Federal Shutdown Impacting Project Planning for State DOTs
As the partial shutdown of the federal government over border wall funding stretches past 20 days, some state departments of transportation are beginning to curtail planning for new projects while several mass transit systems are scrambling as many rely on federal grants for both operating revenues and capital funding. In his first media briefing as the new executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Jim Tymon (pictured above) explained that s...
Gannett Fleming Leads the Way with ODOT TSMO Plan
(Columbus, Ohio) - Gannett Fleming recently completed the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) plan, setting a new standard for the industry.“What makes this ODOT TSMO plan so important is that it is a foundational change in the way ODOT conducts business,” said Bryan Newell, AICP, Gannett Fleming project manager. “The comprehensive level of detail and internal ODOT collaboration that went into this plan is unlike any other and allowed...
State Transportation Officials Announce Projects for Next Decade
RALEIGH – The state has included more than 1,600 transportation projects in the draft 2020-2029 transportation plan, which was released at Thursday’s regular Board of Transportation meeting. The State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is the N.C. Department of Transportation’s proposed funding and construction schedule for projects to be completed during the next 10 years. The plan is updated every two years. Projects scheduled in the first five years of a plan are considered commi...
Critical Issues in Transportation 2019
TRB has released Critical Issues in Transportation 2019. In this report, which is updated periodically by the TRB Executive Committee, a series of challenging questions are posed to explore issues and opportunities that may arise 10 to 20 years into the future. These questions, 63 in all, have been organized into 12 topic areas and provide a way to frame future areas of research, policy analysis, and debate. Critical issues identified in this report deserve attention because of transportation’s...
AGC Contractor Survey Predicts Growth for Transportation and Utility Construction
A survey of 1,300 contractors in 49 states and the District of Columbia found that most are “confident” construction demand will increase in 2019 across most industrial sectors, especially for highway, water and sewer, and transportation facility projects. [Above photo by Utah DOT.] However, that survey – conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage Construction and Real Estate following the midterm elections last November – also found that while 79 percent of those...
3D-Printed Vehicles and the Evolution of Transportation
Technology is moving the evolution of transportation at a faster and faster pace and Jay Rodgers, CEO and Co-founder of LM Industries is at the forefront. According to the company’s website LM Industries debuted the world’s first 3D-printed car. Today LM is manufacturing Olli—a low speed, autonomous, electric, cognitive shuttle. In this AASHTO Transportation TV video, Rodgers delivers a T-Talk titled: Mobility Revolution at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Atlanta in Sept. 2018.
RIDOT Taps ‘Bridge-in-a-Backpack’ System for Replacement Project
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said it wrapped up its $3.6 million Railroad Avenue Bridge replacement project seven-months ahead of schedule due to the use of a “Bridge-In-A-Backpack” system developed at the University of Maine and commercially offered by Advanced Infrastructure Technologies. [Above photo by the University of Maine.] The agency said the system uses corrosion-resistant fiber reinforced polymer or FRP tubes in place of conventional steel rebar embedded in a co...
State Recommends Funding for Completion of Humboldt Bay Trail
The project to complete the 4-mile gap in the Humboldt Bay Trail between Eureka and Arcata is on the list of projects recommended for funding through the state’s 2019 Active Transportation Program. The Active Transportation Program is a competitive grant program that funds bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout California. The list of recommended projects was released by California Transportation Commission staff on Dec. 28 and is expected to be formally approved by the Commission at...
Transportation Insights: West Coast Electric Highway users share their stories
Just how far can you get in an electric vehicle? Drivers in Oregon have traveled more than 3 million all-electric miles thanks to ODOT’s West Coast Electric Highway network of chargers. Many of these trips wouldn’t be possible without this network. The network of 44 stations remains the only high-speed charging option in many parts of Oregon, including most of the Oregon Coast, and on important routes connecting the Willamette Valley to central Oregon. Alice W. of Eugene (pictured above...
Hawaii DOT Continues Making Repairs to Volcano-Ravaged Highway
The Hawaii Department of Transportation is continuing to make what it calls “emergency repairs” to Mamalahoa Highway or Route 11 due to earthquakes effects caused by Kilauea Volcano eruptions that began on May 3 and did not taper off until the end of August. [Above photo by Maryland Air National Guard Master Sgt. Christopher Schepers.] The agency said between April 30 and August 4 this year, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded approximately 60,000 earthquakes...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
TriMet’s Banfield Type 1 Substation Replacement Project
February Issue 2026
