Save the last dance for me! Denver, the city that popularized the pedestrian-friendly all-walk diagonal-crossing Barnes Dance, is considering phasing it out of the busy downtown grid as part of a larger evaluation of signal timing within the central business district.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving a $10 million grant to extend U.S. 36 bus-car pool lanes and adding toll-paying solo drivers – far short of the $200 million the state sought but allowing work to proceed incrementally.
Traffic passes through a construction zone at University Boulevard and Arapahoe Road. Planners say understanding details about where these drivers are headed, where they stop along the way and when they do it will help them plan future road and transit improvements.
How you will be getting around the Front Range in the future is being shaped in part by a randomly chosen set of 12,000 households from Fort Collins to Pueblo in the first comprehensive Front Range Travel Counts survey.
Starting last summer in the Fort Collins area, the surveys are now in the process of being collected in the Denver metro area. Half of the households participating in the survey will come from Denver metro area.
The results will be statistically analyzed to help transportation planners understand the needs for highway and transit projects with better information on travel patterns.
According to Logistics Management, the nation’s top business lobbyist says it is time to boost public investment in highway, bridge, rail and air projects now to help catapult the country out of the worst recession in 70 years.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue said intelligent and greater investment in infrastructure projects could literally pave the way for a sustained economic rebound as the country seeks efficiencies from its transportation network to compete in the global economy.
“To meet our infrastructure needs, we need to boost public investments while working to ensure that the money is spent wisely in areas of genuine need,” Donohue said. “Reauthorization of the nation’s core highway bill is essential.”
Renewal of the federal-aid highway reauthorization bill has been stalled in Congress since the previous five-year, $286 billion bill expired Sept. 30. Instead of passing a bill that would double that spending, Congress has instead punted and passed a stop-gap bill at the old law’s spending levels, which transportation experts have said is too low to meet current infrastructure spending needs.
The Bond Buyer reports that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Obama administration is working with Congress on a multi-year transportation bill that it expects will cost between $400 billion to $500 billion,
“President Obama wants a robust, comprehensive transportation bill that meets the needs of America. The problem is that project, that bill, costs between four or five hundred billion dollars,” he said at the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting.
The administration wants to “pursue more flexible partnerships with states,” metropolitan planning organizations, and local governments, LaHood added.
Federal Highway & Transit Programs Extended Through February
President Barack Obama signed into law last week a Department of Defense appropriations bill that includes an extension of highway and transit authorization through February — the fourth short-term extension since the 2005 transportation law known as “SAFETEA-LU” expired Sept. 30.
The 67-day extension (contained in HR 3326) became Public Law 111-118 on Dec. 21 following Obama’s signature and the Senate’s Dec. 19 vote of 88-10 to adopt the measure. Congress tacked the transportation authorization extension onto the defense measure because the House and Senate were again unable to reach agreement on a longer-term measure. SAFETEA-LU’s second extension expired Dec. 18; a continuing resolution through Dec. 23 kept federal highway and transit programs operating over the weekend until Obama signed the defense measure.
This is the longest SAFETEA-LU extension to date. The first extension covered the month of October and the second extension was good for 48 days. The third extension lasted only five days.
AASHTO Press Release
America’s Top Ten Transportation Topics for 2010
(Washington, D.C.) — As America enters a new decade, what will be the buzz about transportation? Clearly a safe, efficient, and viable transportation network should be at the forefront of issues facing policymakers at all levels of government and in all areas of our society in the coming months.
“In the year 2010, we’ll be seeing more job-creating construction zones on our highways, but we will still need a long-term solution to address everything from fixing potholes to making needed repairs to our aging infrastructure,” said Larry “Butch” Brown, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. “Even more critically for the long-term health of this nation, 2010 must also be about how smart we become at enabling goods and products to get from one point to another with speed and efficiency.”
Looking ahead, AASHTO has developed a list of the top ten transportation topics that it forecasts will be part of the national conversation in 2010 – in the media, in government and around the dinner table.
1) Adopting a long-term transportation funding bill
The current legislation that establishes funding levels and policy priorities for highways and transit expired on September 30, 2009. Since then, there have been four extensions – the most current being a short-term surface transportation authorization that will allow state departments of transportation to continue to use federal funds for highway, transit, and other projects until Feb. 28. Stop-gap extensions create difficulties for state departments of transportation since they cannot make long-term plans and commitments for more ambitious projects. In addition, without action by the Congress by March 1, state DOTs will lose $12 billion in 2010 for their highway programs. State DOTs need program continuity and stability through an extension of at least a year to adequately plan, execute and manage transportation capital programs.
2) Adopting a New Jobs Creation bill
The Senate is expected to begin debate on a jobs creation bill in mid-January. The House bill, Jobs for Main Street Act, contains several important transportation provisions including an extension of surface transportation authorization through Sept. 30, 2010. Funding would include $27.5 billion for highways and $8.4 billion for mass transit; Amtrak would receive $800 million while airports would get $500 million and shipyards $100 million. States have identified more than 9,500 ready-to-go projects that can fund projects quickly and put people to work. A jobs bill will enable states to build on last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects and keep the momentum going.
3) Deterring Distracted Driving
Nearly 6,000 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes involving some form of driver distraction during 2008. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia prohibit drivers from text messaging while driving; 12 of those laws passed in 2009. Florida and Kentucky have already pre-filed texting ban bills for the 2010 legislative session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. President Obama has banned texting by federal government employees while on official business or using government property and AASHTO has passed a resolution encouraging employers and state departments of transportation to enact similar bans. The year ahead will offer more public information campaigns and driver education, more sanctions and additional research to determine the extent of the problem, whether hands-free devices are an effective solution, and whether effective enforcement strategies can be developed and/or implemented. See http://safety.transportation.org for information.
4) Ensuring Safer Roads
In Spring 2010, AASHTO will publish the Highway Safety Manual. This manual will assist highway agencies as they consider improvements to existing roadways or as they are planning, designing, or constructing new roadways. AASHTO is working with the Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Research Board to develop training, information sessions and other implementation tools that will be made available to states and others in the highway industry. AASHTO’s goal: cut today’s 38,000 highway fatalities 50 percent in 20 years.
5) Moving on High-Speed Rail Grants
Early in 2010, a new era in U.S. intercity passenger rail service will be launched with the announcement of $8 billion in ARRA grants for state projects to initiate or improve high-speed and intercity passenger rail service. Later in the year an additional $2.5 billion will be awarded through the State Capital Grants Program of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act to carry out President Obama’s strategy for passenger rail. http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/110609transit.aspx
6) Taking Action to Address Climate Change
With autos and light-duty trucks contributing approximately 17 percent of the greenhouse gases (GHG) in the United States, state and local governments are developing climate change action plans and looking at the best ways to reduce emissions through technology, research, smarter travel, better cars and fuels, and improved efficiency and operation of our roads. In the year ahead, Congress will address this issue in both climate change and transportation authorization legislation. AASHTO’s Climate Change Steering Committee is working to provide technical expertise and assistance to state DOTs to reduce GHG emissions. http://realsolutions.transportation.org/Pages/default.aspx
7) Responding to Increased Congestion Due to Capacity Issues
In 2008, high gas prices drove thousands of commuters from their cars and onto buses, subways and other transit options. As gas prices moderated, however, many of these riders went back to their vehicles. In fact, despite the economic downturn, 64 of the 100 most populated cities saw increased congestion in the first six months of 2009. This congestion will only continue to worsen as more people move to metropolitan areas and little is done to increase the capacity of the overall transportation system. In early 2010, AASHTO will issue a new report that outlines a four-point plan to address the urban mobility challenge. Other reports on the transportation needs of rural and underserved areas as well as freight will follow.
Adopting Social Media to Provide the Latest Traffic and Travel Information
Eighty percent of state departments of transportation are now using Twitter as well as an array of other “social media” to release information on traffic incidents, road closings, weather emergencies and other transportation-related information. Thousands of travelers have signed up to use this service. In Mississippi, Twitter sites have been set up to guide drivers through hurricane evacuations. Other media being accessed by states to educate their publics include Facebook, weekly news webchannels, podcasts and RSS feeds to spread their message. States are encouraging the use of these media “before they go” to avoid distracted driving.
9) Enhancing Safety through Roadway Improvements
On two-lane rural roads and major highways, rumble strips are now being installed to warn drivers when their vehicles start to leave the travel lane. On divided highways, cable median barriers are being installed to prevent fatal crashes in which vehicles run off the road into the median and cross over into oncoming traffic. With more than half of the highway fatalities occurring on rural roads, highway agencies are focusing on installing these types of lower-cost treatments to reduce these crashes. As additional studies are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these treatments, they will be installed on more roads across the country.
10) Creating more livable communities
The Administration has made livable communities a key aspect of their agenda. In June of 2009, EPA, HUD and USDOT entered into a Sustainable Communities Partnership to help improve access to affordable housing, provide more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide. Efforts by state DOTs in the coming year will include building transportation enhancement projects such as bikeways, pedestrian walkways, historic restoration and beautification projects; improving metropolitan mobility; ensuring more transit services are available in rural areas and to serve aging populations; and adding capacity to our transportation network to reduce congestion and the amount of time commuters, truckers and other drivers are stuck in traffic and so have more time with their families.
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the “Voice of Transportation” representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation.
Bloomberg News reports that the U.S. House approved a $154 billion economic-aid package and a $290 billion increase in the legal limit on government borrowing as the chamber wrapped up its legislative business for the year.
The lawmakers voted 218-214 yesterday to raise the debt ceiling to $12.394 trillion, the fourth such increase in 18 months. Hours later, the House approved on a 217-212 vote the new spending for infrastructure projects, extended unemployment benefits and aid to state governments.
The head of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials applauded President Obama’s outline for new infrastructure spending on Tuesday, and put forward a recently compiled list of more than 9,500 shovel-ready transportation projects as candidates.
“We’ve seen how effectively states can deliver – 25 percent of the jobs saved or created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are a direct result of the $48 billion allocated to transportation projects,” said John Horsley, AASHTO’s executive director.
Go to AASHTO to see the entire statement.
President Obama on Tuesday outlined a new multibillion-dollar stimulus and jobs proposals with a concentration on highway, bridge and infrastructure projects, Associated Press reports.
Obama said the nation must continue to “spend our way out of this recession” until more Americans are back at work. Without giving a price tag, the president proposed a package of new transportation spending, deeper tax breaks for small businesses and tax incentives to encourage people to make their homes more energy efficient.
“We avoided the depression many feared,” Obama said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. But, he added, “Our work is far from done.”
Go to the Associated Press to see the entire article.
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