The recent demand from states for federal highway funds indicates how crucial the need for upgrading the nation’s infrastructure is. This week the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $417 million in grants awarded to states to fund various highway projects, ranging from expansion of congested areas to completion of projects already underway. Every state, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., in total submitted more than 1,800 applications for $13 billion of projects, which is more than 30 times the funds available. The federal Continue Reading

Response to the California Air Resources Board’s Clean Vehicle Project has been such that the incentive program is nearly out of money. The rebates ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 for passenger cars, zero-emissions motorcycles and select commercial electric vehicles are doled out on a first-come, first-served basis, but the number of requests could deplete the agency’s coffers by July. Funding could be renewed at CARB’s July board hearing, but changes to the program are expected. Among CARB’s proposals are tripling the money it makes available for the program, but cutting the Continue Reading

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new safety performance measurement tool is in effect, but anticipated cost of its full implementation are on the rise, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. First developed in 2004, CSA has undergone recent changes to assess and potentially fine drivers for violations across several categories, including maintenance and fatigued driving. CSA costs in Continue Reading

The California Air Resources Board announced earlier this week the availability of $19 million to support hybrid vehicle technology to help reduce emissions in the state. The Hybrid Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program will provide vouchers on a first-come first-served basis to help California fleets purchase fuel-efficient hybrid medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. At least $2 million is reserved for public fleets, but both public and private fleets can reserve vouchers when a new vehicle is purchased. For more information regarding the voucher incentive program that details a full list of eligible vehicles Continue Reading

The first of President Obama’s six-year funding plan for the U.S. Department of Transportation is drawing high praise from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The $129 billion budget will address infrastructure needs, such as repairing bridges and repaving roads, while also supporting the development of electric buses and high-speed rail lines that both boost efficiency and reduce emissions. The administration’s six-year proposal would provide $336 billion, a 48 percent increase over the previous authorization, to rebuild roads and bridges, and $119 billion, a 128 percent increase over the Continue Reading

Transportation and innovation were two of the more significant industry topics from President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening. Specifically, the president continued to push the development of technologies to reduce emissions, break dependence on foreign oil and ramp up the use of electric vehicles, and, in his words, be the first country with 1 million such vehicles on the road by 2015. The pursuit of such technology not only will be eco-friendly, but create “countless” new jobs, he said. Additionally, rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure could Continue Reading

The latest round of good news that the California Air Resources Board is cheering contains some previously unseen surprises. Results from its latest diesel cleanup program targeting ports, trucks, trains and ships has been successful in updating 5,300 trucks through retrofits or replacement. But, in a shift from many previous programs, one-third of the trucks that received program funding are owned by owner-operators, and half of Continue Reading

Just as happened in the first round of infrastructure funding requests, the demand of requests far exceeded the supply. Almost 1,000 applications for $19 billion of projects from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia exceeded the $600 million available, proof according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that there is a serious need for highway improvements. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants will be awarded based on potential economic impact, energy efficiency and safety improvements offered. DOT says it Continue Reading

With federal funds for road repairs being sliced from state budgets, transportation and government officials are being forced to get creative in order to keep infrastructure viable and safe. Some states, like Pennsylvania, are angling to raise taxes on oil companies doing business there, as well as to increase a variety of license, registration and vehicle fees to raise the $1 billion to help repair the state’s 5,646 structurally deficient bridges and nearly 7,000 miles of highway in “poor” condition. Other states, like Arizona, are lobbying to open up rest areas to commercial businesses to help Continue Reading

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is taking steps to preserve historic bridges in the United States. The first of these is $9.4 million in grants to help rehabilitate and preserve 14 bridges in 10 states. Bridges tapped by the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program range from unique construction techniques to the Continue Reading