Tag: transportation: Page 97

Roadbuilding

MIT students create stronger concrete using plastic bottles

Undergraduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered a way to use plastic water and soda bottles with fly ash to make concrete stronger and more flexible. According to a school press release, the researchers say that exposing plastic flakes to small doses of gamma radiation, pulverizing the flakes into a fine powder, […]

November 6, 2017

Roadbuilding

Ark. mulls raising speed limit to 75 mph on rural interstates

Arkansas drivers could soon be driving faster, if new speed-limit recommendations are approved. The legislature has approved increasing the limit from 70 mph to 75 mph on interstates and left open the possibility of increasing limits on other highways – if it can be done safely. The Arkansas Department of Transportation has completed a study […]

November 6, 2017

Roadbuilding

Santa Cruz uses augmented reality to engage public on transportation

Santa Cruz County residents are being offered a fun way to view potential transportation options for their communities with augmented reality technology. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has stationed viewers in the county where residents can look inside to see transportation and land-use options that address such things as improving use of streets […]

November 3, 2017

Roadbuilding

Historic swing bridge closed in Ft. Lauderdale for emergency work

One of Florida’s oldest swing bridges has been closed until December 1 for emergency repairs. The Southwest 11th Avenue Swing Bridge in Fort Lauderdale was closed October 30 when it was discovered there was a problem with the bridge’s lock motor, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Also known as the Snow-Reed Swing Bridge, it is the […]

November 3, 2017

Roadbuilding

VDOT adds Waze navigation to state’s 511 road information app

The Virginia Department of Transportation has upgraded its 511 road information app, which now includes turn-by-turn navigation, the VDOT says. The agency has joined with the popular Waze app to provide the navigation feature. The app also now provides push notifications and alerts, transit and parking information, and it continues to give real-time traffic information […]

November 3, 2017

Roadbuilding

No growth in FY17 for Highway Trust Fund excise tax receipts

Government receipts from all excise taxes in the Highway Trust Fund showed no overall growth in the federal fiscal year that ended September 30. That’s because a big drop in retail taxes on commercial trucks more than offset slight fuel-tax gains, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association […]

November 2, 2017

Roadbuilding

TxDOT to seek contractors for $500 million US 183 expansion

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced that the state Transportation Commission has given the approval for TxDOT to find qualified contractors for the $500 million expansion of a 9-mile segment of US 183 in north Austin. The contract will consist of two separate projects to add managed lanes and general-purpose lanes. “This expansion is […]

November 2, 2017

Roadbuilding

96-year-old Maine-Canada bridge closed to large commercial vehicles

Commercial vehicles weighing over 5 tons have been banned from crossing the Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge between Maine and Canada. That includes tractor trailers, box trucks, buses and fire trucks. The Maine Department of Transportation reports that a recent inspection “found significantly more steel deterioration on the floor beams and stringers than expected.” MDOT says the […]

November 2, 2017

Roadbuilding

Ore. studded tire season begins Nov. 1, but ODOT hopes you won’t

Studded-tire season begins November 1 in Oregon, although the state’s department of transportation hopes you’ll use another method of traction during the winter season. ODOT says a 2014 study determined that studded tires cause $8.5 million in damage a year on the state’s highways. ODOT prefers drivers – who must go out in severe weather […]

November 2, 2017

Roadbuilding

Will repairs make singing bridge in Abilene change its tune?

Residents of Abilene, Texas, are concerned that repairs to a city bridge will stop the singing. The work began in September to widen and rehab the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge, which residents call the “singing bridge.” News station KTXS 12 explains that the “singing” is caused when tires ride over the bridge’s tining, which […]

November 1, 2017

Roadbuilding

Flight through Bertha’s tunnel shows SR 99 construction progress

The drone footage below, from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), takes you on a tour of the SR 99 tunnel that tunnel boring machine Bertha excavated under Seattle. The drone enters the end of the tunnel nearest the Space Needle and travels through the tunnel to the other end near the stadiums. The […]

November 1, 2017

Roadbuilding

ADOT seeks $25 million grant to accelerate SR 189 project in Nogales area

Several improvements to State Route 189 in Nogales, Arizona, might soon receive enough federal funding to allow accelerated construction beginning in 2019 – a move that could save taxpayers millions. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has applied for a $25 million TIGER grant that, if approved, would allow construction of all proposed improvements to […]

November 1, 2017