Tag: Department of Transportation: Page 17

Roadbuilding

Senate Dems threaten to block all short-term highway plans

Democrats in the U.S. Senate dropped an ultimatum on Republicans Tuesday, threatening to block any short-term extension of highway funding in favor of a long-term solution. The Hill reported Democrats are giving the GOP 45 days to agree on a long-term fix instead of another short-term patch—which would be the 34th short-term extension since 2008. “We […]

June 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

Rhode Island legislators propose $60 million bridge restoration efforts from current funding

The Rhode Island House Republican Caucus proposed a fiscal year 2016 budget amendment, H5900 Substitute A, to dedicate $60 million in the current budget for bridge restoration as an alternative to tolls on bridges in the state. “We recognize that our bridges need immediate first aid,” Minority Leader Brian Newberry said in a statement. “As […]

June 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

New $4.3 billion plan for Interstate 35 in Austin would add lanes

Texas officials announced on June 15 a new 10-year, $4.3 billion plan to ease congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The conceptual plan would add new lanes along the upper decks of the interstate between Airport Boulevard and Martin Luther King Boulevard through central Austin, according to KXAN in Austin. “The need to address I-35 […]

June 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

FHWA provides grants for Wisconsin, New Hampshire bridge projects

Two state departments of transportation will receive $1.03 million in grants to “speed deployment of innovative technologies” as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation will receive $355,000 to use in creating self-diagnosing, self-reporting bridge monitoring technology to be used on the Memorial Bridge […]

June 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

Crews begin installation of Big Bertha’s new seal system

While the rest of her massive frame waits below ground, Big Bertha has undergone the most pivotal portion of her badly-needed brain surgery. According to a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal, repair crews with Seattle Tunnel Partners, the lead contractor on the drilling of a new State Route 99 tunnel beneath Seattle, have begun […]

June 16, 2015

Roadbuilding

Tennessee DOT celebrates 100 years with new signage, interactive website

The Ford Model T was just seven years old when Tennessee first established its Department of Transportation. There were no interstates, or barely any roads resembling what lines America today back in 1915, but TDOT was getting started on one of its first major projects with State Route 1. A century later, TDOT is […]

June 16, 2015

Roadbuilding

Louisiana legislature passes 2 bills to boost road funding

The Louisiana Senate passed two bills last week to boost road funding by about $100 million per year. The New Orleans Advocate reported Senate Bills 122 and 221 passed in the Senate June 9 by the overwhelming 39-9 and 35-1, respectively. The bills, sponsored by Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Robert Adley (R-Adley), passed in the state […]

June 16, 2015

Roadbuilding

House Ways & Means to “explore new ideas” for long-term financing of Highway Trust Fund

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing June 17 to discuss long-term financing for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), with the plan to “explore the feasibility of various ideas” for sustainable solutions. “The roads and bridges that keep our economy moving rely on a highly unsustainable financing system,” Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) […]

June 15, 2015

Roadbuilding

Awaiting a budget, Illinois DOT cuts $100+ million in road projects

The Illinois Department of Transportation had to cut $103 million in road projects from a contract letting June 12 because the state still doesn’t have a budget for FY 2016. IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn had to pull seven projects planned for this year, the most expensive being a $48 million project in Rock Island County. A […]

June 15, 2015

Roadbuilding

Iowa Transportation Commission approves state transportation improvement program with $3.2 billion for highways

The Iowa Transportation Commission (ITC) has signed off on the fiscal year 2016-2020 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program, which includes a forecast of $3.2 billion in highway right of way and construction projects. The Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) proposed the plan in early May. “The Commission and Iowa DOT continue to recognize the critical importance […]

June 15, 2015

Roadbuilding

Semi truck crash in U.S. 50 paving zone kills West Virginia DOH worker

West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) worker Randall W. Bland, 49, was killed Thursday following a five-vehicle collision in an area of U.S. 50 being resurfaced, according to a report by The Marietta Times. A DOH truck was one of the five vehicles involved, but it was unoccupied at the time of the incident. According […]

June 15, 2015

Roadbuilding

Michigan House passes $1.2 billion road package

Lawmakers in the Michigan House of Representatives narrowly passed a 12-bill package to provide $1.16 billion for infrastructure work. The funds from the package largely come from existing tax revenue and by eliminating a tax break for low income families, the Detroit News reported. About $700,000 million of the funds would come from earmarking some of […]

June 15, 2015