Category: News

Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Accommodation in Work Zones

The University of Wisconsin at Madison under the FHWA Work Zone Safety Grant Program developed the Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Accommodation in Work Zones document as part of their Work Zone Design Series training. It provides information on how to consider accommodating and mitigating oversize and overweight vehicles in work zones. The Work Zone Designer Series: Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Accommodation in Work Zones document was recently posted in the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and can be found at the following link: https://www.workzonesafety.org.

Kentucky riverports, highway and rail freight study text with image of working barge on river in foreground. Green treed hillsides and blue sky in the background.
Personified corn cob with husks peeled back. Accompanied by text "Corn Belt Ports". Wavy water depicted along bottom of frame.

Corn Belt Ports on the Mississippi River gain federal recognition on principal U.S. ports list

Three new Port Statistical Areas in the tri-state area of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri made their debut on the principal U.S. ports list: the Illinois Waterway Ports and Terminals (ILWW), the Mid-America Port, and the Mississippi River Ports of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (MRPEIWI). Combined, the new Port Statistical Areas accounted for more than 31 million tons of freight in 2019, ranking as the 22nd largest port in the United States. That’s similar in size to the port of Tampa, FL. Read the full article at WQAD8.com. (Image from: https://growhancock.com/partnership_with_psa/)

Bureau of Transportation Statistics logo
US DOT Logo

Multiple MAFC states benefit from Marine Highway Funding

Continued efforts in developing the marine freight system across the MAASTO region are paying off. Funds have specifically been granted to ports in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. Neighboring states, upstream and downstream MAASTO states will also benefit from this funding. On June 15, 2020 U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announced $9.5 Million in Grants for America’s Marine Highways. Read more about it on the Maritime Administration (MARAD) website.

Trucks in snow illustrating highway freight transportation.

AASHTO submits comments on National Strategic Freight Plan

AASHTO provided comments on freight reauthorization to the U.S. DOT this past February. The AASHTO freight policy perspective reflects a continued interest to better define the multimodal freight system, provide funding and program flexibility, allow for technological advances, build on freight performance measures, improve project delivery and re-establish a freight-specific, cooperative research program. The AASHTO media release and comment letter are available on the AASHTO Journal website.

California Authorizes Light-Duty Autonomous Delivery Vehicles

This article was originally posted on January 2, 2020.

California will allow the testing and commercial
use of light-duty autonomous delivery vehicles on the state’s public roads,
and residents could soon receive deliveries from an autonomous vehicle.

In developing and adopting this rule-making, the DMV followed the same approach used for past AV regulations packages, including a public workshop and hearing. DMV Director Steve Gordon is quoted stating: “As always, public safety is our primary focus.” Requirements of permits include certification of several risk mitigation actions and plans. While this article provides a summary of various permit requirements, Ernie Perry, PhD, MAFC Program Manager and Associate Researcher at UW-Madison points out energy and emissions concerns for vehicles are paramount in California, the roads remain congested, and questions continue regarding effectiveness of the monitoring and safety measures for autonomous vehicles, and future impacts to driver employment. Transition to connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) and automated freight vehicles raises many questions. Establishing the right regulations can allow the technologies to move forward and potentially increase safety for all road users, reduce congestion through more efficient vehicle interaction and routing, and provide environmental benefits by combining traffic efficiencies with alternative fueled vehicles.

Read full article on the California DMV website.