| New Pawtucket River Bridge deck work begins |
| March 9, 2012 Rhode Island Department of Transportation |
| PAWTUCKET, R.I. — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced that it has started assembling the deck for the first span of the new Pawtucket River Bridge project. The deck for this bridge will be built entirely with precast components, which will allow RIDOT's contactor to complete the bridge more quickly than traditional concrete pouring methods. |
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| ITD prepares for first design-build project |
| March 9, 2012 Idaho Department of Transportation |
| BOISE, IDAHO — The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is using design-build project delivery for the first time in the state on an intersection-improvement pilot project. |
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| Commentary: Ohio’s $1.6 billion highway budget shortfall — where do we go from here? |
| March 8, 2012 Ohio Department of Transportation |
| By Jerry Wray, director, Ohio Department of Transportation
Ohio’s highways are essential to keeping and creating new jobs. Our state’s economy — especially our agriculture and manufacturing businesses, and the logistics operations that support them — depend on the ability to quickly and efficiently ship raw materials and finished goods throughout Ohio, the country and the world, and our state’s transportation system makes it possible. This critical economic engine risks running out of gas. Funding for our highways is drying up and is not projected to keep up with our needs. In fact, the state’s highway budget faces a $1.6 billion shortfall, which will force high-priority projects to face serious completion delays. |
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| FHWA encourages innovative approaches for states' use of federal funds |
| March 5, 2012 FHWA |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal Highway Administrator (FHWA) Victor Mendez announced the agency's acceptance of proposals by California and Vermont to explore innovative ways of using federal funds to cover certain indirect costs of managing highway projects. The announcement is in keeping with the FHWA's "Every Day Counts" initiative, designed to shorten the time for highway project delivery, enhance roadway safety, and protect the environment. |
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| TxDOT anticipates future funding opportunities, plans for priority projects |
| March 5, 2012 Texas DOT |
| AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said in February that it is planning on leveraging as much as an additional $2 billion during the next two years to facilitate construction on some of the states’ high priority projects. The additional funding comes from more efficient and effective ways of managing tax dollars and an anticipation of future federal funding. |
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| More than 30 firms answer call to enhance Virginia transportation operations centers |
| March 5, 2012 Virginia DOT |
| RICHMOND, VA. — Thirty-two firms submitted responses to the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) Request for Information regarding the operation and integration of the state's transportation operations centers. VDOT operates five centers across the commonwealth that monitor traffic conditions via cameras and other technology, providing traveler information on road conditions and coordinating congestion management and incident response. |
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| Louisiana governor proposes $325 million investment for rural roads |
| February 23, 2012 Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development |
| CHATHAM, LA. — Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced a legislative proposal to bond out half of the State Highway Improvement Fund, which will generate $325 million to repair nearly 1,000 miles of roads across Louisiana, in nearly every parish. |
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| ADOT marks centennial with publication of 'Arizona's Transportation History' |
| February 23, 2012 Arizona DOT |
| PHOENIX — As Arizona gets ready to mark its centennial, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) takes a look back on the state's history of transportation with a new report from the ADOT Research Center, titled “Arizona's Transportation History.” The publication divides the timeline of the state’s highway system into several distinct periods, from the 1400s to the present day. |
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| U.S. DOT launches research hub website |
| February 23, 2012 U.S. Department of Transportation |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) released a test version of the U.S. DOT Research Hub website, a searchable database of the latest agency-sponsored research, development, and technology projects. |
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| Texas streamlines transportation project approval process |
| February 23, 2012 Texas DOT |
| AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Texas Transportation Commission approved final rules that will streamline the environmental review process for transportation projects. In addition to increasing the efficiency of the environmental review process, the new rules implement statutory requirements passed by the 82nd Texas Legislature, requiring the department to complete the technical review of a draft environmental review document by specified deadlines, and authorizing a local government to be the project sponsor for a project. |
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| VDOT meets or exceeds all project completion and budget goals |
| February 23, 2012 Virginia DOT |
| RICHMOND, VA. — The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) met its goals for completing all construction and maintenance projects both on time and on budget during the period of October through December 2011 — the second quarter of its 2012 fiscal year — the first time the agency has met all of these goals since FY 2010. |
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| First train in 20 years operates over NCDOT’s Piedmont & Northern Railroad Corridor |
| February 22, 2012 North Carolina Department of Transportation |
| RALEIGH, N.C. — The first train in more than 20 years recently operated on the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Piedmont & Northern Railroad corridor (P&N) from Gastonia to Mount Holly. The train was operated by Patriot Rail, a freight short line and regional railroad company based in Boca Raton, Fla., under a lease that has been signed with that company. |
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| Seventh annual Texas Transportation Forum kicks off with record attendance |
| February 17, 2012 Texas DOT |
| SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Roughly 1,300 policymakers, business, finance, and transportation professionals gathered in the Alamo City this week to discuss ways to meet Texas’ transportation challenges at the 7th Annual Texas Transportation Forum. Hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Texas Good Roads Transportation Association, Associated General Contractors of Texas, and Texas Transportation Institute, the Forum kicked off Thursday morning with remarks from TxDOT’s Executive Director Phil Wilson, urging the record-breaking number of attendees to remain open to new ideas throughout the event. |
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| ‘NCDOT Now’ looks at new emergency operations center and NC 12 temporary bridge |
| February 17, 2012 North Carolina Department of Transportation |
| CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The latest edition of “NCDOT Now,” the North Carolina Department of Transportation's weekly video news update, is now available at https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/pio/releases/details.aspx?r=6058. |
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| NYSDOT official wins national award for excellence |
| February 17, 2012 N.Y. State Department of Transportation |
| ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald announced that department Chief Financial Officer Ronald L. Epstein received the President’s Transportation Award for Public Transportation from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The award recognizes individuals who have performed exemplary service fostering and advancing activities that benefit transportation nationwide or on a regional basis. |
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| Railroads claim allowing heavier trucks is subsidy to trucking industry |
| February 9, 2012 Association of American Railroads |
| Washington, D.C. — The bill designed to fix the nation’s crumbling transportation infrastructure will actually accelerate road and bridge damage and trigger an increase in taxpayer subsidies to the trucking industry, said the Association of American Railroads (AAR), which opposes House language allowing for 20 percent heavier trucks and triple trailers. |
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| TxDOT pursues design-build strategy for Grand Parkway in Houston |
| February 9, 2012 Texas DOT |
| AUSTIN, TEXAS — The greater Houston area is one step closer to reduced traffic congestion for more than 2.5 million people as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) accelerates plans for the completion of the next phase of State Highway 99 (the Grand Parkway). TxDOT announced it is moving forward with a design-build strategy for the next sections of the Grand Parkway and is expected to issue a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for this project in early March. |
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| Passenger rail study announced from Chicago, through Iowa, to Omaha |
| February 9, 2012 Iowa DOT |
| AMES, IOWA — The Federal Railroad Administration, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), is kicking off the Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study. The Iowa DOT will host an online, self-directed, open house meeting beginning Feb. 13, 2012, available at www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha. |
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| Handbook to provide guidelines for state and local debris planning and operations |
| February 9, 2012 Dewberry |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dewberry recently was awarded a research contract through the Transportation Research Board (TRB) to develop a Debris Management Handbook for local and state departments of transportation (DOTs) throughout the nation. The goal behind the research project and handbook development is to help transportation and public works agencies and other key stakeholders understand how to plan for and recover from natural and manmade debris-generating disasters. |
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| PennDOT details modernization efforts on new webpage |
| February 1, 2012 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation |
| HARRISBURG, PA. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) efforts to modernize and improve the way it does business — ensuring the efficient use of taxpayer dollars — are detailed on a new webpage announced by Transportation Secretary Barry J. Schoch. These important efforts, outlined at www.dot.state.pa.us under the heading, "Modern PennDOT," will be updated regularly as progress continues. |
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| Interactive state transportation facts and figures available |
| February 1, 2012 U.S. Department of Transportation |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) released State Transportation Facts and Figures, an interactive web transportation mapping application that allows customers to find state-by-state transportation data, comparisons, and rankings as well as gives them the ability to download state transportation information. |
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| NCDOT appoints first female division engineer in state’s history |
| February 1, 2012 North Carolina Department of Transportation |
| RALEIGH, N.C. — Karen E. Fussell, P.E., was named as the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) first female division engineer. She will oversee work in Division 3, which covers Brunswick, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, and Sampson counties. |
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| Construction begins on Georgia’s first diverging diamond interchange |
| January 24, 2012 Georgia Department of Transportation |
| ATLANTA — Even though utility relocation and landscape removal have been underway on the projects for some time, actual construction on the Ashford Dunwoody/I-285 Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) and the Roswell Road Bridge over I-285 just recently began, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). |
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| MDOT updates highway bridge information on the Web |
| January 24, 2012 Michigan Department of Transportation |
| LANSING, MICH. — The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) recently updated information on the MDOT website at www.michigan.gov/highwaybridgereport about the safety of 4,396 state highway bridges. MDOT has posted bridge safety reports online since August 2007. |
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| MDTA enters public-private partnership to redevelop and operate I-95 travel plazas |
| January 24, 2012 Maryland Transportation Authority |
| BALTIMORE — The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Board voted to approve an innovative 35-year agreement with Areas USA MDTP LLC to redevelop and operate the two aging travel plazas along the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (I-95) in northeast Maryland. The agreement is the state’s newest public-private partnership (P3) following the award-winning P3 agreement with a private partner to improve and operate Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore. |
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| Illinois Tollway and IDOT leaders named ‘Women Of The Year’ by Women's Transportation Seminar Chicago |
| January 20, 2012 Illinois DOT |
| CHICAGO — The Illinois Tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur and Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider have been selected as “Women of the Year” by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Greater Chicago Chapter. The award recognizes Lafleur and Schneider for their leadership and outstanding contributions to the Chicago-area transportation industry. It also takes into account their contributions to the advancement of women and minorities through programs or opportunities in transportation. |
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| CDOT receives national award for Vail Pass paving project |
| January 20, 2012 Colorado DOT |
| EAGLE/SUMMIT COUNTIES, COLO. — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), contractor American Civil Constructors, Inc. (ACC), and subcontractor LaFarge have won a National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) “Quality in Construction” (QIC) award for the resurfacing and safety improvement project completed last October on Vail Pass. The award will be formally presented to representatives from each organization at a ceremony in Palm Desert, Calif. |
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| Despite busy construction schedule, Caltrans director sees funding uncertainty |
| January 20, 2012 AASHTO |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a new two-minute state DOT update video produced by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Malcolm Dougherty, the acting director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), says the department is "building for the future" with about 770 projects worth approximately $10 billion under contract. |
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| ODOT outlines looming financial crisis |
| January 18, 2012 Ohio Department of Transportation |
| COLUMBUS, OHIO — After a year of discussing the looming transportation financial crisis facing Ohio, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) released funding projections that could result in pushing back by decades some of the state’s largest construction projects. |
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| New AASHTO video outlines national innovative solutions |
| January 18, 2012 AASHTO |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new Transportation TV video released by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Innovation in Motion, Utah DOT's I-15 CORE Project, showcases the Utah Department of Transportation's (UDOT) cutting-edge solutions to deliver a 24-mile, $1.725 billion interstate improvement faster, safer, and cheaper. |
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Department of Transportation makes steps to ensure the structure's ecological footprint is as small as possible, leaving room for natural habitats to flourish.
