FRA Rescinds Funding for California High Speed Rail Project
In a Feb. 19 letter , the Federal Railroad Administration informed the California High Speed Rail Authority that it intends to cancel $929 million in federal grants yet to be paid for building a high-speed rail link between Los Angeles region and the San Francisco bay area. [Above photo by...
Cell Tower Inspection and Maintenance: UAV Reality Capture and Digital Twin Pilot Project Suggest Major Efficiency Gains
Telstra’s complex cell-tower arrays typically are mounted at the top of 25-meter, non-climbable steel monopoles. Determining the precise number of cell towers in the world is a difficult task, complicated by the lack of coordinated international reporting and the difficulty of distinguishing between base stations (which may or may not be sited on a tower-like structure) and actual towers (which may host several base stations). But reasonable estimates for the global number of cell towers...
Civil Engineer Group Gives Northeast Ohio's Infrastructure a "D+" on Annual Report Card
CLEVELAND — Northeast Ohio received a D+ grade for its overall infrastructure in an annual report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers, which was released Wednesday. The report card gave the following grades for different parts of the infrastructure in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties: C- for bridges, D+ for dams, C- for drinking water, D for energy, D+ for roads, D for schools and D+ for wastewater. A C ranking is defined as “mediocre, needs attention,” and a D...
Transportation Funding to Flow Following Bicameral Legislative Agreement
As part of bicameral legislative deal to prevent a second partial federal government shutdown while providing monies to build a wall along parts of the southern U.S. border, a total of $26.5 billion in discretionary funds and $60 billion from Highway and Airport and Airway Trust Funds will b...
ARTBA Foundation Announces Key 2019 Scholarship, Awards & Recognition Program Deadlines
WASHINGTON - The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) has announced key deadlines for its 2019 scholarship, awards and recognition programs. They include: The Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program Established in 1999, this first-of-its-kind scholarship fund provides post-high school financial assistance to the children of highway workers killed or permanently disabled on the job. More than 160 scholarships...
House T&I Committee Hearing Focuses on Infrastructure Needs
A variety of surface transportation funding mechanisms were debated during an all-day informational hearing held by the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 7, with a focus on the need to increase the federal fuel tax. “For years we have held hearings documenting the deterioration of our infrastructure – now we’ve run up a $2 trillion funding gap,” explained Chairman Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., (seen above) during his opening remarks. Photo via the U.S...
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Hears Pitch to Raise Gas Tax
By John Schneidawind, vice president of public affairs, ARTBA If the experience of newly elected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) is any indication, campaigning on raising the gas tax isn’t political suicide. It’s a path to victory. Speaking Feb. 7 before a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) under its new chairman, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Walz detailed how he won last November with a proactive stance on raising the state gas tax. He appeared at the hear...
Panel Discussion: How Can We Improve U.S. Transportation Infrastructure?
Introduction The title question for this feature has been discussed and debated countless times by countless people and organizations in many formats. But a letter Informed Infrastructure received and published in its July/August 2018 issue sparked our own questions about how we can better discuss and analyze this problem as well as come up with some real, actionable solutions. The letter was from Mike Lawrence, the CEO of Tensar Corp., which produces geosynthetic technologies for infrastructu...
Ranking Member Graves: Future of Our Infrastructure Depends on Transformative Approach
Washington, D.C. - Opening remarks, as prepared, of Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) from today’s hearing entitled, “The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why Investing in Our Nation’s Infrastructure Cannot Wait”: Thank you, Chairman DeFazio. I want to reiterate that I’m looking forward to working with you and all the Members of the Committee to provide America with the modern infrastructure it needs for our growing economy. In recent years, our two sid...
T&I Hearing Highlights Importance of Addressing Current & Future Needs of America’s Infrastructure
Washington, D.C. - Today’s first hearing in the 116th Congress of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee highlighted the importance of finding solutions to America’s infrastructure needs; solutions that include the safe integration of innovative technologies and reducing the length of the project delivery process. “We all know that we have significant infrastructure needs, and we have to continue rebuilding and improving our infrastructure network – roads, bridges, ports, waterways,...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
