The Nation

PADUCAH, Ky. — The Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge, which links Wickliffe, Kentucky, and Cairo, Illinois, will be closed for maintenance beginning sometime during first week of August and continuing for 30 days, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). The estimated closure date is between Aug. 3-9; KYTC will notify the public when a specific date is set. The bridge carries U.S. 51, U.S. 60, and U.S. 62 traffic across the Ohio River at U.S. 51 Kentucky mile point 7.372. Also known as the Cairo Bridge, the structure connects with the U.S. 60/U.S. 62 Mississippi River Bridge that connects Illinois and Missouri. According to KYTC, extensive maintenance work is required along a nearly 2-mile section of the Kentucky approach levee; in addition, there is an ongoing deck maintenance project on the bridge. The estimated 30-day closure will also allow critical work on the bridge deck through the curve at the Kentucky end of the structure. Placement of a concrete latex overlay along the curve would have required the bridge to be closed to semis for an extended period. Closing the bridge and the Kentucky approach to all traffic will allow all of the work to be completed more quickly and efficiently. KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat said engineers and the contractor came up with six options to allow all the work to be completed during the 2020 construction season. A detailed analysis of the project’s impact on traffic, timeline and costs determined a 30-day closure of the bridge was the best choice. “We looked at several scenarios, including overnight and weekend closures. Those options created numerous side issues for area businesses, truckers and our daily commuters,” Poat said. “By closing the bridge for 30 days, we speed up the construction process so we can get the bridge back to near-normal traffic flow sooner rather than later,” he continued. “Some of the options included overnight and weekend closures. Those options created numerous side issues for cross-country travelers, area businesses, truckers and our daily commuters. The additional construction time would have extended the impact to traffic by 12 weeks.” Poat noted that the decision was reached after extensive conversations with area government officials, farmers, trucking companies and businesses that depend on the critical U.S. 51, U.S. 60 and U.S. 62 transportation corridor. A recent traffic count, conducted to aid in planning for the project, indicated that about 7,000 vehicles cross the bridge in an average day, with commercial trucks comprising 35% of the traffic. The total vehicle count is up substantially from 4,800 per day in 2019. Maintenance along a nearly 2-mile section of the Kentucky approach levee was halted June 6 when traffic backed up more than 5 miles and caused gridlock in Wickliffe. On June 10, the contractor moved ahead with a work zone for bridge deck and joint work while discussions continued on how to best complete the levee work with the least amount of disruption. The bridge is currently restricted to one-lane traffic with a maximum 8.5-foot load width. Motorists and truckers should be prepared to encounter a 2,900-foot section of one-lane traffic controlled by an automated signal on the main span of the bridge. Traffic delays are likely during peak travel periods, and KYTC notes that both caution and patience are required on the part of motorists. Intech Contracting LLC is the prime contractor on the maintenance project, which has a price tag of more than $8 million. The target completion date is Oct. 1.

PHARR, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility, intercepted a huge amount of alleged methamphetamine valued at $30,556,000 that was being smuggled in a commercial tractor-trailer hauling fresh onions from Mexico. “This is certainly a substantial amount of methamphetamine that won’t make its final destination in the U.S. Seizing these harmful narcotics will most definitely help keep our communities safer,” said Carlos Rodriguez, port director of the Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. On July 9, a 35-year-old male Mexican citizen from Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, arrived at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility driving a tractor-trailer that contained a commercial shipment of fresh onions. A Customs and Border Protection officer referred the shipment for further inspection, which included the utilization of nonintrusive imaging technology. After physically inspecting the entire conveyance, officers discovered 221 packages of alleged methamphetamine weighing 1,527.20 pounds (693 kg) concealed within the roof of the trailer. Border agents seized the narcotics, the 1988 Volvo tractor and 2010 Utility trailer, and arrested the driver. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations are continuing the investigation.

SACRAMENTO — Reports on a three-year pilot program, released July 13 by Caltrans and the University of California-Davis Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center, highlight ways to prevent often-deadly collisions involving wrong-way drivers. One of the prevention measures included in the pilot program — reflectors that alert drivers they are entering the roadway in the wrong direction — was so successful at deterring wrong-way drivers that Caltrans has already installed the reflective markers on hundreds of miles of highways. In San Diego, the number of wrong-way drivers decreased by 44% after the reflectors were installed. “Adding the two-way reflective markers proved to be so effective that Caltrans updated its statewide design standards,” said Toks Omishakin, director of Caltrans. “It’s a low-cost measure we can use throughout the state to deter wrong-way drivers and potentially save lives on California’s highway system.” During the pilot program, Caltrans installed and tested different ways to deter wrong way drivers along exit ramps in Sacramento and San Diego, including: Two-way reflective pavement markers that show white or yellow to right way drivers, and red to wrong way drivers; “Wrong Way” signs at the off-ramps; “Do Not Enter” signs equipped with LED lights flashing 24 hours a day; and Active monitoring systems that use radar to detect wrong-way drivers. These systems activate a secondary set of LED signs when a wrong-way driver enters the ramp and sends real-time alerts and photos to Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Caltrans monitored the exit ramps throughout the pilot period and discovered that the two-way reflective pavement markers were an effective measure against wrong-way drivers. The department is installing them as it performs maintenance or repaving. Signs with flashing LED signs also showed promise at preventing wrong-way collisions, and Caltrans will continue to monitor the signs’ impact to determine whether to expand their use at exit ramps across the state. The pilot program was developed following 10 wrong-way driver-related collisions on Sacramento and San Diego area freeways during the first six months of 2015. During the three-year program, UC Davis AHMCT researchers partnered with Caltrans to conduct a second study using a vision-based site monitoring (VBSM) system in Sacramento to better understand the actions that lead to wrong-way driving incidents. “Our hypothesis was that some of the causes of wrong-way driving start before a driver enters the ramp,” said researcher and AHMCT co-director Ty Lasky, who helped lead the study. “In order to test this, we wanted to extend our field of view to capture as much of the roadway around the exit ramp as possible.” The VBSM system consisted of a camera, analytical software, solar panels and a modem mounted on poles near exit ramps. The system recorded video whenever the camera detected a wrong-way driver, which allowed the team to study the vehicle’s path before, during and after a wrong-way driving incident. “The video gave us a more comprehensive understanding of driver behavior and factors that contribute to wrong-way driving,” said Bahram Ravani, UC Davis distinguished professor and AHMCT. “This opens the door for further deployment of our system across the state as counties and municipalities try to mitigate wrong-way driving.” While wrong-way crashes are fairly rare, the consequences of such accidents are generally severe. “Wrong-way crashes do not happen very often but when they do occur, they are typically head-on crashes, resulting in death or severe injuries,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Information obtained through this pilot program is being used to help prevent these crashes and save lives on California roadways.” On average, 37 people are killed in wrong-way collisions each year on California’s highways. Most wrong-way incidents are caused by drivers who are severely impaired, and the incidents occur in the left-hand lane for vehicles that are traveling in the correct direction. “Seeing someone driving the wrong direction is a scary sight and a clear danger to other road users,” said Barbara Rooney, director of the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). “Maintaining safe driving behaviors is critical in preventing crashes that have tragic consequences.” To read the Caltrans and UC Davis AHMCT studies, click here.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on July 9 awarded $15.1 million in Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) grants to seven projects in five states to explore new ways to fund highway and bridge projects. The program’s goal is to test innovative ways to supplement the federal gas tax and provide long-term support for the Highway Trust Fund. “These seven pilot projects will help provide valuable insight into potential new sources of revenue to support highway and bridge improvements nationwide,” said Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason. The STSFA grants will fund projects that test the design, implementation and acceptance of user-based alternative revenue tools, such as a mileage-based fee. FHWA selected proposals from five states: Delaware (representing the I-95 Corridor Coalition), Oregon (two project awards with one representing the Western Road User Charge Consortium), Utah (two projects), Washington and Wyoming. The Delaware Department of Transportation (I-95 Coalition Corridor) will receive $3.35 million to address mileage-based user fee (MBUF) barriers through expanded and enhanced pilot deployments within the I-95 Corridor Coalition states. The Oregon Department of Transportation will receive $5 million for road usage charging in a connected vehicle ecosystem; the Oregon DOT (Western Road User Charge Consortium: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington) will receive $250,000 for road usage charge and blockchain. The Utah Department of Transportation will receive $395,000 for integration of road user charges and express lanes tolling and another $350,000 for road usage charge local overlay. The Washington Department of Transportation-Washington State Transportation Commission will receive $5.5 million for the Forward Drive Washington road-usage-charge demonstration project. The Wyoming Department of Transportation will receive $250,000 for the Wyoming Truck Mileage User Fee Pilot program.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) extended on July 9 a notice of enforcement discretion for highway transport of sanitizers and disinfectants that are intended for use in protecting the health and safety of a motor carrier’s employees. The latest notice extends enforcement discretion until Oct. 31. On April 20, PHMSA published a notice of enforcement discretion that provides temporary relief from certain hazardous material requirements for drivers and carriers transporting sanitizing and disinfecting materials, provided certain criteria are met: The sanitizing and disinfecting materials, such as hand sanitizers and spray disinfectants, are intended to allow employees to adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for protecting against COVID-19. The sanitizing and disinfecting materials are being provided to protect the health and safety of employees who directly support the operations of the carrier, such as by sorting packages, loading and unloading packages, and driving delivery vehicles. The sanitizing and disinfecting materials are transported by motor vehicle. The shipment complies with the hazard class, quantity, packaging, hazard communication and aggregate gross weight requirements specified in 49 CFR § 173.6 (Materials of Trade provisions). Transport of these materials for purposes other than use by employees of the carrier (e.g. retail sale) is not authorized. “The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is aware of the challenges that transportation companies are facing in providing personnel with necessary materials, such as hand sanitizers, that provide for protection of their health and safety and comply with government guidelines,” the notice states. “Workplace locations like package sorting facilities, airport ramps, stations, and delivery vehicles often lack ready access to soap and water, resulting in an urgent need for sanitizing and disinfecting products. These companies are in many instances essential businesses that support the U.S. economy and the public interest through the shipment and delivery of packages.” To view the July 9 notice of enforcement discretion, click here.

EDINBURG, Texas — The Rio Grande Valley Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol is asking the public to help stop human smuggling attempts through Operation Big Rig. This call to action asks anyone who sees or is aware of smuggling or suspicious activity to call 911. “Alien smuggling and human trafficking are a lucrative business conducted with no regard for human life. While the sector leads the nation in illegal alien apprehensions, agents continue to rescue aliens locked inside tractor-trailer cargo areas. The dangers of this tactic are enhanced with the excessive summer heat experienced in South Texas,” the agency notes. On July 23, 2017, in San Antonio, 10 people died from dehydration and overheating when they were locked in a trailer and abandoned in a Walmart parking lot. In response to this event, in November 2017, the Joint Task Force West, South Texas Corridor launched the Operation Big Rig campaign to raise awareness to the dangers and consequences of human ​smuggling. The campaign enhances community engagement and ensures uniformity in the law-enforcement response to human smugglers who use commercial vehicles to transport illegal aliens. Partnerships with businesses and law-enforcement agencies have proven essential in the distribution of information to truck drivers and the general public on how to report an incident and how law enforcement will respond, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2020, agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector have rescued of hundreds of people from tractor-trailers, many of whom did not have a means of escape, the agency said.

TUCSON, Ariz. — U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped two U.S. citizens, both juveniles, as they attempted to smuggle 23 illegal border crossers in a tractor-trailer near Douglas, Arizona, last week. Around 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, Tucson Sector agents conducted an immigration-related traffic stop on a tractor-trailer near mile marker 371 on Arizona State Route 80. Agents arrested 22 Mexican nationals and one Guatemalan national in the process, all illegally present in the U.S. and ranging in age from 16 to 69. One Mexican national in the group was processed for a history of extensive immigration violations. The remaining migrants were expelled from the U.S. via Title 42 authority. The U.S. citizen driver and passenger, both juveniles, were arrested. According to the U.S. Border Patrol, criminal organizations target vulnerable populations, including the youth in border communities, to engage in human and narcotics smuggling. The Tucson Sector Border Patrol works to combat this trend through information and education geared towards children and their parents via the T.E.A.M. Kids Program.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has enhanced its 511 Traveler information System, making it more user friendly and providing more information to help drivers safely navigate the state’s highways. The 511 system is an integrated app, website and telephone system that provides real-time traffic information on all South Carolina interstate highways as well as some of the highways along the coast. The statewide system provides information on construction, lane closures, crashes, congestion and severe weather affecting traffic. Users can call 511, check the app or visit www.511SC.org 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The SCDOT 511 Traveler Information System’s new enhancements include: New, faster-loading map; Satellite map overlay; Layered information from the navigational app Waze; Inclusion of a nearby camera when navigating highway cameras; Rest area markers; Evacuation route markers; Ability to get directions; Enhanced emergency alerts; Ability to save favorite cameras and points of interest; and A look-ahead feature that verbally notifies the driver of upcoming events such as crashes or construction (mobile app only).

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Bobby Jordan of Soso, Mississippi, a Roadstar Million Mile Safe Driver for Landstar Systems Inc., has won the company’s 2020 All-Star Truck Giveaway, sponsored by Pilot Flying J. He will receive a brand-new 2020 Freightliner Cascadia. Jordan was one of four finalists, all randomly drawn from Landstar’s pool of 1,086 active 1 million mile, 2 million mile, 3 million mile and Roadstars. Jordan has been leased to Landstar since 1982. He was recognized as a Million Mile Safe Driver in 1993 and as a Landstar Roadstar designee in 2001. The Roadstar designation is one of the company’s highest honors for truck owner-operators awarded to the “best of the best” based on their high levels of safety, productivity and excellence in customer service. For the first time ever, the Landstar All-Star Truck Giveaway, held July 8, took place virtually via Zoom video conferencing. During the virtual event, the 2020 Landstar All-Star Truck Giveaway winner was determined after each of the four finalists selected the box they believed contained the key to the giveaway truck. Jordan guessed correctly to win the viper blue Freightliner Cascadia, which features a suite of safety systems, fuel-efficiency features, a Detroit DD15 14.8 L engine and a Detroit DT12 automated transmission. “Wow! Thank you very much,” said a very emotional Bobby Jordan once he realized he’d won the giveaway truck. “Landstar has been good to me from the very beginning.” Each year, Landstar gives away a truck, including all registration fees and taxes, to one of its Million Mile Safe Driver independent owner-operators. The 2020 Landstar All-Star giveaway truck marked the 41st truck giveaway in Landstar’s 32-year history as a company. “Congratulations to Bobby Jordan. Awarding a Landstar independent owner-operator with a new truck is an honor every year. This year, we take tremendous pride in continuing this tradition during these unprecedented times of a global pandemic,” said Jim Gattoni, Landstar’s president and CEO. “We thank all of our Roadstar and Million Mile Safe Drivers for their skills and their service excellence,” he continued. “We also appreciate the contributing support of our sponsor company, Pilot Flying J, in helping us give away such a life-changing prize.” A recording of the Zoom event, held Wednesday, July 8, is available on Landstar’s social media channels including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Vimeo.

WASHINGTON — In recent weeks, truck drivers across the nation have reported encountering protests and other civil disturbances while on the road, and there have even been instances of truckers being delayed and trailers looted. In an effort to ensure the safety of the nation’s commercial truck drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued guidance for drivers who encounter unsafe conditions on the road. In a July 9 post that appeared on the agency’s Twitter and Facebook pages, FMCSA noted, “After seeing incidents of threats against truckers, FMCSA wants drivers to know that they may use the emergency conditions exception in §395.1(b) to complete a trip without violating the hours-of-service regulations if the trip was delayed due to a civil disturbance causing a driver to reasonably fear for their physical safety. Any driver who experiences crime or violence should immediately call the police.” Under §395.1(b), drivers encountering adverse driving conditions that cause delays preventing them from safely completing the run within the allowed drive time can drive an additional two hours to either complete the run or reach safety. The exception also states, “In case of an emergency, a driver may complete his/her run without being in violation of the provisions of the regulations in this part, if such run reasonably could have been completed absent the emergency.”

GREENBELT, Md. — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2020 Operation Safe Driver Week begins Sunday, July 12, and continues through Saturday, July 18. During the weeklong traffic-enforcement safety initiative, law-enforcement personnel throughout North America will be looking for drivers who are engaging in unsafe driving behaviors. Identified drivers will be pulled over by law enforcement and may be issued a warning or citation. While noncommercial traffic dropped dramatically during the first months of the COVID-19 crisis, average speeds rose and reckless driving increased, according to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association. Because of this, CVSA selected speeding as the focus for this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. In addition to a focus on speeding, examples of other dangerous driver behaviors that law enforcement will track during Operation Safe Driver Week include distracted driving, failure to use a seatbelt, following too closely, improper lane change, reckless or aggressive driving, failure to obey traffic-control devices, evidence of drunk or drugged driving, and more.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is offering flexibility to motor carriers that are unable to comply with random drug and alcohol testing requirements because of closures or restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a July 6 notice from Jim Mullin, FMCSA’s acting administrator, the agency noted that even though the U.S. is in a phased re-opening, “the pace of return-to-normal operations will vary across the country” and that some drug-testing facilities may be closed or operating at reduced capacity. Because of this, some carriers may find it impossible to fully comply with minimum percentage random testing rates or to spread administration of random testing “reasonably” throughout the calendar year (49 CFR 382.305(b)(1) and (2) and 49 CFR 382.305(k), respectively). The notice states that FMCSA “will provide reasonable enforcement flexibility during this unprecedented pandemic while also meeting FMCSA’s core safety mission.” The notice emphasizes that this flexibility is not a suspension of random testing requirements and that “employers capable of meeting these requirements must continue to do so.” According to FMCSA, each company must still select drivers for random testing at the required rates during 2020 — 50% of the average number of driver positions for controlled substance (drug) testing and 10% for alcohol testing. If a random test cannot be completed because of the pandemic, the employer must keep written records of the reasons for noncompliance, such as closure of testing facilities or lack of testing personnel. Employers must also document steps taken to find alternative testing resources. Carriers who cannot ensure the dates for random testing are spread throughout the calendar year should likewise document the reasons for noncompliance, such as driver furloughs due to COVID-19.

WESTLAKE, Ohio — TravelCenters of America Inc. is making plans to open a new TA Express in California later this year. The company, which operates the TA, Petro and TA Express travel center network, has signed a franchise agreement with CSG Petroleum Inc. to open a TA Express in Bakersfield, California. “We’re happy to have a new location for professional drivers in California and to work with our new franchisees,” said Dave Raco, vice president of franchise operations for TravelCenters of America. “The team already provides great service to their customers and we’re happy to have them join our network.” The 12-acre site is currently the 24/7 Travel Plaza located on off State Highway 58 at exit 117. The new franchise will be the first introduction of the TA Express brand in California. “We’re proud of the business we have built, and joining TravelCenters of America means we can continue our growth and provide even more options to our customers,” said franchisee Paul Gill.