Volume 2 Issue 18 | May 13, 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
FHWA Acting Administrator Stephanie Pollack To Co-Present Webinar:
What's New? The Future of Transportation Performance Management
The next TPM webinar will be hosted on May 19 from 2:00-3:30PM Eastern, and the event will feature a heavy-hitting slate of speakers you won't want to miss.

Emerging TPM priorities and incorporating transportation performance topics such as climate change, public health, equity, and active transportation measures is the focus of this webinar. The presenters are:

  • Acting Administrator Stephanie Pollack, FHWA 
  • A presentation on the Biden/Harris Administration vision and TPM
  • Secretary Roger Millar, Washington State DOT
  • Director Toks Omishakin, Caltrans
  • Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minnesota DOT
  • Secretary Shawn Wilson, Louisiana DOTD

The TPM Webinar series presents best practices and guidance for practitioners in transportation performance management. The webinars are sponsored by the TPM Pooled Fund with support from AASHTO Committee on Performance Based Management Leadership and FHWA.
2021 Joint AASHTO-TRB Transportation Planning Research Symposium Begins May 20: Register Today
The AASHTO Committee on Planning's Subcommittee on Research, in cooperation with the TRB committees on Transportation Planning Policy and Processes (AEP10) and Transportation Planning Analysis and Application (AEP15), are hosting a two-part planning research symposium on May 20 and July 15 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm EASTERN each day.

The purpose of the research symposium is to work collaboratively with both the membership of the AASHTO and TRB committees to generate research ideas that could be funded through the upcoming NCHRP research cycle that begins this fall. The research symposium will look broadly at planning research needed for the transportation industry and not specifically to any one area (e.g., State DOTs, MPOs, locals, etc.).

Registration is required for each session. State DOT personnel and public sector partners are welcomed to participate. With over 80 confirmed participants, we can't wait to see you there too.
Industry News
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Ozarks transportation group proposes 45 miles of new trails by 2045, asks for public input
Springfield News-Leader

Study underway on Route 1 pedestrian bridges in Delaware
Cape Gazette
 
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

House Democrats Support Electric Vehicle Policies, Pallone Says
Transport Topics

Researchers Warn Against Becoming Too Dependent On Hydrogen To Power Cars
Jalopnik

New EV charging station signs to appear soon along Illinois interstates
Illinois DOT

EQUITY

Transportation Equity and Minnesota’s Rethinking I-94 Project
AASHTO ETAP Podcast

Federal bill would help reconnect areas with highways running through them
WTEN-TV

Minnesota’s racial divide: Will land bridge right Rondo’s wrongs?
Al Jazeera

FUNDING
 
$140M Maine bond package targets transportation, preservation
AP

Colorado transportation fees bill faces key tension between more highway lanes and addressing climate change
Denver Post

INFRASTRUCTURE

In Louisiana, Biden makes infrastructure pitch local
NBC News

Florida eyes alternatives to demolishing, replacing Pruitt Memorial Bridge over Sebastian Inlet
TCPalm

MOBILITY 

Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership releases long term mobility plan for Downtown
Pittsburgh City Paper

MPOs
 
Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission aims to form group with Shelby, Darke and Preble counties 
Sidney Daily News

OTHER
 
Can Pete Buttigieg Really Change Transportation Policy?
Governing

What Will Happen To Gas Stations In The Future?
CNET
 
RAIL
 
D.C.-to-Baltimore maglev would only benefit rich, Amtrak chief says
Baltimore Sun
 
Alaska-Alberta rail project may have a problem: regulators are investigating its financier
Alaska Public Media

ROADWAYS

What's next for I-81? Congressman, Maryland transportation chief tour highway
Herald-Mail

Arkansas Department of Transportation considering 3 route options for I-57
KATV-TV

Iowa DOT revamping interchanges to deter wrong-way drivers
The Gazette

MDOT removes large stretch of Capital Beltway from toll-lane plan
Maryland Matters

Transportation leaders take next steps to fix Downtown Tampa Interchange from I-275 to I-4
WFTS-TV

Kansas City leaders turn to art installations to slow traffic at busy intersections
WDAF-TV

Dashcam Data Zeroes in on Highway Work Zones and More
Government Technology

Yellowstone National Park looks at traffic management as visitors increase
Cody Enterprise

From Twitter to Traffic Predictor
Carnegie Mellon University

SAFETY 

DC mayor pledges $10 million for road safety after recent traffic deaths
Washington Post

TRANSIT

Entire U.S. transit bus fleet could transition to zero emission at a cost of $56 billion to $89 billion
Mass Transit
 
OKC To Build Bus Rapid Transit System
KWTV-TV

Could the Metro go all the way to Quantico? There’s a $2 million study under way to find out
Prince William Times

MARTA worried it's losing control over how it spends federal transit dollars
Atlanta Business Chronicle
 
Working From Home for Some Threatens Mass Transit for All
Bloomberg CityLab

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD

Work Zones Need Detailed Research, Planning, and Technology to Be Made Safe
TRB

TRB Webinar: Catching Up on Low-speed Automated Vehicles in Public Transit
TRB

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