I-65 south of Indianapolis are now open to motorists as the first step of Indiana’s Major Moves 2020 contract is finished. Contractors have finished new ramp lanes on I-65 at exits for County Line Road, Southport Road and Main Street. The project also updated overpasses and repaired four miles of I-65. Read More »

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded a contract to develop an app to improve the safety of pedestrians at street crossings. Savari, Inc. was awarded a contract to create a traffic signal interface app, called SmartCross, to alert smartphone users when it is unsafe or safe to cross streets. The app can also inform drivers when pedestrians are crossing the road. Read More »

The Arizona Department of Transportation said Interstate 8 in Pinal County will be limited to a single lane in each direction between mileposts 175 and 176 in Casa Grande as part of a resurfacing and improvement project that began Monday. The lane closures are part of a $7.3 million bridge and pavement project on I-8  from Bianco Road to I-10. Read More »

The Michigan Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on Nov. 10 regarding a pavement replacement and bridge repair project on 13-mile section of I-275 in Oakland and Wayne counties. MDOT staff, interested stakeholders and project consultants will be at the meeting to be held at 4 p.m. Nov. 10 at Davenport University, 19499 Victor Parkway, Livonia. Read More »

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced it will host an open house Tuesday to discuss a bridge replacement project on I-94 over Pipestone Road in Benton Township in Berrien County. Officials have been conducting a study about replacing the bridges on I-94 that pass over Pipestone Road. MDOT will explain information from the study to the public and gather comments. Read More »

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) said track and infrastructure work on the Central Subway will affect traffic and transit on 4th and King streets and nearby areas during November. The construction project will include track work as well as upgrades to infrastructure. The project is expected to begin at 10 p.m. Nov. 6 and end the evening of Nov. 14. Read More »

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx considers the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system to be one of the nation’s most valuable resources, but it needs further investments before it can reach its full potential in benefiting the economy. He called the waterway system "a vital, environmentally sustainable artery for trade into and out of the United States and Canada." Read More »

Every Day Counts, an initiative of the Federal Highway Administration's Center for Accelerating Innovation, said that the first geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system (GRS-IBS) project in Indiana was recently completed. GRS-IBS construction involves basic earthwork methods and uses commonly available materials, which means projects can be completed faster and at lower cost. Read More »

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which is responsible for all ground transportation within San Francisco, said Tuesday it wants to improve its regulation of private commuter shuttles.The SFMTA suggests that it continue its current regulatory role past January 31, 2016, which is when its Commuter Shuttle Pilot Program ends. Read More »