Oct. 23, 2020 – Last night was the second and final debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. While many are praising the debate participants for a particularly vigorous exchange – in direct contrast to the first time they came together – I do find it disappointing that America’s infrastructure was not on the agenda. Yes, the…
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Oct. 13, 2020 – I am pleased to be presenting at CDE Global’s virtual online conference this week. At the company’s Engineering Insights virtual event, I will provide an update on the current state of the U.S. aggregates industry, the status of the infrastructure bill, the presidential election and industry trends. You can register for FREE here.
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Oct. 1, 2020 – The Senate approved a one-year extension for the FAST Act, the current surface transportation authorization law, which was set to expire on Sept. 30. The highway program provision was attached to a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through Dec. 11. The House approved the CR last week. President Trump signed the measure. The FAST Act extension includes $13.6 billion…
Read MoreThe high level of traffic congestion on Long Island hampers the region’s economic competitiveness and impacts quality of life in the area, according to a new report released by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. The report, “Keeping Long Island Mobile: Accomplishments and Challenges in Improving Accessibility on Long Island to Support Quality of Life and a Strong Economy,” examines…
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Sept. 22, 2020 – The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) continued its virtual Legislative & Policy Forum with a series of networking discussions. Nile Elam, NSSGA director of legislative affairs, was the lead on a discussion of infrastructure policy. He broke the news that Congressional leaders unveiled a Continuing Resolution for FY2021, which includes a one-year extension of current surface transportation authorization…
Read MoreChair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) released the following statements after Congressional leaders unveiled a Continuing Resolution (CR) for FY2021, which includes a one-year extension of current surface transportation authorization funding levels:
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Last week, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) leadership embarked on a 10-day, multi-city bus tour to visit equipment dealers across the Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and the West. The purpose of the “Driving for Dealers” bus tour is to highlight the critical need for federal infrastructure legislation. The tour kicked off on Sept. 16 with stops in Illinois and St.…
Read MoreRoads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost Arkansas motorists a total of $3.2 billion statewide annually – as much as $1,822 per driver in some urban areas – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays.
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Sept. 16, 2020 – Well, here we are in September and it looks very unlikely that a new infrastructure bill will be passed by the end of the month. With the FAST Act’s expiration, the only solution is a short-term extension. A legislative update from this week’s National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association M&S Committee meeting indicated that the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent in 2021…
Read MoreOn Sept. 9, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) along with 87 other organizations co-signed a letter to Congressional leadership calling for a one-year “turn-key” extension of current surface transportation funding legislation with the addition of emergency funding for state departments of transportation and public transit agencies.
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