Tag: DOTs: Page 230

Roadbuilding

Michigan DOT mechanics develop salt-saving door for plow trucks

Two maintenance mechanics in the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Southwest Region have developed a salt-door stop for plow trucks that helps regulate the flow of salt. The stop, made from a stainless steel bar, is set to a calibrated height that maintains a constant rate of flow thereby limiting extra salt from escaping, which in […]

March 16, 2016

Roadbuilding

Highway projects removed from Tenn. P3 bill

Roadway projects have been removed from a Tennessee bill that allows private sector investments in state transportation projects. The newly amended bill is still moving forward, but it will now only apply to mass transit projects following opposition from the road building lobby, according to the Associated Press. State Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) said the new bill would enable […]

March 16, 2016

Roadbuilding

Georgia DOT awards 35 construction projects valued at $88.5 million

The Georgia Department of Transportation has approved 35 transportation construction project contracts valued at $88.5 million for advertised bids from February. Of these contracts, 11 are for bridge projects with a total value of $24.7 million and 18 are for resurfacing projects valued at more than $52 million. The largest project from an investment standpoint […]

March 16, 2016

Roadbuilding

Road worker killed following dump truck electrocution in S. Carolina

A road worker in South Carolina died after he was electrocuted while loading asphalt into a paver. According to The State, Javier Lopez-Lira was working with a crew on Shadow Wood Drive in Richland County when the incident occurred. Lopez-Lira was loading asphalt into the paving machine from a dump truck when the bed of […]

March 16, 2016

Roadbuilding

Michigan infrastructure commission set up to identify long-term strategies for the state

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has created the 21st Century Infrastructure Commission as a means of identifying “strategic best practices to modernize” transportation, water and sewer, energy and communications infrastructure in the state. Snyder created the commission via Executive Order 2016-5, and it will be required to submit analysis and recommendations for infrastructure needs in a […]

March 15, 2016

Roadbuilding

Caltrans selects 4 firms to manage new road charge pilot accounts

The California Department of Transportation has selected the four firms that will handle account management services for drivers that volunteer for this summer’s California Road Charge Pilot program. According to Caltrans, the four firms selected will offer volunteer drivers several options for reporting their milage in the road-usage fee study this summer. Drivers can select between […]

March 15, 2016

Roadbuilding

Seven cities named finalists for USDOT’s $50 million Smart City Challenge

Seven cities have been named as finalists for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Smart City Challenge, which aims to convert one city into the first in the country to “fully” integrate into their transportation network technologies including smart sensors and autonomous and connected vehicles. Originally, only five finalists were to be selected. The seven […]

March 15, 2016

Roadbuilding

Highway workers recover family’s stolen heirlooms from ditch

Renee and Paul Bantista never thought they’d find the old jewelry box stolen from their home back in September. But the keen eye of an Illinois Department of Transportation worker reunited the couple with their lost treasures. According to the Herald & Review, the jewelry box was stolen while the couple was on vacation and a […]

March 15, 2016

Roadbuilding

Minnesota DOT converting roadway lights from high-pressure sodium to LED

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is converting more than 28,500 roadway lights from high-pressure sodium bulbs and fixtures to LEDs in an effort to improve motorist visibility, save energy and lengthen bulb replacement time. The agency estimates the move will see $1.45 million in yearly energy savings with an additional $500,000 in reduced maintenance […]

March 14, 2016

Roadbuilding

Indiana approves more than $1 billion in transportation infrastructure funding

The Indiana House and Senate approved March 10 transportation infrastructure funding legislation that allocates more than $1 billion to road and bridge projects over four years without the increase in gas and cigarette taxes that had been proposed previously. Gov. Mike Pence, who plans to sign the bill as soon as he receives it, said […]

March 14, 2016

Roadbuilding

Utah Senate OKs deal to transfer millions from transportation to water and education

The Utah Senate approved a measure that would siphon off about $337.7 million from the state’s transportation fund to be used on education and water projects. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the bill allows the state to send $172.2 million from transportation to the general fund over the next seven years, mostly for education, along […]

March 14, 2016

Roadbuilding

Worker killed after being struck by excavator in NC work zone

A construction worker died recently after he was struck by the counterweight of an excavator at a highway project in North Carolina. WFMY News reported that Dimino Foster was working for Tetra Tech Construction on U.S. 220 when he walked into the swing radius of an excavator at about 11 a.m. on March 8. Foster was hit […]

March 14, 2016