The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will distribute $1 billion among 70 surface transportation infrastructure projects in 44 states through its Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program. The Fiscal Year 2020 program is for planning and capital investments.
The United States Department of Transportation has released a National Freight Strategic Plan, which the agency says is the “first ever.” The NFSP, USDOT says, “lays out a vision for long-term investments in infrastructure, the workforce, and other essential parts of the freight system.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that provides up to $50 million in grants for commuter rail agencies working to improve safety at highway-rail crossings. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 26, 2020.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), issued on June 19 a final rule authorizing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced plans to invest $906 million in America’s infrastructure through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program. The proposed funding will be awarded to 20 projects in 20 states, and of those 20 projects, four are direct rail or rail-served projects totaling $112.05 million, or 12.3% of total funds. The remaining 16 projects are all highway-related.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced approximately 15.5 million cloth facial coverings will be sent to the transportation workforce.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced a new pilot program, the Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Financing Express (RRIF Express), to expedite long-term, low-cost loans for short line and regional freight railroads.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), announced that it is publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The proposed rule will seek comment on changes to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to authorize the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail in the DOT-113 specification tank cars.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that the Short Line Safety Institute’s (SLSI) program, Safety Culture Assessment (SCA), was named “the most comprehensive or robust approach in the U.S. railroad industry” in evaluating safety culture.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has partnered with five railroads with operations in the state—Norfolk Southern, Georgia Northeastern Railroad, Georgia Southern Railway, Ogeechee Railroad Co. and St. Mary’s Railway West—to add “Stop” or “Yield” signs at nearly 600 crossings that do not have automatic warning devices.
