An Occasional Series: One 2 One with some of the most interesting people in the business

Better Roads Staff - Jan 10, 2013

FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez talks to Editor-in-Chief John Latta Victor Mendez is Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), overseeing the agency and advising the Administration on strategic initiatives and policy. He launched FHWA’s Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative in November ...

Lattatudes

Better Roads Staff - Jan 09, 2013

Angelina Jolie John Latta, Editor-in-Chiefjlatta@randallreilly.com It’s not unreasonable to say that “new” media, “social” media and “digital” media rule lives. For older, working generations, the stuff is both essential and addictive. In the world of our young people, digital is the ...

A New Year’s resolution for the nation: Take care of your crumbling infrastructure

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Jan 04, 2013

It’s “I told you so” time! A recent Washington Post report noted that bridges in Washington, D.C., are falling apart faster than they can be repaired and there just isn’t the money to repair them. This isn’t a news flash to the ...

Fifty-state ‘Vehicle Miles Traveled’ tax/fee/charge study proposed

John Latta - Dec 17, 2012

Will your vehicle one day feel like a taxi cab? Oregon Democrat representative Earl Blumenauer has introduced legislation that would fund a 50-state Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) pilot program to examine a new source of highway funding. The legislation calls on the ...

Whispering the T Word

John Latta - Dec 05, 2012

TAX! Nothing like shouting a three-letter word ending in X to get your attention. But no, we’re not talking income tax. The gas tax is back on a table in Washington. The 18.3 cents a gallon tax, un-indexed and unchanged in almost ...

Lattatudes

Better Roads Staff - Dec 01, 2012

Get 'em Dirty By John Latta From the days when SAFETEA-LU’s expiration was way in the future, until today, I’ve followed Washington’s every move on reauthorization and visited the capital regularly to talk to people that mattered, officially or unofficially, in the ...

It’s Still Raining Obvious, Congressman.

John Latta - Oct 12, 2012

FLASHBACK -- Here's a paper from 2003. I stumbled on it and deja vu! It's simple title is A Dozen Reasons for Raising Gasoline Taxes. Reading it is weird: the 12 arguments are not old. All the way through the winding ...

It’s time to learn from your mistakes, Congress

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Sep 14, 2012

Learn From Your Mistakes The House passed a six-month continuing resolution, H.J.Res. 117, on last night to fund the government until early 2013, according to a Sept. 14 report in the Association of American Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Journal. However, this ...

Highway Contractor

Better Roads Staff - Sep 07, 2012

Old Dog, New Tricks Even with a strong foundation and a long history, you need to be willing and able to adapt to stay competitive today. By John Latta It’s not 2007 anymore. Changes in the economy, the way work is decided on, planned ...

RoadWorks

Better Roads Staff - Sep 06, 2012

Mapping MAP-21’s Reforms By John Latta MAP-21, our brand-new surface transportation legislation, includes several significant changes to the review and approval process for transportation projects, all of which have the potential to change, and hopefully benefit the way agencies and contractors work. ...

The construction industry is ‘Built to Last’ with Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Aug 20, 2012

How awesome is this? I just learned that well-known book author Jim Collins is one of the keynote speakers at the 2013 National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) Annual Meeting set for Feb. 9-13, 2013. Collins is known for the books "From ...

Lattatudes

Better Roads Staff - Aug 05, 2012

Making It Work Okay, no seventh-inning stretch; let’s get right back into action. jlatta@rrpub.com You have read (or at least I hope you have) my constant urgings throughout the past three years to get out and press politicians to pass a new ...

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