“Some of these burdensome deadlines would have cost communities millions of dollars at a time when they can’t afford that,” said LaHood in a May 10 written press statement. “We spoke to state and local officials across the country, and we heard them loud and clear.”

Earlier this year, President Obama called for a government-wide review of regulations in order to identify those that needed to be changed or removed because they were unnecessary, out-of-date, excessively burdensome or overly costly.

“Officials at the state and local levels are in the best position to make decisions related to sign replacement and other issues related to traffic management,” said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez in a press release. “These changes will give them the flexibility they need to make the best use of taxpayer dollars.”

The regulations establishing deadlines for street sign replacement came from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is a compilation of national standards for all pavement markings, street signs and traffic signals. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which has published the manual since 1971, updates it periodically to accommodate changing transportation needs and address new safety technologies, traffic control tools, and traffic management techniques.

Last August, FHWA issued a Notice of Proposed Amendments to eliminate the 46 deadlines, and a final rule has been sent to the Federal Register for publication. The final rule is available in the docket, FHWA-2010-0159, available at http://www.regulations.gov.

The deadlines requiring that certain street name signs be replaced by 2018 to meet minimum retroreflectivity standards and requiring larger lettering on those street name signs are among the deadlines that will be eliminated. The final rule also eliminates deadlines for increasing the size of various traffic signs, such as ‘Pass With Care’ and ‘Low Clearance.’ Instead, communities will be able to replace and upgrade these signs when they reach the end of their useful life.

In addition to eliminating the deadlines, FHWA will allow communities to retain historic street-name signs in historic districts.

The DOT has retained 12 deadlines for sign upgrades that are critical to public safety. These safety-critical sign upgrades include installing ONE WAY signs at intersections with divided highways or one-way streets and requiring STOP or YIELD signs to be added at all railroad crossings that don’t have train-activated automatic gates or flashing lights.

Ohio senators voted 25-8 that would make it a secondary offense for adults, but texting, talking or using electronic wireless communications would be a primary offense for drivers 18 and younger.

Several major Ohio cities already ban text messaging while driving and some additional small cities prohibit hand-held cell use and/or texting, according to American Automobile Association.

South Carolina’s Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill April 25 to prohibit calling, texting or reading electronic messages in work or school zones. It also would make it illegal for drivers younger than 18 to use a cell phone without a hands-free device.

In Missouri, House members had an April 2 hearing for a measure to bar all drivers from text messaging while driving unless the device has voice-recognition technology for hands-free texting April 2. Missouri already bars the activity for drivers 21 and younger, according to AAA.

Alabama’s new ban on texting while driving for all drivers is effective Aug. 1, making it the became the 38th state to bar it for all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The Inspector General report says Stout engaged “in behavior that could undermine citizens’ confidence in state government.” Stout, who is 58 years old, quit is $108,288-per-year job in December 2011, where he had worked since February 2003.

The inspector general’s office recommended disciplinary action against Stout last year for failing to disclose his secondary employment, misusing his state vehicle and e-mail account, and billing the state for almost 100 hours of work the office found he didn’t actually do, the Chicago Sun-Times report.

The funding uncertainty has “stifled lettings of a long-term transportation infrastructure improvement projects in many states,” ARTBA asserts.

However, the organization points out that the “direct and indirect employment benefits of a federal investment are undeniable,” it doesn’t guarantee creation of jobs if a transportation bill is approved.

Noting this, ARTBA is urging conferees “to ensure any conference report, at a minimum, provides inflation-adjusted FY 2011 levels of surface transportation investment as approved by the Senate. Failing to do so would solidify the job-threatening $2 billion cut in highway improvement funds enacted as part of the FY 2012 appropriations process.”

For a downloadable PDF of the full letter that ARTBA sent the conferees, click here.

“The Obama administration is committed to helping communities return to normal after natural disasters – and that includes ensuring that friends and neighbors can get where they need to go safely,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These recovery funds will help reimburse states that needed to restore damaged roads and bridges in the days and weeks after natural disasters.”

The money will reimburse states for fixing or replacing highways, bridges and other roadway structures. Costs associated with detours, debris removal and other immediate measures necessary to restore traffic flow in affected areas also are eligible for reimbursement.

“Disasters can leave communities immobile as local agencies are left with a huge mess to clean up and a price tag to match,” said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez. “The department is committed to repaying states for work that was necessary to get traffic moving and people on their way.”

Oregon, Alabama and South Carolina will share a total of $20 million. Oregon will receive $15 million for cleanup from flooding, landslides and erosion that occurred across the state as a result of severe storms in January. Alabama will receive $3 million for the repair of the March 2010 sinkhole on Interstate 65 in Morgan County. South Carolina will receive $2 million for repairing the Laurens Street Bridge in Aiken after heavy rains caused erosion and closed the bridge in April 2012.

FHWA’s Emergency Relief program reimburses states for the repair and reconstruction of federal-aid highways and bridges that suffer serious damage as a result of natural disaster or catastrophic event. The funding helps pay for expenses resulting from extraordinary conditions.

To use emergency lights, the vast majority of roadside crews need to keep their vehicles running, which results in engines idling, says ADOT. Idling vehicles waste fuel and emit pollution.

“The contracts approved by the Board today will allow the Tollway to begin design this spring, so we are prepared to move these projects to the construction phase,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur in a press release. “These projects are critical to the Tollway’s $12 billion Move Illinois Program and will play a major role in creating jobs, relieving congestion, improving air quality and stimulating our regional economy.”

Contracts awarded in April include $26.9 million for corridor management and $72.1 million for design services for the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), as well as $66.8 million for corridor management and design services for the Elgin O’Hare West Bypass. In addition, a construction management contract was awarded in the amount of $573,500 for the realignment of Dixie Creek as part of the Tri-State Tollway (I-294)/I-57 Interchange Project, and a $5 million contract was also approved for systemwide environmental services.

The contract awards include 9 prime consultants and 25 subcontractors with minority- and women-owned certification (MBE/WBE) and disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) participation commitments ranging from 20 percent to 83 percent per contract.  Of the $171.4 million in awarded contracts, $39.4 million or more than 23 percent is committed to these firms.

Contracts awarded today include the following:

• One $66.8 million contract award to CH2M Hill Inc. for corridor management and design services for the Elgin O’Hare West Bypass.
• One $26.9 million contract award to BV3 for corridor management and design services for the reconstruction and widening of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) from Higgins Road to the Elgin Toll Plaza.
• Five design services contracts for the reconstruction and widening of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90):
• $23.4 million award to Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. for design services from the Kennedy Expressway to Oakton Street.
• $16.4 million award to Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. for design services from Oakton Street to Illinois Route 53.
• $24.2 million award to HDR Engineering Inc. for design services from Illinois Route 53 to Higgins Road.
• $2.7 million award to ABNA of Illinois Inc. for design services for the Lee Street interchange.
• $5.4 million award to Elmhurst Joint Venture for design services for the Elmhurst Road interchange.
• One $573,504 award to CivicCon Services Inc. for construction management services for the realignment of Dixie Creek as part of the Tri-State Tollway I-294/I-57 Interchange Project.
• One $5 million contract award to Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. for systemwide environmental services.

“Technology has evolved to make diesel engines more efficient and cleaner than ever,” says Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “These grants enable owners of older diesel vehicles to make investments that modernize their vehicles while making the air in their communities cleaner and healthier to breathe.”

This is the first competition since the Diesel Emission Reduction Program, also known as DERA, was reauthorized in 2011. The program cleans up existing diesel vehicles, many of which can be operated for decades, by targeting projects that utilize the most cost-effective clean diesel strategies.

EPA has standards in place that make new diesels more than 90 percent cleaner, but older diesels that predate these standards emit large amounts of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). EPA says nearly 11 million older diesels still operate throughout the nation’s transportation system.

States, tribes, local governments and nonprofits are eligible to apply for these grants. Projects can reduce air pollution from older heavy-duty diesel trucks, school buses, transit buses, marine engines, locomotives and other diesel engines. The closing date for receipt of proposals is June 4.

In PPL Montana, LLC v. Montana, the Court, Feb. 22, unanimously declined to expand the definition of what is considered “navigable” under federal law, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The ruling removes a road block that could have needlessly delayed transportation improvements.

ARTBA, the only transportation construction association involved in the case, joined with eight other industry associations in filing a brief urging the Court to overturn a lower court holding that the entire span of three rivers in Montana was “navigable” because certain remote sections are used for recreational purposes.

For purposes of transportation development, once something is considered “navigable” it is under federal control, and subject to the permitting authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps).

An expanded definition of “navigability” could have resulted in a scenario where the EPA and Corps would have the option of exerting jurisdiction over roadside ditches, potentially adding years to an already expansive review and approval process for transportation infrastructure projects that are needed for increased mobility and improved safety.

The full text of the association’s brief can be found in the “current advocacy efforts” section of www.artba.org.

For more on this, see the April 2012 digital edition at www.aggman.com/digital.

On April 5, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter signed the bill that institutes an $85 fine against violators beginning July 1.

Parnell received the bill April 18 and is expected to sign it into law. In 2008, Alaska passed the ban, which carries a maximum penalty of $5,000 and one year in jail. Last December, the state’s law department recommended clarifying the regulation because it does not explicitly mention texting.

Since 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s has prohibited commercial drivers from texting while driving, and last November, the agency also banned handheld cell phone use.

A 2010 Highway Loss Data Institute study of states actually indicated a slight increase in crashes after states approved these bans.