The Nation

WALLAND, Tenn. — Great Smoky Mountains National Park is using $31 million in Great American Outdoor Act funding to rehabilitate a portion of the Foothills Parkway, according to a news release from the park. The rehabilitation project is for Foothills Parkway West between Chilhowee Lake and Walland. It will require a series of lane and road closures beginning on March 14 and scheduled to end on May 5, 2023. The 17-mile scenic drive sees more than 700,000 visitors annually. The project includes repaving the roadway, restoring guardrails, repairing bridges and drainage, and replacing asphalt walkways with ADA-compliant concrete sidewalks. More information about alternative routes to explore during the construction period is available on the park’s website under the “auto touring” section. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located on the Tennessee-North Carolina border and is the country’s most visited national park. Foothills Parkway West provides access to 16 scenic overlooks.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) troopers involved in the October 2021 slaying of a truck driver at a rest area will not face criminal charges after an investigation found they acted in self-defense. Clinton County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Dave Strouse has completed his review of the shooting of Nurgazy Mamyrov, 27, during an incident that the PSP responded to on Interstate 80 East. Strouse said he watched several hours of PSP dash camera footage, surveillance video and civilian-recorded videos of the incident before determining that PSP troopers acted reasonably under the circumstances when they fired their weapons at Mamyrov in their own defense; therefore, they bear no criminal liability for their actions. The incident began at approximately 3:45 a.m. on October 5, 2021, after PSP received a 911 call transfer reporting that an armed man was chasing motorists in the rest area located near mile marker 194 along I-80 East in Greene Township in Clinton County. The 911 caller reported that he had been chased by the then-unknown man, who was armed. The caller said he believed the man had “shot out” the windows of his vehicle. When troopers arrived at the rest area, they located Mamyrov inside of a tractor-trailer arguing with another man located just outside of the rig. Both men were arguing in Russian. Police took the man outside of the vehicle into custody and attempted to get Mamyrov to exit his truck, but he refused to comply with repeated requests from police. Witnesses informed police that Mamyrov had chased other motorists earlier in the morning and had physically attacked at least one other motorist with some type of weapon prior to the police arrival. Mamyrov continued to refuse to comply with repeated requests to exit his truck and brandished a large sharp object in his hand as he sat in the driver’s seat of the truck. Using several patrol vehicles with their overhead emergency lights engaged, PSP formed a roadblock in an effort to prevent Mamyrov from driving his tractor-trailer onto I-80 East. PSP attempted to get Mamyrov to comply by spraying a chemical irritant into the cabin of the truck, which proved ineffective. Approximately 58 minutes after police arrived on the scene, Mamyrov started the ignition of the tractor-trailer. Mamyrov continued to refuse police requests to turn off his truck, exit the vehicle, or put his hands out through the window. PSP deployed “spike strips” beneath several sets of tires on the truck in an effort to impede its ability to move. Approximately 110 minutes after police arrived on the scene, Mamyrov released his airbrakes and accelerated rapidly at several PSP Troopers who were standing behind the patrol car roadblock. Troopers then fired their weapons at Mamyrov’s vehicle as it approached their position. Mamyrov struck several patrol vehicles, one of which swung violently from the collision and hit a Trooper. The trooper was nearly crushed by the vehicles but escaped with only a mild head injury. Mamyrov then stopped his truck, reversed it for a short distance and accelerated rapidly forward again, driving through the PSP vehicles and dragging them along the way. Troopers continued to fire upon the truck until it struck two commercial vehicles near the I-80 entranceway. The truck became stuck against one of the vehicles, and troopers were able to enter the truck and disable the ignition. Mamyrov’s truck traveled approximately 321 feet forward through the roadblock before it was disabled. When troopers entered the vehicle, they observed that Mamyrov had suffered significant gunshot wounds to vital parts of the body. EMS was on the scene shortly after the incident concluded, but Mamyrov succumbed to his injuries at the scene. An autopsy confirmed that Mamyrov died of multiple gunshot wounds.

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — A burglary suspect is dead following a high-speed chase that ended when they drove under a tractor-trailer on I-94 near Michigan City, Indiana. At approximately 8:06 p.m. on Feb. 9, the Michigan City Police Department responded to a call on a burglary in progress. A Michigan City police officer initiated a pursuit of the suspect who fled the scene in a white 2009 Chevrolet Impala. The pursuit eventually went onto I-94 westbound from U.S. 421. A Lowell trooper in the area observed the vehicle traveling westbound at a high rate of speed after it entered Porter County. The trooper activated his emergency lights and siren as the vehicle continued to flee. When the vehicle approached the 22 mile-marker, the driver made a sudden lane change and rear-ended a tractor-trailer that was traveling in the middle lane. This impact resulted in the vehicle traveling underneath the semi and being wedged under the trailer. The driver of the semi pulled over to the right shoulder where troopers attempted to render aid to the driver. As a result of the impact, the driver was pinned inside the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries. The driver of the semi was not injured. The deceased has been identified as Olajuan R. Nuttall, 29, from Michigan City, Indiana. At the time of the pursuit, the suspect had five active warrants for various felonies and misdemeanors all originating in LaPorte County.

INDIANAPOLIS — A truck driver has died following a single-vehicle crash in Indiana. At approximately 3:36 p.m. on Feb. 8, emergency responders were called to the scene of an 18-wheeler crash on Interstate 70’s westbound lanes near the 112-mile marker. The Greenfield Fire Department found a tractor-trailer off the right side of the roadway in a ditch. The driver, Scott Brandenburg, 54, of Clarksville, Indiana, was unconscious and unresponsive as paramedics administered lifesaving efforts. Soon after, Brandenburg was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger, who was in the sleeper berth at the time, suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Investigators determined Brandenburg was driving westbound on I-70 when, for unknown reasons, he veered off the road to the left, then crossed the grassy median into the eastbound lanes. The truck then crossed back through the median into the westbound lanes, coming to a rest in a ditch on the right side of the road. The right lane of I-70 westbound was closed for nearly seven hours while the crash was investigated, and the damaged semi was removed. The investigation is ongoing.

GARY, Ind. — Firefighters responded to a large fire at a Love’s Travel Stop in Gary Thursday. The building at 32nd Avenue and Grant Street houses a gas station convenience store and a Denny’s restaurant, but the fire does not appear to have reached the gas or diesel pumps. No further information has been provided by officials at the scene.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Southern California’s vital Port of Long Beach is still dealing with a backlog of waiting cargo vessels, its top official said Wednesday in renewing calls for transforming the supply chain into a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operation. In an annual state-of-the-port address, Executive Director Mario Cordero also outlined infrastructure and technology plans for improving movement of goods but said the issue goes beyond operation of the port. About 40% of the container cargo entering the U.S. comes through the Port of Long Beach and the adjacent Port of Los Angeles, and both moved record volume last year. In October, President Joe Biden announced a plan for around-the-clock operations, but it hasn’t happened. “There are 168 hours in a week and for the most part, our terminals are open less than half of those hours,” Cordero said in a video presentation. “Without expanding our terminals or building new facilities we could still handle more cargo by utilizing more of those hours. We’d also need truckers and warehouses to go 24/7.” Cordero said the Biden administration helped to establish the “framework” for 24/7 supply chain operations. “In Asia, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, our trading partners are already operating 24/7. We need to make it our goal as well. It has to be our next great transformation,” Cordero said. Looking ahead, Cordero said the omicron variant continues to bring uncertainty about the economy. “Here at the port of Long Beach we continue to work to clear backlogs of vessels offshore which assures that we’ll remain moderately busy into the spring. Still, given our historic volumes in the first half of 2021 we’ll be hard pressed to see more than slow gains until perhaps the fall,” he said. Among initiatives, the port is working to maximize on-dock rail to accelerate cargo destined for Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona. That would free up equipment to support the Southern California market. The port has also joined with a technology firm to create a “supply chain information highway,” a tool debuting this month that will allow cargo to be tracked across various modes of transportation. “All of this will help,” he said. “Still, we need to recognize that the supply chain isn’t so elastic that it can easily handle historic jumps in volume.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared Mexican-licensed commercial driver J. Rafael Arizaga-Tapia, also known as Nibardo Andrade-Mendoza, to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered him to immediately cease operating any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce in the U.S. Arizaga-Tapia was served the Federal order on Feb. 4. On June 24, 2021, Arizaga-Tapia was notified he tested positive for controlled substances. As a result of the positive test, Arizaga-Tapia was prohibited from performing any safety-sensitive function, including operating a commercial vehicle (CMV). At the time of the positive test, Arizaga-Tapia held a valid LF license and a valid Washington State driver’s license. FMCSA’s review of Arizaga-Tapia’s driving history for his LF and Washington driver’s license revealed prior offenses for speeding, driving under the influence and refused tests. His Washington driver’s license also has an ignition interlock device restriction. After the positive test, Arizaga-Tapia obtained an LF under the name Nibardo Andrade-Mendoza.  It is a violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for a CMV driver to have more than one driver’s license. On or about Nov. 12, 2021, Arizaga-Tapia, using the name and LF of Nibardo Andrade-Mendoza, was operating a CMV on State Road 97 near Orondo, Washington. The CMV he was operating failed to negotiate a curve, left the road, crashed through the guardrail, and fell into a ravine. Arizaga-Tapia was in possession of opened and unopened beer cans, and subsequent blood tests showed a measurable alcohol concentration in his system.  At the time of the crash, Arizaga-Tapia’s LF was still listed as prohibited in FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states that Arizaga-Tapia’s “blatant and egregious violations … and ongoing and repeated disregard for the safety of the motoring public demonstrated by these actions substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and the motoring public.” Failing to comply with the provisions of the Federal imminent hazard order may result in civil penalties of not less than $3,268.  Knowing and/or willful violations may result in criminal penalties. A copy of the imminent hazard order issued to Adversity Transport is available here.

TORONTO — A blockade of the bridge between Canada and Detroit by protesters demanding an end to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions forced the shutdown Wednesday of a Ford plant and began to have broader implications for the North American auto industry. Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) – joined by Bill Long, president of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and Julie Fream, president of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) – issued the following joint statement on the issue: “The current border disruptions at the Detroit-Windsor Ambassador Bridge and other crossings are adding additional strain to the automotive supply chain that has already been stressed by semiconductor shortages and other pandemic-related issues. “U.S. automakers and suppliers are doing everything possible to maximize production with what they have, working to keep lines running and shifts scheduled to minimize the impact on American autoworkers, but the situation has already led to reduced production and may spread the longer the disruptions persist. “Automakers and suppliers appreciate that the Biden Administration is following the situation at the northern border closely and taking actions to minimize the disruptions at these critical border crossings on which the U.S. auto industry rely. We urge the administration to enhance their efforts and continue working with the Canadian government to minimize the impact on American automakers, suppliers, as well as their workers and consumers. “We also seek to underscore to the Canadian government the need for swift action to mitigate impacts to auto workers and suppliers on both sides of the border due to the deeply interconnected North American auto supply chain.” The AAPC represents American Automakers Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company and Stellantis. AAPC is a Washington, D.C. association representing the common public policy interests of its member companies. MEMA and its four specialized divisions – including the OESA – comprise a leading international trade association representing vehicle suppliers that manufacture and remanufacture components, technologies, and systems for use in passenger cars and heavy trucks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, stood firm against an easing of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions in the face of mounting pressure during recent weeks by protests against the restrictions and against Trudeau himself. The protest by people mostly in pickup trucks entered its third day at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Traffic was prevented from entering Canada, while U.S.-bound traffic was still moving. The bridge carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and Canadian authorities expressed increasing worry about the economic effects. Ford said late Wednesday that parts shortages forced it to shut down its engine plant in Windsor and to run an assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, on a reduced schedule. “This interruption on the Detroit-Windsor bridge hurts customers, auto workers, suppliers, communities and companies on both sides of the border,” Ford said in a statement. “We hope this situation is resolved quickly because it could have widespread impact on all automakers in the U.S. and Canada.” Shortages due to the blockade also forced General Motors to cancel the second shift of the day at its midsize-SUV factory near Lansing, Michigan. Spokesman Dan Flores said it was expected to restart Thursday and no additional impact was expected for the time being. Later Wednesday, Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said the company will not be able to manufacture anything at three Canadian plants for the rest of this week due to parts shortages. A statement attributed the problem to supply chain, weather and pandemic-related challenges, but the shutdowns came just days after the blockade began Monday. “Our teams are working diligently to minimize the impact on production,” the company said, adding that it doesn’t expect any layoffs at this time. Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, reported normal operations, though the company had to cut shifts short the previous day at its Windsor minivan plant. “We are watching this very closely,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said earlier of the bridge blockade. “The blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the auto industry because the bridge is a key conduit for motor vehicles, components and parts, and delays risk disrupting auto production.” A growing number of Canadian provinces have moved to lift some of their precautions as the omicron surge levels off, but Trudeau defended the measures the federal government is responsible for, including the one that has angered many truck drivers: a rule that took effect Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated. “The reality is that vaccine mandates, and the fact that Canadians stepped up to get vaccinated to almost 90%, ensured that this pandemic didn’t hit as hard here in Canada as elsewhere in the world,” Trudeau said in Parliament. About 90% of truckers in Canada are vaccinated, and trucker associations and many big-rig operators have denounced the protests. The U.S. has the same vaccination rule for truckers entering the country, so it would make little difference if Trudeau lifted the restriction. Protesters have also been blocking the border crossing at Coutts, Alberta, for a week and a half, with about 50 trucks remaining there Wednesday. And more than 400 trucks have paralyzed downtown Ottawa, Canada’s capital, in a protest that began late last month. While protesters have been calling for Trudeau’s removal, most of the restrictive measures around the country have been put in place by provincial governments. Those include requirements that people show proof-of-vaccination “passports” to enter restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and sporting events. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia announced plans this week to roll back some or all of their precautions. Alberta, Canada’s most conservative province, dropped its vaccine passport immediately and plans to get rid of mask requirements at the end of the month. Alberta opposition leader Rachel Notley accused the province’s premier, Jason Kenney, of allowing an “illegal blockade to dictate public health measures.” Despite Alberta’s plans to scrap its measures, the protest there continued. “We’ve got guys here — they’ve lost everything due to these mandates, and they’re not giving up, and they’re willing to stand their ground and keep going until this is done,” said protester John Vanreeuwyk, a feedlot operator from Coaldale, Alberta. “Until Trudeau moves,” he said, “we don’t move.” As for the Ambassador Bridge blockade, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said police had not removed people for fear of inflaming the situation. But he added: “We’re not going to let this happen for a prolonged period of time.” The demonstration involved 50 to 74 vehicles and about 100 protesters, police said. Some of the protesters say they are willing to die for their cause, according to the mayor. “I’ll be brutally honest: You are trying to have a rational conversation, and not everyone on the ground is a rational actor,” Dilkens said. “Police are doing what is right by taking a moderate approach, trying to sensibly work through this situation where everyone can walk away, nobody gets hurt, and the bridge can open.” To avoid the blockade and get into Canada, truckers in the Detroit area had to drive 70 miles north to Port Huron, Michigan, and cross the Blue Water Bridge, where there was a 4½-hour delay leaving the U.S. At a news conference in Ottawa that excluded mainstream news organizations, Benjamin Dichter, one of the protest organizers, said: “I think the government and the media are drastically underestimating the resolve and patience of truckers.” “Drop the mandates. Drop the passports,” he said. The “freedom truck convoy” has been promoted by Fox News personalities and attracted support from many U.S. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, who called Trudeau a “far left lunatic” who has “destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates.” Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. Canada’s COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the U.S. Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said in Parliament that countries around the world are removing restrictions and noted that Canadian provinces are, too. She accused Trudeau of wanting to live in a “permanent pandemic.” Ontario, Canada’s largest province with almost 40% of the country’s population, is sticking to what it calls a “very cautious” stance toward the pandemic, and the deputy premier said it has no plans to drop vaccine passports or mask requirements.

TYLER, Texas — An 18-wheeler being loaded with hay in an East Texas field caught fire Tuesday afternoon, destroying two flatbed trailers and a semi-truck. No injuries were reported. Gary Ross, chief of Ben Wheeler Fire Rescue, said his crew doesn’t know what caused the fire, which originated from the truck. The firefighters, who were assisted by two people driving farm tractors, kept the fire from spreading to the rest of the 100-acre property.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released on Wednesday its annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America, and the state of California placed eight locations on the list. “California’s economy is America’s economy – from our ports to our farms – we see firsthand the devastating impacts that congestion can have on our lives and businesses,” California Trucking Association CEO Shawn Yadon said. “With eight of the 100 worst truck bottlenecks in the country, the Golden State is once again a national leader.  Congestion on our highways hurts our environment, roadway safety – and at a time when the nation’s eyes are on strained supply chains and struggling ports – our economy. If we invest in improving our roads and bridges, we can reduce the harmful impacts of congestion and deliver a brighter future for California and all Americans.” The 2022 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on truck GPS data from over 1 million freight trucks uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location. ATRI’s truck GPS data is also used to support the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freight Mobility Initiative. The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations. The eight California bottlenecks are: No. 7 Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57 No. 9 San Bernardino: I-10 at I-15 No. 35 Corona: I-15 at SR 91 No. 47 Oakland: I-880 at I-238 No. 59 Los Angeles: I-110 at I-105 No. 63 Oakland: I-80 at I-580/I-880 No. 90 Los Angeles: SR 91 at SR 55 No. 91 Los Angeles: I-710 at I-105 “ATRI’s bottleneck list is a roadmap for federal and state administrators responsible for prioritizing infrastructure investments throughout the country,” American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said. “Every year, ATRI’s list highlights the dire needs for modernizing and improving our roads and bridges. We have seen, most recently in Pittsburgh, that the cost of doing nothing could also cost lives.  It’s time to fund these projects and get our supply chains moving again.” For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, visit ATRI’s website here.  ATRI is also providing animations created with truck GPS data for select bottleneck locations, all available on the website.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A FedEx tandem trailer rig crashed into a work zone on U.S. 35 in Ohio Tuesday, narrowly missing construction workers, according to a Facebook post from the Ohio Department of Transportation. “Our pothole patching crew on U.S. 35 was lucky to make it home yesterday after a semi crashed into the work zone, sending our ‘crash truck’ flying,” the post stated. “Fortunately, it did its job by absorbing impact and protecting the workers on the ground. Don’t let this happen again — watch out for our crews and move over.”

OLYMPIA, Wash. — House and Senate Democrats in Washington state on Tuesday unveiled a $16 billion, 16-year transportation revenue package that spends on a variety of projects ranging from building new hybrid electric ferries and funding more walking and biking corridors to highway maintenance and replacing fish passage culverts. Unlike previous packages that have included gas tax increases, this plan gets a bulk of its funding — $5.4 billion — from a carbon pricing program signed into law last year that requires the state’s largest emitters, like refineries, to purchase credits for allowed emissions if they exceed a cap set by regulators. Other revenue sources include $3.4 billion from the the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Joe Biden signed in November, $2 billion from the state operating budget, and $2 billion from a new 6-cent-per-gallon tax on fuel exported to states with a lower gas tax rate than Washington, like Oregon, Alaska and Idaho. About $3.1 billion would be spent on transit programs, $3 billion would go toward highway preservation and maintenance and $2.6 billion would fulfill the state’s court-ordered obligation to replace fish passage culverts. Another $1.3 billion would be spent on building four new hybrid electric ferries and electrifying two existing ships, and $1.2 billion would be spent on programs like those that promote walking and bicycling to school through infrastructure improvements and bike and pedestrian safety programs. Funding would also be provided to ensure that those age 18 and younger can ride for free on public transportation. Rep. Jake Fey and Sen. Marko Liias, both Democrats who chair their chambers’ transportation committees, released the plan at a news conference. “We’ve worked hard over the last two years to listen to communities all across Washington, and they told us that their top priorities included preserving our infrastructure, finishing projects we’ve started, taking action against climate change, expanding multimodal options, and addressing the harm of past transportation policies,” Fey said in a written statement. Republicans, who are the minority party in both chambers, have expressed frustration that they haven’t had more input in what has normally been a bipartisan process in the past. “It’s not the way we’ve seen transportation done in our state for decades,” Republican Sen. John Braun said. “For whatever reason, the majorities have chosen to build an entire package by themselves hoping that because we have been broadly supportive of transportation packages, we would just come along without really truly being involved. That’s pretty disappointing.” Democrats have argued that in a short 60-day legislative session, they needed to have agreement among themselves in order to ensure a package could move this year, and said that there have been conversations with Republicans and that elements of the plan reflect those talks. The session is scheduled to end March 10.