The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bipartisan bill that effectively reforms and reauthorizes the STB. The Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015, is designed to improve how the STB manages the freight rail industry within the United States. In 1996, the STB was originally created to solve service and rate disputes concerning the railroad. Read More »

The AAR published U.S. rail traffic data Wednesday from the week that ended with Dec. 5. The cumulative weekly rail traffic for this week amounted to 542,050 intermodal units and carloads. This is a decrease of 6.6 percent when compared to the same time in 2014. Cumulative carloads amount to 271,1774 carloads for this week, showing a decrease of 12.9 percent. Read More »

MDOT officials opened the Main Street M-139 bridge Wednesday located in Niles, Mich. The new bridge crosses the St. Joseph River. This bridge is meant to help the community maintain its historic aesthetics. Crews and officials gathered input from the local community to guarantee that the new bridge would serve residents and visitors while maintaining historical value. Read More »

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics published its latest Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) Wednesday to show freight rates for October 2015. The Freight TSI is calculated by how much U.S. freight transports within the for-hire transportation industry. Comparing September to October, there was a 0.4 percent increase in the quantity of freight transportation. Read More »

In honor of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation introduced a new safety resource for transportation Thursday. The resource, entitled the "Clearinghouse for Older Road User Safety" (ChORUS), is designed to address safety concerns specifically for elderly drivers. Read More »

The FMCSA accepted a Final Rule Thursday, requiring all commercial truck and bus industries to use electronic logging devices (ELDs). The purpose of the rule is to improve the safety of U.S. roadways. Using the new technology will help drivers comply with the specific hours-of-service regulations, preventing drivers from growing fatigued and compromising safety. Read More »

Officials from the FMCSA proposed a rule to make all passengers of large commercial trucks buckle their safety belts. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would effectively eliminate the safety gap for passengers who are traveling in commercial motor vehicles that carry property. Commercial drivers have had to buckle their safety belts due to 49 CFR 392.16, which is a federal rule. Read More »

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its updated 5-Star Safety Ratings Tuesday called the "New Car Assessment Program" (NCAP).NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings help customers purchase vehicles based on safety. The ratings consider how vehicles perform during crash tests. NHTSA offers extra credit to vehicles with better or advanced safety features. Read More »

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) published airline cost and consumption of fuel data Tuesday for the month of October. For the airline industry’s scheduled services, the cost of fuel per gallon was $2.68 in October 2014. In September 2015, this cost fell to $1.58. During October 2015, the airlines’ scheduled services spent $1.65 for each gallon of fuel. Read More »

The Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) recently partnered with Smart Growth America to host an informational webinar Thursday at 1 p.m.  Read More »

Lake County’s Interstate 65 will be widened due to heavy traffic. The interstate will be expanded to include three lanes in both directions between Merrillville south to State Road 2. This announcement is just the first step in the governor’s highway program titled "Major Moves 2020." This program is designed to fast track the rehabilitation and widening of highways. Read More »

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) released a statement Tuesday on a GAO report. The GAO report offers an analysis of how past budget uncertainty has impacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The report is available online. The analysis evaluates how the uncertainty concerning Congress’s authorization, appropriations and budget process has affected the FAA’S role. Read More »

Two projects and upgrades were recently completed on East 55th Street in Manhattan and in Sunnyside, Queens. A subterranean ventilation facility is now located underneath East 55th Street. This new construction has slip-resistant surfaces that will help keep people safe. There are also openings measuring a half-inch wide among the cross-bars that will benefit high-heel wearers. Read More »

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), awarded $19.1 million in funds Monday to the Jacksonville Bus Rapid Transit Southeast Corridor Project in Florida. The new corridor will be 11.1 miles long. It is the third portion of the new First Coast Flyer BRT system, which has been carried out in five phases. Read More »

USDOT recently partnered with Vulcan to launch a Smart City Challenge. The goal of the Smart City Challenge is to develop a fully integrated, unique city that will apply technology, data and creativity to transportation and infrastructure. This will change mobility for the better in the future. Officials will choose the winning city to apply the ideas to its transportation system. Read More »

NHTSA unveiled a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) Monday about underride protection for drivers of trailers and semitrailers. The proposed rulemaking would modify the current federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMCSSs), particularly for the underride protection that is needed for light-vehicle crashes that collide with the rear of trailers and semitrailers. Read More »

WSDOT will hold an open house discussion Dec. 20, regarding the roundabout project that is planned for No See-Um Road and State Route 150. The event  will start at 4 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. at the Manson Parks and Recreation building (142 Pedoi Street, Manson). The open house gives the public the chance to learn about plans, construction schedule and traffic control. Read More »

The Washington State Department of Transportation recently gained $35.3 million from federal airport aid to improve local airports. In 2015, WSDOT received more backing for public-use airports. In order to gain the $35.3 million, WSDOT officials needed to leverage $1.3 million in funds from the state. In addition, WSDOT gained $637,000 in aircraft excise tax fees. Read More »

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) published its plan Friday to more efficiently track the life cycle of research projects.  Read More »

The Federal Highway Administration released analysis Wednesday of data that shows there is a rise in elderly drivers within the United States. The statistics show that one of the fastest growing groups of drivers are people who are 50 years old and above. As of 2014, there is currently a record-breaking amount of 214.3 million people who are licensed to drive inside the United States. Read More »