A recent survey from the AASHTO showed that 70 percent of the nation’s state departments of transportation (DOTs) have been monitoring El Nino for possible winter weather effects in their respective areas. El Nino is an ocean and atmospheric phenomenon that is difficult to track. Because of its unpredictable nature, many DOTs have made preparations for winter weather just in case. Read More »

The ARTBA safety training program has been in high demand this past year. ARTBA’s reputation for professional safety and health training for the transportation and construction industries has been growing over the last 20 years. However, in 2015, the various programs have experienced even higher demand, with more than 3,000 new participants involved in the training program. Read More »

A new round of testing began Tuesday for the Washington State Route 99 tunneling machine "Bertha" near Pier 48 as it installed a tunnel ring at the bottom of a 120-foot-deep access pit. STP plans to dig a little farther in the access pit tunnel before stopping for the holidays. Digging resumes after Jan. 1 and continues toward a planned maintenance stop 450 feet farther north. Read More »

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Transportation Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Advisory Committee hosted the 2015 Virginia DBE Transportation Training Symposium on Dec. 9-10 to offer firms a chance to increase their awareness of transportation trends and contracting opportunities. An estimated 250 guests attended the two-day event. Read More »

Alaska Commissioner Marc Luiken is urging motorists to drive with caution due to recent moose-related car accidents. As snow accumulates, moose move into lowland areas usually around highway areas, where they can travel and find food. ADOT and PF are asking motorists to be on the lookout for moose, especially during periods of darkness or during times of poor visibility. Read More »

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence celebrated the opening of the new U.S. 31 Hamilton County freeway Monday with Congresswoman Susan Brooks and INDOT Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson. INDOT started the freeway project in 2011 near State Road 38. The $350 million project includes an upgraded 13 miles of highway, 49 new bridges and 12 new interchanges through Westfield and Carmel. Read More »

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched its online registration system Monday for drones and other small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Read More »

Caltrans labeled last month's efforts to protect wildlife a success during the implosion of San Francisco Bay Bridge Pier E3. A series of small charges, referred to as a "bubble curtain," rather than large explosives was used to implode the bridge. The bubble curtain system allowed the pier to collapse into voids within its foundation, minimizing environmental impact. Read More »

Commercial airlines reported an improvement in the number of on-time flights in October based on statistics for both the previous month and the previous year. On-time arrivals made up 87 percent of flights reported in October, up from 86.5 percent in September 2015. In October 2014, 80 percent of reported flights arrived on time, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report. Read More »

New analysis of employment numbers from the Department of Labor done by the Associated General Contractors of America showed job growth in the construction industry in 38 states in November. Of the 38 states, Florida added the most construction jobs in the last month with 10,600 new jobs. Other states with significant gains in new construction jobs were New York and Texas. Read More »

In March 2016, improvements to the transit system in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood will begin, making travel to, from and within the neighborhood easier. Some of the changes being implemented by the Seattle DOT and King County Metro improve conditions as the transit stops, such as displays of accurate transit arrival times, new shelters and wider sidewalks. Read More »

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Federal Highway Administration recently identified the construction plan for improvements to Sterling Highway. The Sterling Highway MP 45-60 Project will use the plan outline known as the G South Alternative. This plan calls for the construction of 5.5 miles of new alignment just north of Cooper Landing. Read More »

The United States and Mexico signed a new transportation agreement focusing on the aviation business between the two countries. The new agreement expands air routes between the United States and Mexico by removing government interference in commercial airline decisions. The previous agreement put limits on the number of U.S. airlines that could provide flights between a city pair. Read More »

After thorough review of an environmental impact study, the ADOT and Public Facilities is recommending the Gravina Access Project G4v as its preferred alternative to the Federal Highway Administration. The Gravina Access Project is designed to improve water transportation from Revillagigedo Island to Gravina Island, the location of the Ketchikan International Airport. Read More »

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials established a schedule Tuesday for updating roadside safety hardware devices throughout the National Highway System to meet new safety standards. AASHTO is set to update new safety standards in MASH in 2016. MASH provides details for crash testing both permanent and temporary highway safety features. Read More »

The PHMSA will publish a notice to withdraw a proposed amendment to the Hazardous Materials Regulations. Congress mandated the decision to withdraw PHMSA's proposed amendment due to the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act. The updates to the Hazardous Materials Regulations adopt nine special permits focused on the safe transportation of bulk explosives. Read More »

The PHMSA is set to withdraw a proposed rule related to the transportation of flammable liquid. The new rule would have impacted the transportation of flammable liquid material in unprotected external product piping on Department of Transportation specification cargo tank motor vehicles. The withdrawal comes after Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. Read More »

The NHTSA imposed a $40 million civil penalty on BMW, after multiple violations involving the 2014 and 2015 Mini Cooper models. BMW's violations resulted due to a failure to issue a timely recall for vehicles that did not meet crash protection standards, not informing owners of the recall in a timely manner and a failure to give accurate information to the NHTSA in a timely manner. Read More »

MDOT will test GPS trackers on a set of snowplows during this winter season. The Southwest region maintenance crew, which consists of about 80 plow trucks, will be equipped with GPS technology that will enable people to view where the trucks are on the Mi Drive website. The Southwest region includes the plow trucks in Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties. Read More »

The FAA recently established a new registration requirement for any unmanned aircraft weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds. The new registration must be completed online. The new law requires those who purchased an unmanned aircraft before Dec. 21 to register the aircraft by Feb. 19, 2016. Those who purchased one after Dec. 21 must register before their first flight outdoors. Read More »