U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (above) appeared before the House of Representative Committee on Appropriations April 20 to defend the proposed fiscal year 2024 budget for his agency and its modal divisions. [Above image via House video feed] The $6.9 trillion fiscal year 2024 budget proposal unveiled March 9 by President Biden provides a total of $114.9 billion in budget authority and obligation limitations to USDOT. President Biden. Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz. The main highlight of the President’s FY 2024 budget request, according to analy ..read more

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently provided details on the keynote speaker for its 2023 Spring Meeting – to be held May 15-18 at the Hyatt Regency Seattle – as well as the conference’s various knowledge sessions. [Above image by AASHTO] A draft of the AASHTO 2023 Spring Meeting agenda that outlines the complete schedule of events is available by clicking here. Joe Minicozzi. Photo via Urban3. Joe Minicozzi, principal of Urban3, will be the keynote speaker for the AASHTO 2023 Spring Meeting. He will outline how state departments of transportation can ..read more

Could “happiness” become a Key Performance Indicator or KPI tracked by state departments of transportation very soon? [Above photo by the Minnesota DOT] Dr. Yingling Fan, professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, believes it is inevitable that state DOTs across the country will eventually benchmark “happiness of the people” for whom they build infrastructure as a KPI, right up there with on-time, on-budget, and safety metrics. Photo by Minnesota DOT “Traditionally in transportation, it’s always been about getting you from Point ..read more

The Federal Transit Administration is proposing updates to the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans or PTASP rule that would “codify communication” between frontline transit workers and management; an important measure to address worker assaults. [Above photo via the FTA] The agency – which has been working on ways to beef up transit worker protections since 2021 – noted some of the requirements within its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or NPRM will only apply to transit agencies serving areas with a population of 200,000 or more. Those are areas that largely coincide with the bi ..read more

The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Arizona Department of Transportation recently allocated millions in funding to report roads damaged by harsh weather during the 2022-2023 winter season. [Above photo by the Colorado DOT] The Colorado DOT received an additional $45 million from the state’s transportation commission of Colorado to fund snow and ice removal for the remainder of the winter season, as well as address damage caused to state roads over the last few months beyond what they normally sustain each year. Photo by the Colorado DOT Some $19.6 million of that $45 million will ..read more

The California State Transportation Agency or CalSTA recently issued $690 million in grants to 28 new public transportation projects in “disadvantaged communities” statewide to expand transit and passenger rail service throughout the state. [Above photo by Caltrans] That grant funding is part of a larger, multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment to upgrade the state’s transit system to support equity, enhance mobility options, improve service and reduce overdependence on driving. Those grants, issued by CalSTA via its Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, follow $2.54 billion in state f ..read more

State residents living in multifamily homes as well as motorists near public parking areas may soon have better access to electric vehicle or EV charging stations, thanks to the new Community Charging Rebates Program being rolled out by the Oregon Department of Transportation. [Above photo by the Oregon DOT] The agency said this rebate – which will range from $4,250 to $5,500 per charging port or up to 75 percent of eligible project costs, whichever is less – should help lower the cost of buying, installing, and maintaining Level 2 and Level 1 EV charging stations at multifamily ..read more

Starting May 19, the Washington Department of Transportation said travelers will no longer be able to access automated statewide travel information by calling the 511 phone number, largely as demand for that specific service has decreased dramatically. [Above photo by WSDOT] For the past two decades, the agency noted in a blog post that the 511 phone number offered a way to receive traffic impacts, crash alerts, current and future weather forecasts, mountain pass conditions and ferry information – including schedules, fares, and wait times – as well as reversible-express lane status. Image by ..read more

The New Jersey Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for $165 million worth of fiscal year 2024 grant funding to support local transportation projects – funds made available through its four major “State Aid” programs. [Above photo by the New Jersey DOT] The agency said grant applications for that funding – awarded through its Municipal Aid, Transit Village, Bikeway, and Safe Streets to Transit programs – are due by July 1, with award notifications issued in November. Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. Photo by New Jersey DOT. “[We are] committed to improving local roads and bridg ..read more

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently issued a brand new publication: “LRFD Steel Bridge Fabrication Specifications, 1st Edition.” [Above image by AASHTO] This new Load Resistance Factor Design or LRFD guide highlights the specifications governing the fabrication of vehicular steel bridges to include the furnishing and fabrication of steel structures, as well as the structural steel portions of other structures. Image by AASHTO These new standards seek to achieve quality and value from a common specification that standardizes vehicular steel bridge fab ..read more