Volume 2 Issue 8 | March 4, 2021
Transportation Planning Newsletter
Chair: Kristina Swallow, Nevada DOT Vice Chair: Lynn Weiskopf, New York State DOT

The Committee on Planning addresses all aspects of the transportation planning process including federal regulations, current industry practices, and emerging approaches and concepts. The committee is dedicated to providing State DOTs the expertise, resources and tools they need to implement a robust planning process within their agencies that is multimodal, multidisciplinary, innovative and consensus-oriented.
Committee News
Nominations for the 2021 America’s Transportation Awards are Now Being Accepted
From now until April 23, states can nominate up to three projects for the 2021 America’s Transportation Awards. Now in its 14th year, this program helps showcase why transportation infrastructure – and why properly funding it – is vital to supporting the nation’s economy while improving the quality of life for communities across the country.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the competition serves as a way to recognize state departments of transportation and highlights the projects they deliver that make their communities a better place to live, work, and play.

Projects can be nominated in the following categories: Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Quality of Life/Community Development.

All nominated projects will first compete on a regional level against projects of their own size: “Small” (projects costing less than $25 million), “Medium” (projects between $25 million and $199 million) or “Large” (projects $200 million or more).
Projects first compete for regionally in the four association regions – NASTO, MAASTO, WASHTO, and SASHTO – with those winners being announced this summer. After all regional meetings have taken place over the summer, the three highest scoring projects from each region will be named the “Top 12” and will go on to compete for the top two national prizes. The Grand Prize is selected by a panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award is decided by online popular vote. Winners of those top two prizes will each receive $10,000 to donate to a charity or scholarship of their choice. The overall winners will be announced at the 2021 AASHTO Annual Meeting.
Click here to view the 2020 America's Transportation Award winners.
Click here to submit your nominations and to view additional details.
Requesting Feedback on the New AASHTO Transportation Management Hub: Advancing the New Interconnected TPM, TAM, and ERM Portals
blue_car_road.jpg
AASHTO has just launched a demo of the redesigned AASHTO Transportation Management Hub. The hub provides access to the three transportation management sites:


The new AASHTO Transportation Management Hub:
  • Provides a seamless user experience across the sites
  • Gathers resources in topic libraries and special collections
  • Introduces cross-site search capabilities
  • Supports AASHTO user communities with new content management tools for leadership
Through this redesign, the Transportation Management Hub supports the 2021-2026 AASHTO Strategic Plan Member Engagement and Organizational Optimization Strategies.
We would like your feedback on the user experience of the redesigned hub. Please fill out the feedback forms found on the site or email contact@tpm-portal.com with any of your suggestions.
Industry News
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

From car-country native to cycling enthusiast, Buttigieg promises a bike-friendly DOT
Bicycle Retailer

Lime says it will spend $50 million on a huge e-bike expansion
The Verge

The pandemic is changing how cities think about bicycles, and it's about damn time
Boing Boing commentary
 
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Virginia Democrats, Republicans go head-to-head over electric car bill
WSET-TV

FREIGHT
 
North Dakota Bill Proposes Amending Truck Restrictions for Road Train Pilot
Transport Topics

Container CEOs jointly attack US ports for having insufficient infrastructure
ShippingWatch

FUNDING
 
USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg: “Some Sort Of Road Usage Levy Necessary”
AASHTO Journal

Congressional Members Provide Surface Transportation Reauthorization Outlook
AASHTO Journal

Report: $2.59 trillion needed to improve U.S. infrastructure over next decade
Detroit News

Minnesota Proposal Would Tax Electricity as Fuel
Transport Topics

Utah Legislature’s Latest Inland Port Bill Creates ‘Bank’ To Fund Infrastructure Projects
KUER Radio

Florida’s toll road projects a ‘fiscal cliff,’ in serious trouble, lawmakers say
Tampa Bay Times

INFRASTRUCTURE

Report: $2.59 trillion needed to improve U.S. infrastructure over next decade
Detroit News

INTERNATIONAL
 
The City Where Cars Are Not Welcome
New York Times

Urban Mobility Package: Evaluation confirms importance to adapt urban mobility planning to today’s technological, social, political, environmental, and health-related reality
European Commission

Paris to launch universal charging pilot for micro-mobility
SmartCitiesWorld

MOBILITY 

More biking, fewer trains: Survey examines the pandemic’s effects on mobility in the D.C. region
Washington Post

University of Minnesota transportation study aims to see how easy it is to get to school or health care
Star Tribune

MPOs
 
Pedroza To Lead Metropolitan Transportation Commission As Chair
Napa Valley Patch
 
Canon: Texas-Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan is huge for Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Guardian

Permian Basin MPO addresses regional transportation needs
Midland Reporter-Telegram commentary

PLANNING
 
COVID’s Transportation Tsunami  
City Journal

RAIL
 
Deputy DOT Pick Trottenberg Would Prioritize N.Y.-N.J. Rail Tunnel
Transport Topics
 
ROADWAYS
 
U.S. Driving Last Year Was Lowest in Two Decades, New Data Show
USDOT

TECHNOLOGY

Self-Driving Cars: One Politician’s Plan To Avoid Chaos In California
Inverse

Era of Smart Infrastructure Demands Strong Data, Technology Management
TRB

TRANSIT
 
Equity is driving force behind Philly’s new transit plan
Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
 
Metro Transit’s big plans for faster bus routes offer a chance to improve both air quality and racial equity
Sahan Journal

Transit authorities to launch major new initiatives in coming years
Mass Transit

Monorail is a ‘viable’ transit option for I-270 but wouldn’t reduce traffic, study says
Washington Post

Does Remote Work Put Transit-Oriented Development in Jeopardy?
Propmodo

WORKFORCE

More Public Transit Options and Public-Private Sector Collaboration Creates Better Access to Labor Pool for Industrial Park Employers
RiverBender.com

Anderson Co., South Carolina develops new transportation program to help people get to work
WSPA-TV

© 2021 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
News stories gathered by Bernie Wagenblast