The Nation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers have introduced at least six separate proposals since last month to restrict the use of cellphones while driving. Missouri has seen the numbers of cellphone-related traffic crashes increase by 35 percent since 2014, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Cellphone use is “one of the fastest growing causes of fatal crashes in Missouri, and like most other contributing factors, it’s completely preventable,” said Jon Nelson, a highway safety assistant for the Missouri Department of Transportation. There were almost 920 fatal crashes in Missouri last year, down slightly from about 930 fatalities last year, according to the department’s preliminary figures. “When it comes to cellphones, nobody wants to be on the road with a driver constantly using their phone, but so many people find it acceptable to do themselves,” Nelson said. “We can do better.” Republican Sen. Wayne Wallingford has introduced legislation to ban texting for all drivers, or face a $50 fine that would double in a work or school zone. State law currently prohibits texting for drivers under the age of 21 and commercial motor vehicle drivers. Those who violate the texting and driving law could be fined $200 and have 2 points added to their driving record. Most states have already banned texting and driving for all age groups. Sixteen states have banned hand-held phone use by all drivers, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. But Missouri’s Republican-led has struggled to garner support for restrictions to cellphone use behind the wheel. Lawmakers have introduced eight separate proposals in the past two years to limit cellphone use while driving. This legislative session, Reps. Nate Tate, Gretchen Bangert and Greg Razer have introduced bans on using cellphones while driving. Other proposals target cellphone bans in school zones.

DETROIT — The Michigan Department of Transportation plans to install a new warning system on highway ramps with the goal of reducing deadly wrong-way crashes by alerting drivers with bright flashing lights. The flashing lights are being installed at exit ramps on U.S. 131 in Kalamazoo and I-194 in Battle Creek, said Nick Schirripa, a department spokesman. The locations were picked because of the traffic volume and crash history, he said. “The goal is to add another level of notification,” Schirripa said. “If someone is trying to turn on the highway and take a wrong turn, we want to notify them as quickly as possible.” There were 374 wrong-way crashes in the state in 2017, which resulted in 13 deaths, according to department records. Drugs and alcohol were involved in 27 percent of those wrong-way crashes. “More often than not, wrong-way crashes involve some kind of substance,” Schirripa said. “Some are sleep and fatigue related. I don’t know of many that are just mistakes.” Sensors in the warning system will trigger bright LED lights to alert drivers when their vehicles are approaching the highway in the wrong direction. The sensors are meant to quickly alert drivers, even if they are impaired. “If you see them, you’ve done something wrong,” Schirripa said. The department took the sensor idea from other states that use the system, including Arizona and Florida, he said. “They’ve seen a drastic decrease in the number of wrong-way incidents,” Schirripa said. Additional lights could be installed this year around Grand Rapids, and the technology could also be used in the Detroit area, he said.

WASHINGTON — In coordination with National Human Trafficking Awareness month, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) unveiled its 2019 Everyday Heroes Kenworth T680 at a news conference held recently at the National Mall. On a brisk and snow-covered day in Washington, 50 members of the national media and sponsors of the Everyday Heroes Kenworth T680 turned out for a chance to listen to speakers, get a first-hand look at the special TAT Kenworth T680, and take a look inside the Freedom Drivers Project, a mobile display featuring a video and artifacts from human trafficking survivors. Featured speakers explained the importance of stopping human trafficking and the need to continue to raise awareness about the crime. The speakers included Kendis Paris, Truckers Against Trafficking executive director and co-founder; Kevin Baney, Kenworth assistant general manager of sales and marketing; Don Blake, new truck sales manager, Inland Kenworth-Phoenix; Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Karl Racine, district of columbia attorney general; and John McKown, UPS driver and TAT ambassador. “The press conference was held to help raise awareness for human trafficking, and we accomplished that goal through our Everyday Heroes Kenworth T680 and the Freedom Drivers Project,” said Inland Kenworth’s Don Blake, who serves as a TAT board member. “There was even a local driver who passed by and decided to pull his rig over to check out our special truck. He was inspired after learning about the program, and wants to become TAT trained and to encourage others at his company to do so as well.” Those in attendance had the opportunity to look through the Freedom Drivers Project. “One woman told me that the Freedom Drivers Project was incredible, but the only thing missing was a box of tissues,” Blake. said “As sad as it is to walk through the exhibit, it really does portray how terrible the crime of human trafficking is today. Hopefully, with the help of TAT trained members, we may one day bring an end to this crime.” Fighting human trafficking takes money to fund, and that is why the 2019 Everyday Heroes truck was built – as a fundraiser to offset TAT program costs. The Kenworth T680, valued at $162,000 will be auctioned off live on Ritchie Bros., site in Phoenix on May 17. “Human trafficking is one of the greatest human rights violations of our time and it is going to take every sector, both public and private, and every individual no matter their profession, playing a role in helping to bring freedom,” Paris said. “This Everyday Heroes truck stands as a symbol that the American trucking industry is dedicated to doing just that.” According to TAT, 2,250 calls have been made to the national hotline by truckers which have helped identify over 1,100 victims of human trafficking, many of whom are kids. “At the office of attorney general, we see kids every day and sadly we see kids who are victims of human trafficking,” Racine said. “One of the earlier speakers spoke of the need to curtail trafficking by ending demand. The only way we can do that is if we enlist more eyes and ears on the roads, at the hotel, and at the transportation sites throughout this country.” The unveiling of the Everyday Heroes trucks kicks off a four-month tour with stops at Kenworth’s Chillicothe, Ohio, plant (February 21-22), the American Trucking Associations Technology and Maintenance Council annual meeting in Atlanta (March 18-21), and the Mid-America Trucking show in Louisville, Kentucky (March 28-30), before making its final stop at Richie Bros. The special Kenworth T680 is fully loaded with a 76-inch sleeper, 485-hp PACCAR MX-13 engine, and PACCAR 12-speed automated transmission. “Kenworth is honored to be involved in the auction to help maximize the value, create demand and generate top dollar for the Everyday Heroes truck to benefit this worthy cause,” Baney said. “Helping drivers understand human trafficking and knowing what they can do to help is an extension of our message, and it’s an essential part of our mission to make this a better world.” Since its founding in 2009, over 680,000 people have become TAT educated and trained. With over 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. alone, drivers are considered the eyes and ears of the road. Drivers like John McKown, who is TAT trained and a driver for UPS, is one of those drivers looking to make a difference. “I’m a fighter against human trafficking. This is where it gets tough because I’m a dad, a grandpa, an uncle, and a great uncle. But, more importantly, I’m in this fight to bring awareness to this horrible crime and someday, somehow make a difference in someone’s life,” McKown said. The Everyday Heroes Kenworth T680 is designed to raise awareness for human trafficking, and encourage other drivers on the road to report suspicious activity to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. More information is available on the TAT website at www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org.

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota is pushing the speed limit to 60 mph on most two-lane state highways. The Star Tribune reports that state traffic officials say more than two-thirds of rural highways slated for the increase have already posted the new limit and that the rest should be completed this year. Many rural residents pushed for the change, but some national safety experts fear the 5 mph bump will lead to more fatalities. Russ Rader works for Virginia-based nonprofit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Rader says raising the speed limit reduces a driver’s ability to quickly brake and survive a crash. He says rural two-lane roads are more risky because of hazards including ditches and trees. “Raising the speed limit never comes without a cost,” Rader said. “Increases in speed limits over two decades have contributed to the deaths of 33,000 people, according to the institute’s research. It’s a matter of physics, because an impact is stronger and the damage more severe when a vehicle crashes at higher speeds, Rader said. Most crash tests are done at 35 to 40 mph because that’s considered a severe-impact speed, he explained. “Raising the speed limit reduces the ability of the driver to brake and bring the vehicle to a survivable [crash] level,” Rader said. Safety hasn’t been the only concern behind lower speed limits, the newspaper reported. Many states dropped speed limits to 55 mph during the 1970s oil crisis in an effort to save fuel. They adopted the lower limit if they wanted their share of federal highway funding. “It was the power of the purse that brought speeds down,” said Kara Macek of the Governors Highway Safety Association. That law was repealed in 1995 and states began increasing speed limits, she said, noting that a stretch of road in Texas has a posted limit of 85 — the highest in the country. Republican Sen. Torrey Westrom says the change merely decriminalizes what people were already doing.

LONDON, Ontario, Canada — In a press event held in London, Ontario, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) said inspection station bypass, through Drivewyze, is coming to the province in an effort to improve productivity and safety in the region. Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass will be available for subscription, starting March 1, at 32 inspection station locations. The sites were determined based on strategic corridors and inspection volume. One of the most prevalent lanes will be Highway 401, which connects from Detroit on the U.S. side (Windsor in Canada) to Toronto. There are two weigh stations that can be bypassed along the route between Windsor and Toronto — four total along the entire 401 highway headed eastbound. Other notable corridors include Highways 402 and 403. “We’re thrilled to begin operation in Ontario,” said Brian Heath, president and CEO of Drivewyze. “It’s a key province that conducts a huge amount of commerce and trade – trucks transport the goods across Canada, and into and out of the United States. We know our customers with routes in Canada will now save a great deal of time when travelling through Ontario and the rest of North America.” With Ontario now coming on board, Drivewyze has coverage at more than 700 fixed and mobile inspection sites in 42 states and two provinces. It has the largest footprint of any bypass service in North America. “This is the first-ever bypass system in Ontario and it will make a difference for the trucking community, while improving safety for the citizens of Ontario,” Heath said. “Our mission is to improve transportation safety and efficiency. Time is money for both the fleet and driver and our solution is giving a tremendous ROI to our customers. The momentum we’ve built by expanding our service in more states and provinces continues – and it’s all driven by our commitment to our customers.” Carriers and drivers can subscribe to Drivewyze PreClear bypass service in Ontario alone, or as part of a U.S./Ontario bundle. Existing Drivewyze subscribers and new subscribers can obtain the service through Drivewyze’s broad ELD reseller network, or through Drivewyze directly. To qualify for bypasses in Ontario, trucks must possess Ontario license plates, or must be U.S. plated trucks registered to carriers that have CVOR certification permitting them to operate in Ontario. The Drivewyze PreClear bypass application is available on a number of Drivewyze partner platforms, including Omnitracs, PeopleNet, Transflo, Rand McNally, Zonar, ORBCOMM, Platform Science, ISAAC, and Switchboard. Fleets can request a free weigh station activity report to help them determine how much Drivewyze can potentially save them before activating the subscription-based weigh station bypass service. The application is also available for drivers to download on Android and iOS-based tablets or smartphones. Drivewyze comes with a free Weigh Station Heads-Up service for real-time notifications at more than 1,200 weigh stations and inspection sites in North America. The notification service helps carriers improve driver compliance and reduces violation rates to positively impact carrier safety scores. To learn more about Drivewyze, please visit www.drivewyze.com.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A bill to require motorists to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone while driving passed its first committee stop in the Minnesota Legislature on Tuesday after lawmakers heard emotional testimony from several people who lost loved ones in crashes caused by drivers who were distracted by cellphones. “Members, if we just save one life through passage of this bill, we will have done our jobs. But the data shows we’ll be saving many more than just one life,” Rep. Frank Hornstein, the House transportation committee chairman and chief sponsor of the bill, said before his panel approved the measure on a unanimous voice vote. Legislative leaders have said they expect the bill will be enacted with bipartisan support relatively early in the session. It has at least one more committee stop before it reaches the House floor. A Senate committee had a hearing scheduled on a similar bill Wednesday, as well as a separate bill that would steeply increase fines for texting while driving and treat distracted motorists more like drunken drivers when they seriously injure or kill someone. Greg LaVallee showed lawmakers a large photo of his son, Phillip, who was 19 when he was killed by a distracted driver in 2013 in Otsego. He said his son was an honors student and runner at South Dakota State University and was generous about helping competitors. He had hopes of making the U.S. Olympic team so he would run 50 to 60 miles per week. LaVallee said Phillip was on a training run on a sunny day on a flat, straight road when a driver on the phone crossed the centerline, drove through traffic that was moving in the opposite direction, traveled onto the far shoulder of the road, and struck him from behind. He said there were no signs that the driver braked or tried to steer to avoid him. “Our cars are safer, our roads are safer, everything is safer but drivers are not,” he said. “They’re driving off the road. And instead of just injuring someone — because they’re doing it at full speed — they’re killing someone.” Thomas Goeltz testified about his daughter, Megan, and his unborn grandson being killed in 2016 in Stillwater by a distracted driver who veered across traffic and slammed into his daughter’s vehicle, which was stopped at a stop sign. Goeltz said he now has a 6-year-old granddaughter who is growing up without a mother. He said when traveling for business, which he often does, he would tell the granddaughter that he’d wave to her when flying over her house so she could wave back. “And you know what she said to me shortly after her mother died?” Goeltz said, his voice choking up. “She said: ‘Papa, don’t wave. When you’re in the clouds bring Mama back down for me, OK?’” The Department of Public Safety says at least 27 of the state’s approximately 380 traffic deaths last year were related to distractions of all kinds. Experts testified that cellphone use is the fastest-growing distraction, causing a rising number of deaths and injuries. Paul Aasen, president of the Minnesota Safety Council, said 16 other states and the District of Columbia already have hands-free laws. Truckers are already restricted to hands-free devices under federal law. Most of the 16 other states have seen large reductions in fatalities, he testified, averaging 16 percent. “If you take a look at the number of fatalities we have in this state, and if we can get a 16 percent decrease in the year that follows implementing hands-free, that’ll be about 55 people whose deaths could have been prevented,” he said.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Virginia drivers observed in a 2018 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) roadside survey were 57 percent more likely to be manipulating a cellphone than drivers in a similar 2014 survey. The percentage of drivers observed manipulating a phone rose from 2.3 percent in 2014 to 3.4 percent in 2018, the IIHS said. At the same time, drivers were less likely to be seen simply holding a cellphone or talking on a hand-held phone than in the prior survey. The finding is consistent with research indicating that drivers are talking on hand-held phones less and fiddling with them more often than in recent years. In 2018, 3.7 percent of drivers in Northern Virginia were observed talking on a hand-held cellphone, compared with 4.1 percent of drivers in 2014, while 2.8 percent of drivers in 2018 were seen holding a cellphone, compared with 4.9 percent in the prior survey. The problem of distracted driving, especially cellphone use, continues to raise concerns, not just in Virginia but the entire nation, the IIHS said. A 2018 national survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 64 percent of respondents consider distracted driving a much bigger problem today than it was three years ago. About 37,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2017, the most recent year of data available. Assuming the prevalence of phone manipulation nationwide rose as it did in Northern Virginia to 3.4 percent, and assuming, based on the latest research, that fatal crash risk is 66 percent higher when manipulating a phone, then more than 800 of the estimated crash deaths in 2017 could be attributed to phone manipulation. This estimate is based on work by IIHS and other researchers describing how the estimated risk and prevalence of phone use can be combined to estimate the number of crash deaths that could be attributed to phone use in a given year. The 66 percent increase in fatal crash risk associated with manipulating a cellphone relative to driving when other secondary behaviors were present is a finding of a 2018 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. “The latest data suggest that drivers are using their phones in riskier ways,” said David Kidd, who co-authored the study and is a senior research scientist with Highway Loss Data Institute. “The observed shift in phone use is concerning because studies consistently link manipulating a cellphone while driving to increased crash risk.” Cellphone use affects how drivers scan and process information from the roadway, the IIHS study said. Drivers generally take their eyes off the road to dial, send texts and browse the web on a hand-held phone — all activities that fall under the rubric of manipulating the phone. Drivers engaged in cellphone conversations tend to concentrate their gaze toward the center of the roadway, but their attention still may be diverted from driving and make it difficult for them to process what they are looking at. Procedures for the 2018 update followed those used in 2014. IIHS stationed observers at 12 locations across four Northern Virginia communities, on straight stretches of roads, at signalized intersections and at roundabouts in March 2018. Observers noted nearly 12,000 drivers in the 2018 survey and more than 14,000 drivers in 2014 during the morning, afternoon or early evening on weekdays. Researchers noted if drivers were engaging in one or more of 12 visible secondary behaviors while moving or stopped at red lights. About 23 percent of drivers were engaged in one or more distracting activities: Talking on hand-held cellphone Manipulating hand-held cellphone (excludes looking at phone in mount) Simply holding hand-held cellphone (i.e. not obviously manipulating or talking) Wearing Bluetooth earpiece or headset with mic Wearing headphones or ear buds Manipulating in-vehicle system (touching radio, climate control, touchscreen display or other controls; excludes operating stalks or buttons on steering wheel) Manipulating or holding mobile electronic device other than cellphone Talking or singing Eating or drinking Smoking Grooming Other (reaching for object, reading print material, adjusting sun visor, putting on glasses, holding another object) “When people talk about distracted driving, most often cellphones are the focus, but drivers are distracted by other secondary behaviors more often than cellphones,” Kidd said. “Things as simple as drinking coffee or talking to your kids can take your attention away from the road.” About 14 percent of drivers were engaged in nonphone-related secondary behaviors in 2014 and 2018, which exceeded the proportion of drivers seen using phones in both years. Relative to 2014, drivers were more likely to be observed manipulating an in-vehicle system, grooming themselves, or manipulating or holding an electronic device other than a phone after researchers adjusted for community, perceived driver gender and age, time of day and roadway situation. Drivers in 2018 were less likely to be talking or singing while driving alone, smoking, or wearing headphones or earbuds. The prevalence of eating or drinking, talking or singing with a passenger present, wearing a Bluetooth device, or engaging in some other visible secondary behavior wasn’t significantly different between 2014 and 2018. “We didn’t find evidence of an increase in distracted driving overall between the 2014 and 2018 roadside surveys,” Kidd says. “For cellphone-related distraction in general, we expect a continued shift in the way people interact with the devices as the technology evolves.” The percentage of crash deaths related to distraction in recent years has hovered at about 8–10 percent of all crash deaths, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show. During the past three years, distraction-affected crash deaths have trended downward. The number of fatalities in distraction-affected crashes fell 9.3 percent from 3,490 in 2016 to 3,166 in 2017, representing 8.5 percent of total fatalities for the year. In 2015, 3,526 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes. The IIHS said fatality data likely underestimate the number of deaths caused by distracted drivers. Despite efforts to determine cellphone use by drivers in crashes, such data continue to be difficult to collect as they largely depend on people truthfully telling law enforcement officers what they were doing or voluntarily handing over their phones for inspection, the IIHS said.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Transportation said Tuesday it is going to create a Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Task Force to become a central point for CAV advancement in Texas. The task force is designed to be a one-stop resource for information and coordination on all ongoing CAV projects, investments and initiatives in Texas. In addition to documenting public and private entity efforts and facilitating partnerships, the CAV Task Force will host industry forums and report lessons learned to facilitate progress and encourage greater collaboration, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “With our world-class universities, top-notch workforce and startup culture, Texas is a national leader in the development of new technologies,” Abbott said. “As transportation technology advances, the CAV Task Force will ensure that the Lone Star State remains at the forefront of innovation.” TxDOT Executive Director James Bass said the state’s goal is to further build on the momentum already established with the Texas Technology Task Force and the Texas Innovation Alliance, “We look forward to furthering these important efforts as connected and autonomous vehicles become reality,” Bass said. TxDOT has had a keen interest in the progress of autonomous vehicles as they have the potential to greatly reduce crashes and improve roadway safety over time, Bass said, adding that autonomous vehicles also provide opportunities to reimagine personal and commercial mobility with quality of life and economic benefits. For example, CAV technology could enable greater mobility for those who rely on transportation from others to access health care and routine appointments, such as the elderly and people with disabilities, he said. The task force will continue to enable companies to pursue innovative ideas around CAV technology in a business-friendly way that has been the calling card for Texas in this space and others over time, Abbott said, noting the formation of the group will also build on legislation passed by the 85th Legislature related to how connected and autonomous vehicles can operate in the Lone Star State.

WASHINGTON — WalletHub, a website that says it offers free credit scores and full credit reports has just published a list of the best and worst driving states. In addition to an overall score, the list also ranks states on other transportation-related categories. The overall score itself is derived from rankings by state on cost of ownership and maintenance; traffic and infrastructure; safety; and access to vehicles and maintenance. Oregon has the best overall rank with a score of 61.56 followed by Illinois (61.44), Indiana (60.90), Iowa (60.62) and Texas (60.51) The overall bottom five and scores include Hawaii (38.45), Alaska (47.48), Washington (47.73), California (48.37 and New Hampshire (49.11). By category, Iowa was tops in cost of ownership and maintenance, Hawaii was last; Montana was tops in traffic and infrastructure, Massachusetts was last; Rhode Island was first in safety, Montana was last; California was first in access to vehicles and maintenance, Alaska was last. Some interesting categories include: Lowest percent of rush-hour traffic congestion — Mississippi, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Idaho. Highest percent of rush-hour traffic congestion — Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and California. Fewest days with precipitation — California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Most days with precipitation — New York, Vermont, West Virginia, Hawaii and New Hampshire. Lowest car theft rate — Vermont, Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Highest car theft rate — Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Alaska. Lowest average gas prices — Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and South Carolina. Highest average gas prices — (tie) Nevada and Oregon, Alaska, Washington, California and Hawaii. Lowest auto maintenance costs — Oregon, West Virginia, Montana, Indiana and Delaware. Highest auto maintenance costs — New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaiit and New York. On its website, WalletHub says it is “dedicated to helping people efficiently attain top ‘WalletFitness’ so they may enjoy life instead of worrying about money. To that end, we strive to make the complex simple and to provide each user with a personalized level of care.” For more information, visit www.WalletHub.com.    

WASHINGTON — The on-highway average price for a gallon of diesel dropped 1.1 cents to $2.965 for the week ending January 21, according to the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy. Weekly diesel prices are normally posted on Monday, but the DOE was closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. It marked the 14th straight week the price had declined, although drop of 1.1 cents was the smallest since the week of November 5 when the price dropped 1.7 cents to $3.338. Since the decline began the week of October 22 the average national price has dropped 42.9 cents a gallon. All regions of the country declined with the Rocky Mountain states leading the way with a 4.3 cents per gallon drop. The next closest decline was 1.9 cents a gallon in the Lower Atlantic states. The only region to show an increase was the Gulf Coast where the price increased two-tenths of a penny to $2.79, which is still the lowest price per gallon in the country. The price for the week ending January 21 is 6 cents lower than the comparable week one year ago. For a complete list of prices by region for the past three weeks, click here.    

WASHINGTON — A panel of six state department of transportation executives delved into some of the issues surrounding U.S. surface transportation funding during the 2019 Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting here recently. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and moderated by Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation and AASHTO’s 2018-2019 president, the group focused on the difficulties of maintaining and expanding a national transportation network with a dwindling amount of fiscal resources. “This is a conversation about figuring out ways to advance transportation policy in the nation and how to fund it,” Braceras said in an article published in the Journal, an AASHTO publication. “The problem is that, when transportation works, we don’t think about it – it’s when it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to that people notice. That’s why increasing formula-based federal funding to the states is the main subject of our conversation.” “We have tremendous capacity needs [and] our multimodal system will not sustain itself,” said Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. “Many urban corridors are deteriorating because our transportation infrastructure is 60 years old and we have not done anything to replace it. We’re struggling with a primarily ‘preservation approach’ to infrastructure.” At the end of the day, Wilson said the “simple formula funding” mechanism for dispersing federal monies to the states for transportation needs remains the best way to provide fiscal support to the nation’s mobility system. “You have to give us the dollars and unleash them,” he said. “The discretionary pot [of funding] is not the way for balancing the needs of transportation in the future – not every state is created equal.” Idaho Transportation Department Director Brian Ness echoed Wilson’s perspective on funding. “We rely heavily on federal funding, so reauthorization has a big impact on us,” he said. “We need to be able to get things from one area of the country to another – that national system is very important; and the only way to get that is through a strong federal program. Formula funding works very well, with a small percentage going into discretionary funding. That’s the right way to go.” Yet Kyle Schneweis, director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation, stressed that while the “role of federal funding remains critical” to his state’s transportation program, raising fuel taxes to generate more revenue for those efforts is “seen as aging dinosaur.” “We can’t shut the door on things we don’t like, though that is hard to do as we’ve had so much success with our traditional programs,” he said. “We have to get with the times and look for more proactive solutions.” “We have to get the funding right because we are in a transition point of time,” said Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry. “We need a bridge from where we are today to where we need to be in the future – a VMT [vehicle miles travelled] tax, user fees for electric vehicles, and other ideas in this emerging area. We have to think holistically about all of that; we have to think about how all of that works together for our transportation future.” Yet Pete Rahn, Maryland’s transportation secretary and chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority, noted that almost all previous federal surface transportation funding reauthorization efforts have been undertaken in a “crisis” environment, to the point where many in Congress have gotten used to it. “Congress acts in a crisis; it’s not designed to be a planning body,” he said. “The problem is we are looking at having to raise $20 billion [from the general fund] get through another year. At what point do we recognize is not sustainable? But if we want to see a divergence in Congressional behavior, we have to offer a divergent view how pay for transportation.” As a result, Rahn pointed out, many states are increasingly resorting to “non-traditional” methods to finance major transportation projects such as public-private partnerships or P3s. “In Maryland we’ve initiated a large P3 to build express lanes on I-270 and I-495; a $9 billion project to build 70 center lane miles that is the largest P3 project right now in the world,” he said. “We do not have the funds to do this so the only way to get them has been through the private sector. But is this the way we should be undertaking projects of national significance? Is this the way we will have to address transportation needs in the future?”  

JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Transportation Commission Tuesday announced funding for 163 Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund (ERBRF) projects. Totaling $250 million, the approved projects will repair or replace 200 bridges severely restricting mobility, including 99 that are currently closed and another 91 that have posted weight restrictions. City and county governments received $213 million for projects on local roads. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) received $37 million for projects on the state highway network. “The Transportation Commission unanimously approved the selected projects from a pool of 690 applications totaling nearly $1 billion,” said Commissioner Mike Tagert, Northern Transportation District. “Although all applications contained important projects, those awarded will provide greatest benefit to the state’s crippled infrastructure.” Applications were received between November 14 and December 14 last year. Projects were chosen based on metrics that took into account bridge condition, project readiness, traffic volume, mobility, and economic impact. Each application was analyzed and ranked based on these metrics and other criteria established through joint meetings with the ERBRF Advisory Board as well as survey information received from local governments. “The Transportation Commission worked closely with MDOT and the advisory board to ensure the most effective statewide allocation of funds which improves public safety and strengthens Mississippi’s economy,” said Commissioner Tom King, Southern Transportation District. “The selected projects will replace closed and posted bridges, reopening many agricultural and commerce corridors as well as providing safe passage for emergency vehicles and school buses.” The Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund was created by the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act (MIMA) of 2018, which was signed into law during the 2018 Special Legislative Session. It authorized issuance of up to $250 million in bonds to repair public roads and bridges in the state. “While we were not able to fully fund the $1 billion in requested applications, it is a start to addressing the state’s critical infrastructure needs,” said Commissioner Dick Hall, chair, Mississippi Transportation Commission. “We want to thank Gov. Bryant and the legislature for this is a step in the right direction.  However, we need sustained funding to address all deteriorating bridges and crumbling roadways.” For a complete list of projects receiving funding through the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund, visit GoMDOT.com/ERBRF.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Daniel Barnett, Denny Cattell and Mike Johnson have been recognized as Highway Angels for willingness to stop at the scene of any accident or other traffic incident and render aid until emergency services arrive. On Tuesday, July 24, Barnett, who lives in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, and is a professional truck driver for Barber Trucking, had reloaded his flatbed and was on his way to Buffalo, New York. As he turned onto Highway 19 in West Virginia, the driver saw brake lights up ahead. Coming around a bend in the road, Barnett noticed a two-vehicle accident just ahead in an intersection. As he approached, other motorists were frantic, struggling to open the driver’s door of a small minivan. Nearing the scene, Barnett noticed smoke rolling out from underneath the hood. Acting swiftly, , he safely stopped, positioning his truck to divert traffic away from the accident scene. Barnett quickly pulled tools from his truck and went around to the passenger side of the inoperable minivan and broke the window. Without a moment to spare, he then gave someone his pocketknife to cut the driver’s seatbelt so that one of the bystanders, a nurse, could administer aid. Barnett quickly ran back to his truck for a fire extinguisher — he wanted to ensure nothing caught fire as they waited for emergency vehicles to arrive. Fortunately, it turned out to be steam coming out from under the hood. Thinking back on that day, Barnett says he doesn’t believe he did anything particularly heroic. “I would hope someone would do it if my wife or daughter were in that situation and not just drive by thinking someone else will do something.” Cattell lives in Altoona, Georgia, and is a professional truck driver for Bennett International Group of McDonough, Georgia. On August 1, motorist Patricia Lister was traveling with her daughter and two great-granddaughters in their RV on Interstate 80 in Illinois when they came upon a large truck tire tread in their lane. Because of to traffic conditions at the time, they weren’t able to avoid the tire, and as a result, it completely removed the RV’s exhaust system. The family found themselves stranded on the shoulder of a very busy interstate. Patricia, a woman in her 80s, was struggling to push the damaged exhaust system off to the side. She said she was grateful when Cattell stopped to offer assistance. “Being 85, 64, 4 and 2, we definitely needed help,” she said. Cattell advised Patricia that the 14-foot-long exhaust system could likely be repaired. Just then, an Illinois state trooper arrived and diverted traffic to the left-hand lanes while Cattell put the RV’s exhaust system on his truck. The family then followed him to a shop in the Quad Cities that he found via Google. Once there, he made sure the shop could manage the repairs before continuing on his way. “She was quite thankful, and I was thankful no one got hurt,” said Cattell. Johnson lives in California, Missouri, and is a professional truck driver for Ruan Transportation Management Systems of Des Moines, Iowa. He is being recognized for rescuing a small child, found alone in a ditch, in the wee hours of the morning. It was 4 a.m. on July 13 and Johnson was traveling on Highway 19 in Missouri, making his way to pick up a load in Iowa. As he approached the tiny town of Laddonia, Missouri, he could see something white ahead of him, in the ditch, reflecting in his headlights. Maybe it was a deer, he thought. It was dark out and his headlights were the only source of light. As he got closer, the white object popped up out of the ditch. It was a small child, barefoot, and wearing only a diaper. Johnson carefully pulled over to the shoulder, putting on his hazards. The child, holding an orange sippy cup, climbed out of the steep ditch and ran across the two-lane road toward Casey’s General Store. It hadn’t opened yet and there was no one else around. Johnson got out of the truck and carefully approached the child but it ran back across the road and into a gravel parking lot. The child was visibly frightened and crying. He finally caught up to the child, picked it up, tried to comfort it, and called 911. The child put its head on Johnson’s shoulder and hugged him tight. A police officer arrived and took the child to be examined at a local hospital. Later, Johnson phoned the City Hall and learned the child was a little boy and officials had located his mother. Johnson is a single father of a son and hates to think about what may have happened to that little boy if he hadn’t happened to glance at the ditch at just the right time. “You’re always watching for deer,” Johnson says, “but that day, it just came down to seeing the movement and stopping to check it out. Ruff Yokley is a dedicated transportation manager at Ruan Transportation. “Mike’s attentiveness for always scanning for anything that might come out of the darkness and his experience expanding his view saved the life of this toddler,” he said For his willingness to assist, TCA has presented these Highway Angels with a certificate, patch, lapel pin and truck decals. The carriers for whom the drivers work also received a certificate acknowledging their driver as a Highway Angel.