Primary Feature

WASHINGTON — As construction season ramps up, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is urging drivers to slow down to help prevent fatalities in areas where work crews are on job sites. This comes as the agency highlights this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, which runs April 15-19. Tragically, three highway workers were killed on April 17 after a truck hit them along Interstate 83 in Philadelphia, hammering home the importance of work zone safety. Investigators said a 24-year-old man was driving a large box truck at about 3:25 a.m. when it struck a construction vehicle in a work zone, then hit the three workers on the shoulder. While the investigation into this incident is ongoing, the FHWA says that speed often plays a significant role in causing vulnerable road user and automobile crash-related fatalities. “Safer speeds are a key part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, established under Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris administration, to address the safety crisis on our roadways,” an FHWA news release states. On April 16, FHWA Associate Administrator for Operations Martin Knopp joined Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Secretary Paul Wiedefeld and other state officials for this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week kick-off event organized by MDOT. The event took place along Interstate 695 in Baltimore County. where six workers were killed in March 2023 when a vehicle crashed into a road construction site. Officials said this year’s theme — “Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever” — underscores how critical it is for drivers to make safety a priority while driving through work zones. The recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is another tragic reminder that highway construction workers are often the unsung heroes of the nation’s transportation system. “We count on construction workers to keep our roads safe — and they count on all of us to keep them safe on the job,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “In 2022, almost 900 people tragically lost their lives in work zone crashes. So this National Work Zone Awareness Week, we call on all drivers to slow down and pay attention. Our nation’s roadway workers are counting on you.” Crashes in highway work zones happen most frequently when drivers are speeding or aren’t paying attention to changing road conditions. In 2022, speed was a factor in 34% of fatal work zone crashes. The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, operated by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute in coordination with FHWA, has additional data on work zone fatalities. “The men and women fixing our streets, highways and bridges are among the most vulnerable road users because their jobs require them to be on foot near oncoming traffic,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “We hope drivers stay alert so these mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who are America’s transportation heroes can do their jobs without incident and arrive home safely when their shift is over.” The Biden-Harris administration has provided funding through a number of programs that can be used to improve safety on roads where construction crews are at work. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides significant resources to improve work crew and construction site safety, including $5 billion to local governments for the Safe Streets For All discretionary grant program and $15.6 billion in total funding to State DOTs under the Highway Safety Improvement Program. The law provides additional funding and provisions that can improve work zone safety, including: A higher federal share — up to 100% — for certain projects that utilize innovative project delivery, including those that provide contingency funds to incorporate safety enhancements to work zones Work Zone Safety Grants Program funding, which has been used to train more than 124,000 field workers, and state, local and tribal personnel in nearly 4,500 courses, with more than $50 million provided to non-profit organizations and the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation Grants, including one for $1.6 million that will be used by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration to collect data via aerial systems to support real-time speed management in work zones. FHWA, in conjunction with the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations, continues to support national deployment of the Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx), which can be used to streamline communication regarding work zone activity between agencies and traveler information service providers. As of March 2024, 23 state agencies and the National Park Service are participating in the WZDx. For more information on this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, visit National Work Zone Awareness Week, follow @USDOTFHWA on X and use hashtags #NWZAW, #Orange4Safety and #OrangeForSafety.    

The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge that is focused on the circumstances leading up to it and whether all federal laws were followed, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The FBI was present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity, the agency said in a statement Monday, April 15. It didn’t elaborate and said it wouldn’t comment further on the investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post. Meanwhile, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Monday announced a partnership with two law firms to “launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible” and mitigate harm to city residents. The massive Dali left Baltimore’s port in the early hours of March 26, laden with cargo and headed for Sri Lanka, when it struck one of the bridge’s supporting columns, causing the span to collapse into the Patapsco River and sending six members of a roadwork crew plunging to their deaths. Divers have recovered three bodies from the underwater wreckage, while the remaining three victims are still unaccounted for. Since the bridge’s collapse, the freight industry, including trucking, has felt the impact of the port’s closure. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said last week that investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as evidenced in videos showing its lights going out and coming back on. Homendy said information gleaned from the vessel’s voyage data recorder is relatively basic, “so that information in the engine room will help us tremendously.” In his statement announcing the partnership with law firms, Scott said the city “will take decisive action to hold responsible all entities accountable for the Key Bridge tragedy, including the owner, charterer, manager/operator, and the manufacturer of the M/V Dali, as well as any other potentially liable third parties.” He said with the ship’s owner already seeking to limit the company’s liability, the city needs to act quickly to protect its own interests. The investigation comes amid concerns about the safety of thousands of U.S. bridges and days after more than two dozen river barges broke loose and struck a closed span in Pittsburgh. By Eric Tucker and Sarah Brumfield, The Associated Press

BRENHAM, Texas  — A Texas truck driver rammed a stolen 18-wheeler through the front of a public safety building where his renewal for a commercial driver’s license had been rejected, killing one person and injuring 13 others, authorities said Friday. The intentional crash into the single-story brick building off a highway in Brenham, a rural town outside of Houston, littered debris in the parking lot and left a gaping hole in the entrance. The crash damaged the front of the red semitrailer, which was hauling materials on a flatbed. After crashing into the building the first time, the driver backed up the truck with the intention of smashing it again before being detained, Brenham Mayor Atwood Kenjura said. “It’s unfortunate that we are here gathered for a really senseless tragedy,” Kenjura said. The driver — identified as Clenard Parker, 42 — was pulled out of the truck by authorities at the Texas Department of Public Safety office. Authorities say Parker did not resist when he was taken into custody and would face multiple felonies, but did not specify the charges. On Thursday, Parker was told by employees at the office that he would not be eligible to renew his commercial driver’s license, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Justin Ruiz said. He did not elaborate as to why Parker’s renewal was rejected. One employee in the building was trapped “for a period of time” after the crash but no one who worked at the driver’s license office suffered serious injuries, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said. It was unclear Friday afternoon where the person who was killed was located at the time of the crash. Following the crash, two people were flown to a hospital in Bryan and another to Houston. Three people were transported to local hospitals but later released, and eight others were treated on the scene. Parker, who lived in Chappell Hill about 10 miles east of the crash site, was being held without bail Friday in the Washington County jail in Brenham on two initial charges — suspicion of evading arrest causing serious bodily injury and unauthorized use of a vehicle. It wasn’t immediately clear if Parker had a lawyer or would be appointed one at a future court appearance. The jail’s website didn’t list an attorney or pending court date. Ruiz said he didn’t know if Parker had a criminal record. He said they were still investigating whether he was armed at the time of the crash. He said they also were investigating whether his actions might be considered an act of terrorism. “We’re trying to figure that out,” Ruiz said. He said the FBI was assisting in the investigation. A heavy presence of police surrounded the building and drivers were urged to steer clear of the area on Friday. Brenham, a city of about 19,000 residents, is about 80 miles miles west of Houston. Kolkhorst and Kenjura said the quick response by law enforcement helped avert a greater tragedy. “We’re blessed more weren’t injured in this act of violence,” Kolkhorst said. Kenjura said a fire department official told him if Parker had “veered to the left” and succeeded in striking the building again, “there would have been a collapse of the building resulting in more injuries and possibly death.” The Texas Department of Public Safety is a sprawling agency and one of the largest state law enforcement operations in the country. It includes troopers who are a central part of a massive border security operation on the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the Texas Rangers, the state’s top criminal investigators. But the department also has offices across the state that issue driver’s licenses. The Texas Rangers were leading the investigation into the crash, Ruiz said.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 53-47 on Wednesday, April 10, to block a rule by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that will impose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance measures on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations. Late last year, FHWA published its final rule despite the fact that it lacks any statutory basis. Under the rule, state and local transportation agencies would be required to measure and report their current GHG emissions, set targets for reductions and report on the progress towards meeting those goals. Consequently, this rule could lead to the delay or cancellation of some infrastructure projects. “The FHWA’s GHG emissions performance measures lack statutory authority and are a flagrant example of executive overreach,” said ATA Chief Advocacy and Public Affairs Officer Ed Gilroy.  “States are best equipped to determine their transportation needs, but this rule would create unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to access federal funds and scramble local priorities.  Ultimately, this heavy-handed approach would undermine highway expansion projects, leading to greater traffic congestion and higher shipping costs that contribute to inflation.” The resolution of disapproval, which was authored by Sens Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Reps Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Sam Graves, R-Mo., must now pass the House before heading to the president’s desk. “We commend Sens Cramer and Capito and Reps Crawford and Graves for their leadership, and we applaud the Senate for advancing this commonsense legislation to reverse FHWA’s errant rulemaking, protect our supply chain and expand our transportation network,” Gilroy said.

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris Administration has announced nearly $830 million in grant awards for 80 projects nationwide that the White House says will help states and local communities save taxpayers money while strengthening surface-transportation systems and making them more resilient to extreme weather. “These grants are the first of their kind dedicated to transportation infrastructure resilience and were made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program, which complements PROTECT Formula funding that is already flowing to states for these types of projects,” a news release states. “To strengthen America’s climate resilience, President Biden has secured more than $50 billion for climate resilience and adaptation through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and established a National Climate Resilience Framework, which is advancing locally tailored, community-driven climate resilience strategies.” The government says that weather events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change and are causing increasing damage to the transportation system, which was primarily designed and built before the realities of the world’s current climate. “Every community in America knows the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, including increasingly frequent heavy rain and flooding events across the country and sea-level rise that is inundating infrastructure in coastal states,” said FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “This investment from the Biden-Harris Administration will ensure our infrastructure is built to withstand more frequent and unpredictable extreme weather, which is vitally important for people and businesses that rely on roads and bridges being open to keep our economy moving.” As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the PROTECT Grant Program is funding projects that will strengthen the country’s surface transportation system against extreme weather events, including roads, bridges, highways, public transportation, pedestrian facilities, ports, and intercity passenger rail. By increasing the resilience of these assets, these investments will reduce short- and long-term costs by minimizing future needs for maintenance and reconstruction. “From wildfires shutting down freight rail lines in California to mudslides closing down a highway in Colorado, from a drought causing the halt of barge traffic on the Mississippi River to subways being flooded in New York, extreme weather, made worse by climate change, is damaging America’s transportation infrastructure, cutting people off from getting to where they need to go, and threatening to raise the cost of goods by disrupting supply chains,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today, through a first-of-its-kind program created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are awarding nearly $830 million to make transportation infrastructure in 39 states and territories more resilient against climate change, so people and supply chains can continue to move safely.” As part of the announcement, the Federal Highway Administration is awarding funding under four different grant types to 80 projects in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands: Planning Grants — Twenty-six projects will receive approximately $45 million to help grant recipients develop resilience-improvement plans, resilience planning, predesign and design activities, capacity-building activities, and evacuation planning and preparation initiatives. Resilience Improvement Grants — Thirty-six projects will receive approximately $621 million to enhance the resilience of existing surface-transportation infrastructure by improving drainage, relocating roadways, elevating bridges, or incorporating upgrades to allow infrastructure to meet or exceed design standards. Community Resilience and Evacuation Routes — Ten projects will receive approximately $45 million for improvements to enhance the resilience of evacuation routes or to enhance their capacity and add redundant evacuation routes. At-risk Coastal Infrastructure — Eight projects will receive approximately $119 million to protect, strengthen, or relocate coastal highway and non-rail infrastructure. The program also will improve equity and further environmental justice by addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities that are often the most vulnerable to hazards. The program encouraged applicants from all levels of government—from local governments and Tribes to state DOTs—to apply for PROTECT discretionary-grant funding, which complements the more than $4.3 billion in PROTECT formula funding that is already flowing to states. Consistent with the objectives of the National Climate Resilience Framework, these awards will help these communities across the country become not only more resilient, but also more safe, healthy, equitable, and economically strong. The full list of grant recipients is available here. Project selections in this round of grants are listed below. In Iowa, the City of Cedar Rapids will receive $56 million to replace the 86-year-old, structurally deficient Arc of Justice Bridge, which provides a critical connection for residents and emergency services during extreme flooding events. The project is part of a larger flood-control system that will mitigate the impacts of climate change and increase infrastructure resilience, making it more resistant to flooding. In California, the City of Davis will receive nearly $24 million to install cool pavement technologies and replace roadway underlayment to rehabilitate several portions of roadways in the Davis community to help guard against extreme heat conditions, combat urban heat island (UHI) effects, repair underlayment to state of good repair, and make other safety improvements. In Arkansas, the City of West Memphis will receive more than $16 million to restore hundreds of acres of floodplain along the Mississippi River’s western bank using nature-based solutions such as restoring wetlands and new hardwood forests. These measures will help to protect five major surface-transportation routes – I-40, I-55, two freight-rail lines, and the area’s only dedicated bicycle/pedestrian crossing – from repeated flooding. The City of Philadelphia will receive $14 million to rehabilitate two deteriorating bridges over Wissahickon Creek in Northwest Philadelphia. Built in the 1800s, the Bells Mill Road and Valley Green Road bridges provide access to Wissahickon Valley Park, a noteworthy natural destination in the city that experiences frequent flooding. Improvements also include the creation and restoration of wetlands. In South Dakota, the Oglala Sioux Tribe will receive $60 million to improve two sections of BIA Route 33, which crosses the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in rural southwestern South Dakota and connects the communities of Rockyford, Manderson, and Red Cloud. The project includes regrading the roadway to widen ditches, increasing the size and number of culverts, raising sections of the road, and widening the road to add shoulders for emergencies and evacuations.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — That didn’t last long. The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel in the U.S. has risen back above $4 a gallon after just a week of sitting below that mark. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the price currently sits at $4.061 per gallon as of April 8. That’s up from $3.996 per gallon on April 1. Average prices are up across the nation. The highest increase is along the West Coast (minus California) where the cost sits at $4.257 per gallon, up from $4.147 per gallon on April 1. The nation’s lowest price is along the Gulf Coast, which has the only average that is still below the $4 mark. There, it’s $3.760 per gallon, according to the EIA. California has the highest price at $5.259 per gallon, up from $5.221 per gallon on April 1. In the Midwest, drivers can expect to pay $4.011 per gallon on average, up from $3.949 per gallon on April 1. Over in the Rockies, the price sits just above $4 per gallon on average at $4.008 per gallon. That’s up from $3.949 per gallon on April 1.

BALTIMORE  — Salvage crews on Sunday began removing containers from the deck of the cargo ship that crashed into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, an important step toward the full reopening of one of the nation’s main shipping lanes. The removal of the containers from the deck of the Dali would continue this week as weather permits, according to a statement from the Key Bridge Response Unified Command. Crews were progressing toward removing sections of the bridge that lie across the ship’s bow to eventually allow it to move, the statement said. In total, 32 vessels have passed through temporary channels on either side of the wreckage, officials said. “The Unified Command is concurrently progressing on its main lines of effort to remove enough debris to open the channel to larger commercial traffic,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell said in the statement. The Dali has been trapped under mangled steel in the Patapsco River since it slammed into the bridge on March 26, killing six workers. President Joe Biden took a helicopter tour Friday of the warped metal remains and the mass of construction and salvage equipment trying to clear the wreckage. The president also met for more than an hour with the families of those who died. Eight workers — immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador — were filling potholes on the bridge when it was hit and collapsed in the middle of the night. Two men were rescued and the bodies of three others were recovered in subsequent days. The search for the other victims continued. Officials have established a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of April, and to restore normal capacity to Baltimore’s port by May 31, the White House said. More than 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes are on site to help cut out sections of the bridge and remove them from the key waterway.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Monday’s solar eclipse has the nation buzzing, especially in states that will experience the event in its totality. As millions are expected to travel to the total eclipse zone, state departments of transportation are working to ensure that everyone on the roads stays safe. The path of totality travels through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Tiny parts of Michigan and Tennessee will also be able to witness totality if conditions are clear. After the eclipse crosses into Canada, it will pass over southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, at the eastern end of Nova Scotia. The moon will shroud the sun for up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds, a spectacle normally unfolding in remote corners of the globe but this time passing over major cities like Dallas, Indianapolis and Cleveland. An estimated 44 million people live within the path of totality, with another couple hundred million within 200 miles, guaranteeing the continent’s biggest eclipse crowd ever. Practically everyone on the continent will get to see a partial eclipse. You can watch the whole thing unfold online, too. NASA is offering several hours of streaming online from several cities along the totality path. Departments of transportation around the nation want everyone to be safe during the spectacle, and many have issued travel alerts that affect commercial motor vehicles. Following is a list of safety measures taken by states that fall within the total eclipse zone. ARKANSAS The Arkansas Department of Transportation is suggesting that truckers use the day as a holiday. “Severe congestion is expected on the entire Arkansas State Highway System during the eclipse, to such an extent that the day may be mostly unproductive for freight vehicles,” a statement in the Arkansas Department of Transportation’s official eclipse guide states. “ARDOT will engage the Arkansas Trucking Association in an effort to encourage truckers to adjust their travel schedule, so they are not trapped on the roadways with eclipse related traffic. Like other TDM strategies discussed, this will be a voluntary decision on the part of the commercial drivers with no penalty for those who decide to operate during the eclipse.” Additionally, there will be no oversize travel in the state from sunset on Thursday, April 4, until sunrise on Wednesday, April 10. ILLINOIS No restrictions are in place. INDIANA The Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement is closing weigh stations, which “will serve as a safe haven for commercial vehicles should driver’s choose to find a safe location to park, rather than continue driving during the eclipse.” The weight stations will be available for commercial vehicle parking only. Parking will be available until all spots are filled. State officials are also advising truck drivers not to travel on Monday, April 8. KENTUCKY No oversize restrictions; however, state officials are warning about heavy traffic and have identified areas they anticipate will be the worst. These include the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge at Paducah, the U.S. 41 Twin Bridges at Henderson and bridges that connect Interstates 65 and 64 at Louisville. MAINE All oversized loads are prohibited to move on Monday, April 8, as a safety precaution due to the solar eclipse. MISSOURI Superloads will not be allowed to move on Monday, April 8, in the Southeast District. Single trip permits over 12-feet, 6-inches wide, over 13-feet, 6-inches high and more than 80,000 pounds will not be issued. NEW HAMPSHIRE No restrictions are in place; however, the state has issued a travel advisory for motorists to be cautious. NEW YORK The New York State Department of Transportation is restricting all oversize travel beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, April 8, through 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 within counties that are in the path of the eclipse. The counties are: Albany; Allegany; Cattaraugus; Cayuga; Chautauqua; Clinton; Erie; Essex; Franklin; Fulton; Genesee; Hamilton; Herkimer; Jefferson; Lewis; Livingston; Madison; Monroe; Montgomery; Niagara; Onondaga; Oneida; Ontario; Orleans, Oswego; St. Lawrence; Saratoga; Schenectady; Seneca; Steuben; Warren; Wayne; Wyoming; and Yates. NEW YORK THRUWAY Oversize travel is restricted on both directions of Interstate from exit 24 in Albany to the Pennsylvania line and on Interstate 190 until a half-hour before sunrise on Wednesday, April 10. OHIO The state has not announced statewide restrictions; however, Cleveland will restrict oversize load movement, including Cleveland in the city until Wednesday, April 10.  Gov. Mike DeWine has activated the Ohio Emergency Operations Center beginning Sunday, so that it will be up and running before, during and after Monday’s celestial event to help communities navigate any issues that arise. Ohio is curtailing highway construction projects headed into Monday, so that maximum lanes are available to accommodate heavy traffic, Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks said. Officials encouraged travelers to pack extra snacks and water, for both themselves and any pets they have along; phone chargers; and paper road maps in case of cell service disruptions. Col. Charles Jones of the Ohio State Highway Patrol advised “planning, preparation and patience” in relation to the eclipse. Stopping along the highway to view the eclipse is both illegal and dangerous, he said. OKLAHOMA The Sooner State will be suspending over-sized load traffic Sunday, April 7, through Monday, April 8, in McCurtain County only. PENNSYLVANIA No oversize travel restrictions are in place; however, officials are warning of heavy traffic. TEXAS The Texas Department of Transportation says that no size/weight permitted travel will be allowed on that day from midnight to midnight in the following counties: Anderson; Atascosa; Bandera; Bell; Bexar; Blanco; Bosque; Bowie; Brown; Burnet; Camp; Cass; Cherokee; Coleman; Collin; Comal; Comanche; Coryell; Dallas; Delta; Denton; Dimmit; Edwards; Ellis; Erath; Falls; Fannin; Franklin; Freestone; Frio; Gillespie; Grayson; Gregg; Hamilton; Harrison; Hays; Henderson; Hill; Hood; Hopkins; Hunt; Johnson; Kaufman; Kendall; Kerr; Kimble; Kinney; Lamar; Lampasas; Leon; Limestone; Llano; Marion; Mason; Maverick; McClennan; McCullough; Medina; Menard; Milam; Mills; Morris; Navarro; Parker; Rains; Real; Red River; Robertson; Rockwall; San Saba; Smith; Somervell; Sutton; Tarrant; Titus; Travis; Upshur; Uvalde; Val Verde; Van Zandt; Williamson; Wood; and Zavala. VERMONT “The northern half of the State of Vermont will fall within the path of totality during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024,” a statement from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (VDMV) notes. “Vermont is expecting a large influx of visitors to the state. Traffic is expected to be heavier on the day of the eclipse and the days surrounding the eclipse.” VDMV officials are strongly urging commercial motor vehicle drivers traveling to and through Vermont on Monday to consider alternative delivery dates and routes whenever possible to avoid the expected increase in traffic. Additionally, to assist in easing with the flow of traffic on the day of the eclipse, the VDMV is instituting the Saturday, Sunday and holiday restrictions for over dimension/overweight commercial motor vehicles effective for Monday, April 8, 2024. On state highways, unless otherwise stated, permits will not be issued for the movement of loads in excess of 108,000 pounds or more than 12 feet wide or more than a 100 feet long.

BALTIMORE  — The only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore is preparing to process an influx of ships as crews continue clearing the mangled wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Tradepoint Atlantic will unload and process an estimated 10,000 vehicles over the next 15 days, according to a company statement. That includes six regularly scheduled ships and nine others redirected as access to the port’s main terminals remains blocked, posing a logistical nightmare for shipping along the East Coast. Crews opened a second temporary channel through the collapse site Tuesday, but it’s too shallow for most commercial vessels. The two alternate channels are meant primarily to aid in the cleanup effort. Work continues to open a third channel that will allow larger vessels to pass through the bottleneck and restore more commercial activity, officials said. Meanwhile, bad weather has hindered salvage operations in recent days. The Patapsco River is also very murky, severely limiting the visibility of divers. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat who accompanied Moore in meetings with potential loan applicants, said he spoke with truck drivers who relied on the port to supply their cargo. They are among those feeling the immediate economic effects of the collapse, he said, but the ripple effects will be widespread — especially for small businesses, which he called “the growth engine of our nation.” The bridge fell March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge. Authorities believe six of the workers plunged to their deaths in the collapse, including two whose bodies were recovered last week. Two others survived. The ship remains stationary, its 21 crew members still aboard. Viewed close up from the deck of a Coast Guard boat, the scope of the catastrophe emerged through heavy fog Wednesday afternoon: Massive steel bridge girders were twisted like ribbons while crushed metal shipping containers dangled perilously from the stalled cargo ship. Fallen street lights that once lined the bridge jutted like toothpicks from the water’s surface. The sheer volume of debris dwarfed even the cranes and barges involved in the cleanup. And that’s only the view from above; officials said underwater conditions are significantly more challenging. Divers are still trying to get a sense of the tangled, muddy web. Sonar is being used to map the wreckage on the river bottom in 50 feet of water. A large floating crane nicknamed “Chessy” is helping with the salvage. Crews will soon begin lifting undamaged containers off the ship before removing the chunks of steel and concrete embedded in its bow, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said at a news conference. The Maryland Senate voted unanimously 47-0 to pass a bill Wednesday night to authorize the governor to use the state’s rainy day fund to help port employees who are out of work and aren’t covered under unemployment insurance while the port is closed or partially closed. That sends the bill to the Maryland House, which could approve the bill this week to send it to Gov. Wes Moore. The legislation also would let the governor use state reserves to help some small businesses avoid layoffs and encourage companies that relocate elsewhere to return to Baltimore once the port reopens. President Joe Biden is expected to visit the collapse site Friday. Other vessels are also stuck in Baltimore’s harbor until shipping traffic can resume through the port, which is one of the largest on the East Coast and a symbol of the city’s maritime culture. It handles more cars and farm equipment than any other U.S. port.

BALTIMORE — After a yearlong closure, a bridge over the Puyallup River reopened in 2019 with a sturdy new span and a brand new name. It even won a national award. But today, the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge is closed again after federal officials raised concerns about a vintage section of the nearly century-old bridge that carried about 15,000 vehicles a day. It has no timetable to reopen because the city of Tacoma, Washington, first must raise millions of dollars to clean and inspect it. “It’s frustrating — and hard to comprehend how we got here,” said Ed Wallace, whose Harley-Davidson motorcycle store has lost customers since the nearby bridge was shuttered. Bridges fulfill a vital function that often goes overlooked until lives are lost or disrupted by a closure or collapse, like that of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, March 26. That bridge crumpled when struck by a cargo ship, not because of poor maintenance. But thousands of others stand in worse shape. About 42,400 U.S. bridges are in poor condition, yet they carry about 167 million vehicles each day, according to the federal government. Four-fifths of them have problems with the legs holding them up or the arms supporting their load. And more than 15,800 of those bridges also were in poor shape a decade ago, according to an Associated Press analysis. One of those persistently poor bridges — carrying about 96,000 westbound vehicles daily on Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River in Rhode Island — was suddenly shut to traffic late last year, resulting in long delays as drivers diverted to new routes. In March, the governor announced that the bridge must be demolished and replaced. That could cost up to $300 million and take at least two years to complete. These closures illustrate a nationwide issue. “We have not maintained our infrastructure at the rate that we should for many, many years, and now we’re trying to play catch-up,” said Marsia Geldert-Murphey, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. When an old bridge gets closed because of safety concerns, it disrupts daily commutes, business supply chains and emergency response times by police, firefighters and medical personnel. Yet many bridges still await replacement or repairs because the costs can reach millions or even billions of dollars. A FUNDING INFUSION A massive infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 directed $40 billion to bridges over five years — the largest dedicated bridge investment since construction of the interstate highway system, which began nearly 70 years ago. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that law already is funding over 7,800 bridge projects. One of the most notable is a $3.6 billion project in Cincinnati to build a long-awaited new bridge carrying traffic on Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River at the Kentucky border. But funding from the infrastructure law will make only a dent in an estimated $319 billion of needed bridge repairs nationwide, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. “The bottom line is that America’s bridges need a lot of work,” Buttigieg told the AP after visiting the closed Rhode Island bridge. He added: “The sooner we can address those significant bridges, the less likely they will be abruptly taken out of service, or worse, experience the risk of a collapse.” Inspectors rate bridges using a 0-9 scale, with 7 or above considered “good.” A “poor” rating reflects a 4 or below. A mid-range rating is considered “fair.” The nation’s poor bridges are on average 70 years old. Even before the federal funding infusion, the number of bridges in poor condition declined 22% over the past decade as structures were repaired, replaced or permanently closed, according to the AP’s analysis. But in recent years, more bridges also slipped from good to fair condition. COLLAPSING BRIDGES Though potholes on bridges can jar cars, many of the most concerning problems are below the surface. Chipping concrete and rusting steel can weaken the piers and beams that keep a bridge upright. When the condition of substructures or superstructures deteriorates too much, a bridge typically is closed out of public safety concerns. Though rare, bad bridges can eventually collapse. Design flaws contributed to the evening rush hour collapse of an Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in 2007. The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145 others. It also was costly financially. A state analysis estimated Minnesota’s economy lost $60 million in 2007-2008 due to increased travel time and operating costs for commuters and businesses. In January 2022, a bridge carrying a bus and several cars collapsed over Fern Hollow Creek in Pittsburgh, causing injuries but no deaths. Federal investigators determined the steel legs had corroded to the point of having visible holes, yet inspectors failed to calculate the severity of the problem and the city failed to follow repeated recommendations. “This bridge didn’t collapse just by an act of God. It collapsed because of a lack of maintenance and repair,” National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham said. FINANCIAL CHALLENGES Iowa has the most poor bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri. The twin Burlington Street bridges in Iowa City, Iowa, exemplify the financial challenges facing old bridges. The state owns the southbound span carrying vehicles over the Iowa River while the city owns the northbound span of what’s also known as state Highway 1. The city’s part, constructed in 1915, was rated in poor condition in the 2023 and 2013 National Bridge Inventory. Inspection reports show numerous cracks and structural deficiencies in the concrete bridge. The state’s side, built in 1968, is in much better condition. Although the federal infrastructure law provided a grant to analyze the bridges, the split ownership has made it difficult to fund the more than $30 million estimated cost of a replacement. “It’s not something we can just fund in a year and say: ‘Here we go, let’s do it quick,’” said city engineer Jason Havel. “It takes years of planning, years of working through dedicated funding.” ECONOMIC EFFECTS In Rhode Island, problems had been mounting for the I-195 Washington Bridge connecting Providence to East Providence. It closed after an engineer in December noticed the failure of multiple steel tie rods in concrete beams at two piers. A subsequent examination found widespread structural problems. Joseph McHugh, an engineer with 40 years of experience in bridge and road construction, reviewed a draft engineering report compiled after the bridge’s closure along with inspection reports from July 2022 and July 2023. “This failure didn’t occur overnight,” McHugh told the AP. “To me, it should have been caught by an inspection, not by a contractor or whomever was looking at what was going on.” The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that false payment claims for the bridge’s construction, inspection or repair were submitted to the federal government. Marco Pacheco, who owns a liquor store along a main road in a Portuguese neighborhood of East Providence, said he believes “mismanagement,” “negligence” and “incompetence” caused the closure. His business revenue is down 20% since the bridge closed. But he’s even more concerned about the long-term consequences. “That traffic doesn’t instantly come back. Folks have reshaped their patterns, their thought processes and so on,” Pacheco said. Business owners in Washington share similar concerns about the indefinite closure of the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge, in an industrial area near the Port of Tacoma. Several years ago, the city spent $42 million to replace a span leading up to the river. But the bridge was abruptly closed again last October after the Federal Highway Administration raised concerns that debris had prevented the inspection of potentially corroded steel connection points. To clean and inspect the bridge, the city first must encapsulate it to protect debris from falling into the river. But the city lacks the more than $6 million needed for the project. It also has no means of paying for a potential $280 million replacement. A nearby Interstate 5 bridge provides a good alternative but that means many motorists zoom right past an exit ramp without thinking about the Harley-Davidson store or other nearby businesses. At least one shop already has closed. Wallace, the Harley-Davidson store owner, wishes the city could re-open the bridge, at least temporarily. “Is there a peril that exists?” Wallace asks rhetorically. “Yeah, absolutely, a very serious one for me as a business owner.”

SALLISAW, Okla. — An Oklahoma highway was reopened Saturday following its closure for a few hours after a bridge over the Arkansas River was struck by a barge. Troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed a portion of U.S. Highway 59 south of Sallisaw at around 1:25 p.m. after the barge hit the bridge. No injuries were reported on the highway or the barge, according to state patrol officials. The bridge crosses the Arkansas River where it enters the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, which is not far from Oklahoma’s border with Arkansas. The highway reopened to traffic around 4 p.m. “Engineers inspected the structure and found it safe to reopen,” the Oklahoma Department of Transportation said in an email. A spokesperson for the highway patrol did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment on whether officials have determined what caused the barge to hit the bridge. The news came as engineers began working Saturday to lift a section of twisted steel from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland after it crumpled into the Patapsco River after a massive cargo ship crashed into one of its main supports.