Tag: road construction: Page 54

Business

Highway construction up 4.3% annually in January thanks to warmer weather

Highway construction was up 4.3 percent in January over January 2012, largely due to warmer weather, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Each month ARTBA analyzes U.S. Census Bureau data and reports the outcome. “With warmer-than-average temperatures across the country, many contractors were able to get more work done on transportation projects, […]

March 12, 2013

Business

Sequester to cut $4 billion from federal construction programs

Sequestration, the automatic federal spending cuts that took effect on March 1, will cut more than $4 billion from federal construction programs according to data from a report to Congress from the Office of Management and Budget. Largely exempt from the cuts are the Highway Trust Fund and the Airport Improvement Program. However, most federal […]

March 5, 2013

Business

Transportation Sec. LaHood: “Sequester is dumb”

Our sister publication Overdrive reports that during an address to members of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the looming sequestration cuts a “meat axe approach.” The sequester is a set of across-the-board budget cuts scheduled to hit today, should Congress not come to an agreement on […]

March 1, 2013

Construction Equipment

Scientists develop first self-healing protective coating for concrete

Just last week we heard about a formula of asphalt that, when heated by induction, can actually repair itself. And now it seems that scientists have developed a coating that can produce similar results in concrete. According to Phys.org, citing an article in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, researchers have such developed a coating containing […]

February 26, 2013

Business

Obama gives more details on proposed infrastructure investments

The New York Times has obtained a summary of President Barack Obama’s plan to repair the failing infrastructure in the United States. Obama discussed the need for infrastructure investment during his State of the Union address February 13th. The goal of the President’s plan, the Times report,s is to create jobs “that cannot be outsourced,” […]

February 21, 2013

Business

$7 billion in federal highway funds obligated so far in current fiscal year

Federal funds obligated by federal, state and local departments of transportation (DOTs) have increased $7 billion during the current fiscal year which began last October 1, according to the according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) latest analysis of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data. That’s an increase of 56 percent over the $4.5 […]

February 15, 2013

Business

Transportation Sec. LaHood praises Obama’s focus on infrastructure in State of the Union

President Barack Obama spent a great deal of time discussing the sad state of American  infrastructure in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, saying that the structurally deficient nature of nearly 70,000 American bridges hurts the country’s chances at attracting business and creating new jobs. Just days before, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood […]

February 14, 2013

Business

Transportation Sec. LaHood: “America is one big pothole”

During an interview on National Public Radio’s “The Diane Rehm Show,” outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asked lawmakers and whoever replaces him to think outside of the box in order to find more transporation funding. LaHood voiced his disappointment with infrastructure spending in the U.S. and the MAP-21 transportation bill Congress passed last summer, […]

February 8, 2013

Business

Controversial mileage-based tax has potential to generate meaningful transportation revenue

Despite its potential to increase revenues, the establishment of a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax is not likely to happen any time soon, Transportation Nation reported. One reason may be commuters’ concern for privacy. According to a study released last week, 86 percent of Washington metropolitan area commuters don’t want a GPS device installed in […]

February 1, 2013

Business

Recession results in evolving construction markets

Prolonged periods of economic difficulty add velocity to evolutionary changes in many industries. The Great Recession and the long shadow it continues to cast on the construction industry is certainly an example. Within the construction industry, the most obvious evolutionary change has been cautious, conservative business management strategies, but there have been many others as […]

February 1, 2013

Business

Transportation Secretary LaHood changes mind, plans to step down

After telling Bloomberg one week ago that he planned to continue as Transportation Secretary for President Barack Obama’s second term, Ray LaHood has told the Associated Press he will step down. LaHood was the only Republican left in Obama’s cabinet. The former Illinois congressman said he will remain at his post until his successor is […]

January 29, 2013

Business

Michigan road construction industry to launch ads for raising gas taxes, vehicle fees

Beginning soon, residents in Michigan will begin seeing ads to build public support for increasing gas taxes and vehicle registration fees to pay for highway improvements, according to The Detroit News. The $600,000 ad campaign will be funded by Michigan’s road construction industry. Mike Nystrom, executive Vice President of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association […]

January 28, 2013