News Briefs - Dec. 27
The Latest Headlines:
- Crude Oil Price Breaks $30 Barrier in London
- Kentucky, Ohio Considering Bridge Options
- Warning Signs Being Posted on I-40 in Oklahoma
- N.C. DMV Enforcement Section Joining Highway Patrol
- Gas Prices Rise in Texas, Dip in California
- Kentucky, Ohio Considering Bridge Options
Crude Oil Price Breaks $30 Barrier in London
The price of crude oil rose above $30 per barrel on the International Petroleum Exchange in London for the first time in two years on concern Venezuela will not be able to fulfill its pledge to boost exports that have been reduced by a national strike, Bloomberg reported Friday.Crude oil is distilled down to gasoline and diesel fuel, with changes in cost often passed onto consumers at the pump.
In New York, the price for February delivery declined slightly to $32.49 a barrel in electronic trading.
However, there is concern it will take at least several weeks to get the facilities running at normal speeds. Transport Topics
Kentucky, Ohio Considering Bridge Options
Officials in Kentucky and Ohio are trying to secure federal funds they say are needed to overhaul or replace a double-decker bridge that is a major link in the nation's interstate system, the Associated Press reported Friday.The 39-year-old Brent Spence Bridge between the states over the Ohio River has 15 years of life left if nothing is done, according to transportation studies. Another study that will begin next month will consider options that include banning heavy trucks, AP said.
The bridge, which Kentucky owns and maintains, is a major commercial route, handling as many as 150,000 vehicles a day.
Replacing the bridge for Interstates 71 and 75 could cost more than a half-billion dollars and take 12 years or more to complete, AP reported. Transport Topics
Warning Signs Being Posted on I-40 in Oklahoma
Transportation officials in Oklahoma said they will place warning signs along Interstate 40 leading to the point where the highway intersects with I-35 and I-235 in Oklahoma City after a series of accidents, the Associated Press reported Thursday.I-40 is a major east-west route running from North Carolina to California.
welve yellow signs with a black, curved arrow have been installed along the highway's westbound lanes, while eight have been placed so that eastbound drivers can see them.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation also installed four signs displaying a tipping truck on the road and advising drivers to slow to 50 mph at the curve.
A cattle trailer overturned Dec. 17 in the westbound lanes of I-40. The same day, a tractor-trailer full of cosmetics also overturned. Earlier in the year, there were at least two other similar accidents, AP said. Transport Topics
N.C. DMV Enforcement Section Joining Highway Patrol
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles' enforcement section will transfer Jan. 1 to the Highway Patrol from the Department of Transportation, the Asheville-Citizen Times reported Tuesday.The new motor carrier officers will be responsible for enforcing federal and state trucking laws.
Legislators have said they believe consolidating all highway law enforcement officers into one department will lead to a more streamlined operation, the article said.
However, many duties handled by DMV that do not deal directly with trucking laws, such as vehicle licensing and enforcing the emissions program, will remain with the Transportation Department.
The Highway Patrol will continue to enforce other highway laws. Transport Topics
Gas Prices Rise in Texas, Dip in California
Although gasoline prices rose by nearly a nickel per gallon last week in Texas, they declined slightly in California, two reports released Friday found.A portion of the commercial trucking industry uses gasoline-burning vehicles.
AAA Texas said the average for a gallon of regular self-serve fuel is currently $1.35 a gallon, up nearly five cents from last week.
The Corpus Christi area saw a significant increase of more than seven cents to $1.31 a gallon, but it is still the lowest in Texas. Dallas, Fort Worth and the Houston area all top the list at $1.35 a gallon.
Meanwhile, the Automobile Club of Southern California said the average price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $1.526, six-tenths of a cent lower than last week's price. In San Diego, the price declined by 0.8 cent. Transport Topics
(Click here for the AAA Texas press release.)
(Click here for the California press release.)
