#National

American cities now world’s most expensive places to build thanks to low productivity

Low productivity pushing up the cost of labor has been blamed for US cities being the most expensive places to build this year, while Singapore is leading the way on offsite manufacturing, keeping costs comparatively low. The US dominates this year’s league table, compiled by Dutch consulting engineer Arcadis, a striking change from last year when only one North American city made the top 10. San Francisco and New York placed first and second this year, and are joined in the

Indiana Supreme Court to see case about railroad fines

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Supreme Court will consider the validity of a state law allowing local governments to fine railroads when a stopped train blocks a street for more than 10 minutes. The Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act and the Federal Railroad Safety Act prohibit states from attempting to interfere with the safe operation of trains, the railway argued. The railway said it would have to run trains at higher speeds, operate shorter trains more freque

Sturges named deputy FRA administrator

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao yesterday announced that Mathew Sturges has been appointed deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration(FRA). Sturges previously served as majority staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I), where he directed legislative oversight and authorization efforts related to all modes of transportation. He also worked as deputy director of government affairs f

Senior Senate Appropriator Collins Sounds Alarm on Highway Trust Fund

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees transportation programs, warned that the Trump administration's approach to project investment "fails to address the greatest threat to our nation's infrastructure, which is the ever-growing insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund." The senior appropriator continued with several criticisms of the administration's approach on various programs in her opening statement at an April 11 hearing on th

House rail subcommittee hears from industry stakeholders

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials yesterday held a hearing to gather stakeholders' perspectives on what's needed to improve the nation's rail infrastructure. Several representatives of railroad and transportation labor organizations testified before the subcommittee members. The hearing was held as the subcommittee and committee prepare for the Trump administration's infrastructure package prop

Trump infrastructure policy adviser to leave White House

DJ Gribbin, President Trump's infrastructure policy adviser, is departing the White House as the administration's rebuilding plan appears to have hit a wall in Congress. Gribbin, who led the Trump administration's push for an infrastructure proposal that was released in February, is "moving on to new opportunities," according to a White House official. “Since he joined the team early last year, DJ has played an important part in coordinating the Administration-wide process be

CONGRESS PASSES $21.2 BILLION INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

On March 29, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new $1.3 trillion spending package, of which $21.2 billion will be allocated for infrastructure spending. The new injection will fund the government through September 2018. The House passed the bill with a vote of 256-167 and the Senate followed suit with a vote of 65-32. Such voting trends suggest bipartisan approval of the new injection, which will be put towards a variety of projects across transportation, energ

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Half A Billion Dollars in Infrastructure Investments to

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) today announced the list of 41 recipients of nearly $500 million in discretionary grant funding for road, transit, maritime and rail projects through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. “TIGER grants are targeted investments for our local communities that will increase safety, create jobs and modernize our country’s infrastructure,” said Secretary Elaine L. Chao. More than 64%

Ronald L. Batory Sworn in as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration

Ronald L. Batory was sworn in by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao as the 14th Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. A railroad industry professional with more than 45 years of experience, Batory is widely respected, having worked successfully for small and large rail carriers across the U.S. Prior to his nomination to serve as Administrator, Batory was president & chief operating officer of Conrail, the eighth largest freight railroad in America fr

Trump infrastructure plan comes up $1 trillion short of its funding goal, analysis finds

The Trump administration's plan to pay for rebuilding America's aging infrastructure comes up short by more than $1 trillion, according to a new analysis. The administration proposes having the federal government put up about $200 billion over the next 10 years in grants and other incentives to attract at total of some $1.5 trillion. Each new dollar of federal spending could actually reduce spending by state and local governments, according to analysts at the University of Pe

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