In the News

Voters cast ballots on seven transportation initiatives

Four of seven state and local initiatives on the November 6 ballot relating to new highway and transit investment were approved with strong voter support, according to a report by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Ballot measures included new taxes, existing sales and property (or vehicle) tax extensions, and approval for bond issuances.  Full Story

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Federal court rules Maryland's ICC project can move forward

United States District Court Judge Alexander Williams, Jr., has denied legal attempts by environmental groups to stop construction of Maryland’s Intercounty Connector. In the decision handed down November 8, 2007, Judge Williams ruled that, “there is no legal or equitable basis to prevent the Intercounty Connector from moving forward.” He added, “The Court believes that the defendants have complied with the statutory and regulatory requirements." The ICC will be an 18-mile multi-modal, toll facility that will link existing and proposed development areas between the I-270 and I-95/US 1 corridors within central and eastern Montgomery County and northwestern Prince George's County.  Full Story

DelDOT drivers win national title

For such a small state, Delaware has some amazing snowplow drivers. DelDOT sent four men to the National Truck Rodeo competition and two came back as National Champions. Jason Chadick and Alan Jefferson recently won first place in the 2007 American Public Works Association National Snow Roadeo. The team beat out 49 others to win the national title in the category of 10-wheel dump truck. Chadick and Jefferson won first place in the team event.  Full Story

Iowa Transportation Museum opens online with Heroes Center

Even before it officially opens its doors to the public, the Iowa Transportation Museum is motoring ahead online with the launch of its interactive, web-based Heroes Center. At TransportationHeroes.org, visitors of any age can nominate heroes who have made a difference in the transportation industry or placed their life at risk while on the job. Nominations for the Heroes Center will be accepted year-round with no limit to the number of individuals who can be inducted each year. Visitors to the site will be asked to select one of three categories when nominating a hero.  Full Story

Oregon DOT considers selective use of race-conscious goals for construction contractors

In January 2007, Oregon DOT retained MGT of America to conduct a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Disparity Study. The study is the result of a May 2005 decision by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court that said a state department of transportation could not have a race-conscious disadvantaged business program without a disparity study demonstrating inequity in contracting opportunities. As a result of the findings, ODOT plans to amend its existing program by reinstating a narrowly tailored DBE goals program on some projects in specific geographic areas.   Full Story

I-69/TTC report recommends using existing highways

Existing highways will be considered first as state transportation officials continue work to identify an alignment for I-69/TTC, an effort that will include unprecedented public involvement opportunities during the next several months, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor project, saying it will make transportation safer, faster, more reliable and provide for faster hurricane evacuation.  Full Story

Opening of bridge to Ohio delayed until spring

The opening of the $135 million Blennerhassett Bridge over the Ohio River has been delayed until mid-April. State highway engineer Marvin Murphy says the 4,000-foot-long bridge is 97 percent complete, but workers need about seven weeks of 50-degree days to lay and cure a latex overlay. Highway officials say the bridge will be the longest bridge in West Virginia and the longest bridge of its type in the United States.  Full Story

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Funding

INDOT awards $5.5 million to fund improvements in the Indianapolis area

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has awarded more than $20 million in Transportation Enhancement (TE) funds statewide for projects such as multi-use trails, streetscape improvements and historic bridge rehabilitations. For the first time, statewide TE funding for multi-use trails is increasing from $10 million to $15 million as part of Governor Mitch Daniels' Hoosiers on the Move trails initiative. Indiana's TE Program allows funding for transportation projects to expand beyond the traditional accommodations for cars, trucks, buses and transit.   Full Story

NDDOT begins planning cycle for 2009-2012 State Transportation Improvement Plan

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is requesting public comments as it prepares the 2009-2012 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP is a four-year program of transportation improvements to be funded with federal highway and transit monies.  Improvements include state and county highways, urban streets, roadway safety features, bikeways, and busing programs. Public comments are being sought until Dec. 15, 2007.   Full Story

$1.5 billion could be cut from New Hampshire highway plan

State executives are considering cutting $1.5 billion from New Hampshire's 10-year highway construction plan. The five-member Executive Council will vote by late November whether to accept the revised plan and send the $2.5 billion package to Gov. John Lynch to look over. The legislature would then take up the plan. Among the projects cut: a new exit off Interstate 93 in Derry, the long-delayed Circumferential Highway around Nashua, a Troy bypass and related work, a connector between Route 3A and I-93 in Franklin, and much of the proposed Conway Bypass. The original plan would have cost $4 billion and taken 35 years to complete.  Full Story

House approves transportation and housing spending bill; measure awaits Bush's promised veto

By a 270-147 vote, the House passed a bill on November 15 that provides $105.6 billion for transportation, housing and community development programs. The measure, which the Senate probably will act on this week, was $5.5 billion more than Bush's budget. It restored administration cuts to Amtrak, community development grants and housing programs. The president has promised to veto the bill because it exceeds his budget requests.  Full Story

Son of Bridge to Nowhere

In September, Alaskan officials abandoned all efforts to build the $300 million Bridge to Nowhere, which would have connected the town of Ketchikan to tiny Gravina Island. But in that same Congressional bill, a separate $231 million was included for a brand-new Knik Arm Bridge to link Point MacKenzie (population: 232) and the city of Anchorage. Alaskan officials are going ahead with plans for construction, even though the price tag has risen to at least $600 million.  Full Story

Safety Issues

Twelve states recognized for lifesaving highway safety programs

As the year's busiest highway travel season approaches, 12 states are being recognized for lifesaving highway safety programs that have dramatically lowered fatalities. Fifteen Roadway Safety Awards were announced November 7 by the Roadway Safety Foundation and the Federal Highway Administration.  Full Story

Less congestion expected at nation's fourth busiest commercial border crossing

New designated truck lanes will help improve freight mobility and relieve congestion on Washington's State Route 543, the nation’s fourth busiest commercial crossing on the U.S.-Canada border. The relief comes approximately six months early for more than 700,000 trucks that use the crossing every year.

To see a visual of the final highway design and the new truck lanes, visit the project web page at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr543/i5_canadian/diagram. Full Story

Utah DOT geared up and ready for winter

“We are ready for this season’s snow storms”, said Lynn Bernhard, UDOT Maintenance Methods Engineer. “We want the public to be aware of what it takes to keep our roads clear, and we need their cooperation while we run our snow removal operations out on the roads.” About 140,000 tons of salt have already been delivered and UDOT expects that after the winter season ends it will have used 210,000 tons. Salt use in the state has been reduced by 6% over the last three years due to more efficient applications and better use of technology.  Full Story

Innovations

International Truck and Engine first company to enter hybrid commercial truck production

International Truck and Engine Corporation has announced that it is the first company to enter line production of hybrid commercial trucks. The company is now producing the International DuraStar Hybrid, a diesel hybrid electric medium-duty truck that provides customers with improved fuel efficiency and reduced engine emissions.  Full Story

StreetPave software available for free online

StreetPave is the latest in thickness design technology for streets and local road pavements. This software uses new engineering analyses to produce optimized concrete pavement thicknesses for city, municipal, county and state roadways. StreetPave is now available from the American Concrete Pavement Association as a free-use online version and as a fully-featured windows version.  Full Story

South Carolina receives national honors for signature bridge

The National Partnership for Highway Quality has named South Carolina a 2007 State Winner in its National Achievement Award program in recognition of the construction of North America’s longest cable stay span, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.  Project partners include the South Carolina Department of Transportation; the Federal Highway Administration; contractor Palmetto Bridge Constructors, a joint venture of Tidewater Skanska and Flatiron Constructors; and designer Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas.  Full Story

Virginia DOT's Wounded Veterans Intern Program receives national recognition award

It has been a year since the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) launched its Wounded Veterans Internship Program, and the agency has received the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Strive for Excellence Team Award for it. The internship program offers wounded veterans who can’t or don’t wish to return to jobs they had before serving in combat an opportunity to work at VDOT and develop or improve job skills. The program, a first of its kind among transportation departments across the country, was launched just before Veteran’s Day last year. Internships typically last from six months to two years, depending on the needs of the veterans and the VDOT office in which they are placed. Placements can include planning, finance, project management, security, procurement, quality control, information technology and engineering.  Full Story

Iowa State engineers hope to build better roads by using ethanol co-products

Iowa's soil is great for growing corn. But it's not so great for building roads. Soil around the Midwest is mostly soft clay and till deposited by glaciers, saus Halil Ceylan, an Iowa State assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering. It's hardly the bedrock engineers would like for a good, solid roadbed. While stabilizing soils for road construction is standard practice around the Midwest, there are limits to its effectiveness. Ceylan said costs can be high and current practices only work with certain soil types and site conditions. So civil engineers are always looking for better, cheaper and more efficient ways to get the job done. That has Ceylan and Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, a research scientist in civil, construction and environmental engineering, experimenting to see whether lignin, a co-product of producing ethanol from plant fibers, could be a good soil stabilizing agent.  Full Story

Calendar

AGC's Third Annual Economic Forecast Audio Conference
December 13, 2007 - 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

http://www.agc.org/EconForecast

Canadian Public Works Expo
November 28-29, 2007 — Vancouver, BC

Conexpo Asia 2007
December 4-7, 2007 — Guangzhou, China

Ground Water Expo
December 4-7, 2007 — Orlando, FL

World Steel Bridge Symposium
December 4-7, 2007 — New Orleans, LA

For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar

Economic Indicators

Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales

U.S. total business sales for July were $1,126.0 billion, up 0.6% from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,429.5 billion, up 0.4% from last month. 11/14/07

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services

The nation's international deficit in goods and services decreased to $56.5 billion in September from $56.8 billion (revised) in August, as exports increased more than imports. 11/09/07

Economy At A Glance: http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm

Compiled by Larry Green, news editor, Better Roads.  To contact Larry about the newsletter content, send e-mail to .

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