Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Vol. 2, No. 10 ● May 20, 2008
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Safety Issues
Innovations Calendar
Economic Indicators
eRoadPro Index
Businesses can benefit from use of bonus depreciation in economic stimulus package As rebate checks go out to the American people, the U.S. economy is expected to benefit from the economic stimulus package. Businesses will also benefit from a less publicized, but important provision in the package. That section provides a bonus deprecation for businesses to deduct 50 percent of the cost of new equipment purchased and placed into service in 2008. Full Story |
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Case Construction Equipment sponsors "Rockin' for the Troops" concert Case Construction Equipment has announced it will co-sponsor the "Rockin' for the Troops" concert to be held at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, on July 19, 2008. The concert is organized to benefit U.S. troops that are deployed overseas. The event is being held by Operation Support Our Troops - Illinois, Inc. (OSOTIL), which was formed five years ago by military family members to support members of the armed forces deployed in harm's way. Full Story
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2008 transportation officials and engineers directory now available Contact information for more than 6,000 federal, state and local transportation officials is available in the 2008 "Transportation Officials and Engineers (TO&E) Directory," published by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). This year's directory includes two new categories of information, including top officials at state departments of homeland security, and key contacts at the 58 Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) centers throughout the U.S. Full Story
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Inadequate infrastructure investment has economic and environmental impacts Traffic congestion in United States wastes three billion gallons of fuel and contributes 27.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to a report from the Portland Cement Association. The overall economic impact of traffic delays adds up to $80 billion per year. Just to maintain our current levels of congestion while accommodating population growth, we will need 400,000 additional lane miles of highways by 2032. Full Story
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South Carolina faces $22 billion shortfall in needed highway transportation funds over next ten years South Carolina faces a shortfall of nearly $22 billion over the next ten years in needed transportation funding to relieve congestion, improve road and bridge conditions and implement needed safety enhancements, according to a new report released by TRIP. The report examines transportation funding, road and bridge conditions, traffic congestion, roadway safety and economic development in South Carolina. According to the report, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) estimates that from 2007 to 2016, a total of $28.2 billion is needed to relieve congestion, improve road conditions, make needed bridge repairs and implement desirable safety enhancements. However, SCDOT estimates that only $6.3 billion will be available. Full Story
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Feds will help Michigan officials tap into $400 billion in private infrastructure funds Saying that businesses must be able to move goods to customers swiftly and efficiently to succeed, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters has announced a series of measures designed to help Michigan take advantage of more than $400 billion in private infrastructure funds available worldwide for investments in transportation projects. The new measures, which include technical assistance for state and local officials, and expediting federal reviews, are designed to allow Michigan to take advantage of private sector funds once the state legislature authorizes their use. Full Story
Arizona DOT sells freeway parcel at auction for $4.6 million The Arizona Department of Transportation’s first ever mass property auction produced one winning bid on an excess commercial parcel. The land tentatively sold for $4.6 million at the auction, matching the state’s appraised value. Proceeds from the sale of excess freeway property will be reinvested to help fund future freeway projects. The auction marked the first time ADOT has offered several parcels for bid at one time. While selling the parcels was the primary mission of the event, the effort will help gauge interest in commercial property the agency needs to sell. Full Story
Draft FY2009-2013 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program presented to Transportation Commission The Iowa Department of Transportation has presented the Iowa Transportation Commission with the draft Fiscal Year 2009-2013 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program. The program sets the five-year investment priorities for the state’s multi-modal transportation system. A major component of the program is the highway section. The total amount of federal and state funds forecast to be available for highway right-of-way acquisition and construction during FY2009 through 2013 is $2 billion. The draft highway section is fiscally balanced. Full Story
Legislation filed in Massachusetts to begin repairing deficient bridges Following on a pledge to quickly repair the Commonwealth's most neglected bridges, Governor Deval Patrick has filed legislation to accelerate the repair and replacement of approximately 250 to 300 Massachusetts bridges identified as structurally deficient. With the support of Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, Senate President Therese Murray and Treasurer Tim Cahill, the nearly $3 billion plan will address hundreds of bridges in most urgent need of repair across the Commonwealth over the next eight years. Full Story
Michigan DOT to adjust highway maintenance plan this summer This year's severe winter, and the winter maintenance services needed to keep state highways open for traffic, has resulted in higher costs for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). As a consequence, MDOT is forced to scale back summer maintenance activities for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30. Winter maintenance is budgeted using the average of the last five winters to determine the current year's allotment. This winter, costs for snow and ice removal exceeded the average by approximately $18 million. Full Story
Missouri's five-year transportation program includes last hurrah of new projects Missouri's proposed five-year transportation improvement program includes a last hurrah of new transportation projects before plummeting to a program where limited funding will only cover minimal maintenance and safety work. The 2009-2013 transportation program includes $300 million in new construction projects because lower than expected interest rates provided additional Amendment 3 bonding capacity. Missouri transitions from a construction program averaging $1.23 billion to a construction program of about $575 million in 2013. Compounding the funding problem is an expected decline in federal revenue, and rising fuel and construction costs. Full Story |
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New AASHTO study designed to save lives The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has released a report that details a number of low-cost solutions to reduce the staggering number of traffic fatalities in the U.S. each year. 42,000 people die on our highways annually and more than 25,000, almost 60 percent, are killed in crashes caused when their vehicles veer from their lanes. The report, "Driving Down Lane-Departure Crashes," highlights several examples of states that are experiencing dramatic reductions in lane-departure crashes and fatalities through successful leadership and systematic, low-cost improvements. Full Story
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Low-profile barrier systems
Emergency links: NIST identifies "sweet spot" for radios in tunnels
Colorado DOT to evaluate alternate traction device The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will give large trucks the option of using an alternate traction control device known as the AutoSock™ next winter. AutoSock is a fabric that slips over a vehicle’s outer driving wheels, providing extra traction on snowy and icy roads. It also can be installed over the tire in much less time than traditional chains. CDOT engineers, the Colorado State Patrol and trucking experts analyzed the AutoSock and, based on initial test data, recommended a “probationary approval” to verify the device actually performs well in winter driving conditions. The AutoSock currently is used extensively as an alternate to tire chains in Europe. Full Story |
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Schools in New Hampshire and Missouri take home top prizes for bridge design In a national competition that promotes civil engineering and transportation careers, two schools walked away with three top prizes for the best bridge design. All of the students are members of TRAC, a program sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The students designed three types of bridges for the competition: suspension bridges, floating bridges, and truss drawbridges. Full Story |
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Michigan home to leading technology in VII initiative The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been recognized by the United States Department of Transportation as a leader in developing Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) initiatives. The VII program uses communications technologies that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and roadside devices. Full Story |
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25th Annual International Bridge
Conference - Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania Safety 2008 - American Society of Safety
Engineers Annual Conference - American Society of
Highway Engineers |
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For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar |
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Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales U.S. total business sales for March were $1,154.3 billion, up 1.0% from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,465.1 billion, up 0.1% from last month. 5/13/08 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services The nation's international deficit in goods and services decreased to $58.2 billion in March from $61.7 billion (revised) in February, as imports decreased more than exports. 5/9/08 Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories March 2008 sales of merchant wholesalers were $384.3 billion, up 1.6 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories were $420.8 billion, down 0.1 percent from last month. 5/8/08 Economy At A Glance: http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm |
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May issue highlights
Better Bridges:
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Compiled by Larry Green, news editor, Better Roads. To contact Larry about the newsletter content, send e-mail to . Interested in being a sponsor of our newsletter? Contact your sales representative for more information. Click here for list of contacts.
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New designs for low profile portable roadway
barriers provide vehicle operators with a greater field of vision
and can be configured to be start to define the ever changing work
zone perimeter. The barrier uses a segment-to-segment connection
scheme in which a steel channel is connected via steel bolts. This
mechanism provides a continuous steel path to transfer the load of
impact throughout the entire installation.
As part of a project to improve wireless
communications for emergency responders, researchers at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have confirmed that
underground tunnels—generally a difficult setting for radios—can
have a frequency “sweet spot” at which signals may travel several
times farther than at other frequencies. The finding, which uses
extensive new data to confirm models developed in the 1970s, may
point to strategies for enhancing rescue communications in subways
and mines.
