Crews uncover slew of historical artifacts in construction of Britain’s Crossrail commuter line

While tunneling for the 13-mile underground section of Britain’s 73-mile, $23 billion Crossrail commuter line, crews uncovered about 2,000 years-worth of historical artifacts, according to a report from our sister site, Equipment World.

The crews found the artifacts about 16 to 20 feet below ground. 

“This site is a rare, perhaps unprecedented opportunity,” Nick Elsden, a Museum of London archaeologist, told the AP. “This is a major roadway outside one of London’s busiest railway stations. You don’t get to dig that up normally.” 

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Crews uncover slew of historical artifacts in construction of Britain’s Crossrail commuter line

Texas A&M Transportation Institute to set bollard standards

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is working on a solution to vehicles crashing into buildings. 

The institute announced last month that it is looking for a way to strengthen of the concrete poles known as bollards that are designed to act as a barrier between vehicles and buildings. 

According to TTI, about 20 vehicles crash into a building each day in the United States — which amounts to 7,300 incidents annually — with 70 percent involving convenience stores, restaurants or other businesses.

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Texas A&M Transportation Institute to set bollard standards

Massachusetts moves forward with all-electronic tolling plan

Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick and his administration are moving forward with a $250 million plan that would replace toll collectors in the state with all-electronic tolling, according to a report from The Republican. 

In addition to the push for all-electronic tolling, officials are working on a plan that would reinstate passenger-vehicle tolls between Exits 1 and 6, beginning October 15. State legislators approved a law in July that allows the change to happen.

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Massachusetts moves forward with all-electronic tolling plan

TxDOT delays gravel road plan

The Texas Department of Transportation has put on hold a plan to convert some rural asphalt roads to gravel, according to a report from The San Antonio Express-News.

Senator Carlos Uresti (D-Texas) said Tuesday that TxDOT officials decided on a 60-day delay in some of the planned conversions after state lawmakers raised concerns about the plan. 

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TxDOT delays gravel road plan

Industry professionals need to advocate infrastructure improvements, says APWA Congress speaker Larry Frevert

Earlier this year, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave America a D+ on its Report Card on American Infrastructure. 

The report outlined that funding is currently $1.6 trillion below what is needed to repair and maintain the nation’s failing infrastructure system by 2020, and it is $201 million short annually to make those repairs. And according to the society’s Failure to Act Report, which looks at “the impact of current infrastructure on America’s economic future,” the U.S. is projected to lose a total of 3.4 million jobs by 2020 if America doesn’t invest in its infrastructure.

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Industry professionals need to advocate infrastructure improvements, says APWA Congress speaker Larry Frevert

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman: ‘Average is over’

Best-selling author and New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman spoke Sunday in front of a group of public works professionals about the challenges posed by globalization, changing technology, deficits and energy consumption. 

During his session at the American Public Works Association (APWA) Congress and Exposition, Friedman noted that within a seven-year span at the start of the 21st Century, people went from simply being connected to being hyper-connected.  

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New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman: ‘Average is over’

VIDEO: New Electric Car Folds To Park

A new electric car from Korea folds itself up when parked.  The car is designed for personal and  public transit use.

VIDEO: Amtrak offers electric locomotive facility preview, discusses new train’s power

Amtrak on Wednesday offered Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) a preview of its Wilmington Maintenance Facility, where the company is testing its new electric locomotives, according to Delaware’s WDDE.

The facility is in the final stages of testing the Siemens-manufactured Amtrak Cities Sprinter (ACS-64), which debuted in Sacramento, California, in May. Amtrak ordered 70 of the locomotives in 2010 for $466 million and expects to replace the entire electric fleet in the Northeast Corridor with the new trains by 2016.

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VIDEO: Amtrak offers electric locomotive facility preview, discusses new train’s power

Nation’s First Rural Bus Rapid Transit System Opens In Colorado

The VelociRFTA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line opened last week in the Roaring Forks Valley region of Colorado. 

The system is the first rural BRT line in nation and will allow commuters in the Glenwood Springs area to travel about 40 miles to Aspen in an hour — half the travel time of a traditional bus.

Read the rest of the story at Better Roads.

Five Projects Receive Southern Regional America’s Transportation Awards

Five transportation projects have won awards in the sixth annual southern regional America’s Transportation Awards competition. 

The competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, recognizes transportation projects in three main categories: “Ahead of Schedule,” “Under Budget” and “Best Use of Innovation.” The projects were also ranked by size: small category (projects that cost less than $25 million), medium category (projects costing between $25-$200 million) and large category (projects that cost  more than $200 million). 

Seven transportation projects were nominated. Read all about them here.

Video: Largest Self-Anchored Suspension Bridge

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Top 5 Cities For Electric Cars

You have probably heard of certain cities which have particularly high electric car ownership rates, often due to their generous incentives. Can you name which five cities have over 50% of the electric cars sold in the US?


See the list and the rest of the story here.

Fun With Road Signs

While running the Emerald City Half Marathon in Dublin, Ohio, in late August, I managed to pass the miles by reading the amusing signs spectators made to cheer on friends and family – and the funny signs that some runners wore themselves. (I love wearing my shirt that bears the phrase, “In my dreams, I am a Kenyan.” Translation: In my dreams when I run a marathon, I’m crossing the finish line in all my glory, still standing upright not hobbling, in a little more than two hours. The amazing Kenyan runner, Samuel Wanjiru, who won the Chicago Marathon when I ran it in both 2009 and 2010, finished in 2:05:41 and 2:06:23, respectively. Let’s just say, my time was more than double his time.

Some of my favorite signs from the race included ..click here for the rest of the story.

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Opens On Labor Day

Despite an announcement earlier this summer that the East Span of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge would not open as scheduled on Labor Day, the $6.4 billion span began carrying drivers late Monday night, according to a report from The Sacramento Bee.

The 2,047-foot span has been under construction for more than a decade. The project has been criticized for problems with its design, budget, timeliness and more, but it has also garnered praise for becoming the world’s largest self-anchored suspension (SAS) bridge.

Check out the video here to see a 4-minute time lapse of more than 42,000 hours of construction of the bridge.

Standard Cost Categories for Capital Projects

In 2005 FTA implemented the Standard Cost Categories, to establish a consistent format for the reporting, estimating, and managing of capital costs for New Starts projects. The cost information gathered from projects across the country has been developed into a database (the Capital Cost Database), a cost estimating resource useful to FTA and the transit industry alike. The SCC Workbook is a project management tool -- project-based as opposed to grant-based.

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Bergkamp Introduces Spray Injection Patcher Pothole Patching Solutions

Bergkamp has introduced its SP5, SP8 and SPT Spray Injection Patcher pothole patching solutions, which are designed to be quick, safe and economical options.

The truck-mounted SP5 and SP8 Spray Injection Patchers feature a dual chamber (60/40) aggregate hopper that allows for distribution of two grades of aggregate, as well as an automatic operation option that allows for in-cab operations in addition to on-ground manual operations.

The trailer-mounted SPT comes standard with manual operations.

A front-mounted boom provides a working radius of up to 13 feet on the SP5 and SP8 patchers.

Read the rest of the story at Better Roads.

Transportation Secretary Foxx names new chief of staff

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx has named former aide to ex-White House Chief of Staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as his new chief of staff, according to a report from The Hill. 

Foxx also appointed former aide to Emanuel, Sarah Feinberg, to help run the department. Feinberg has also previously served as a D.C. representative for Facebook and Bloomberg LP. 

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Transportation Secretary Foxx names new chief of staff

Weirdest U.S. Driving Laws

Weirdest U.S. Driving Laws

Transportation Sector Gains 12,000 Jobs in August

Transportation employment grew by 12,000 jobs to 4,463,500 in August, according to a report from The Hill. The figures come from statistics released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which showed that the transportation sector’s growth joins gains of 160,000 jobs in the U.S. economy. 

Additionally, unemployment was down 7.3 percent. Transit and ground transportation experienced the highest number of gains, growing from 446,200 jobs in July to 453,800 jobs in August — an increase of 7,600 jobs. - 

Read the rest of the story at Better Roads.