Government

The deadline to submit applications for new federal infrastructure grants is Nov. 2, the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced.

The joints had been fixed and fresh asphalt laid over 40-year-old concrete on Interstate 94 between downtown Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center. But before traffic even started to roll over the new multimillion-dollar freeway, the pavement buckled in five places from the 90-degree June heat, leading to higher costs and more delays.

Years of pleas from parents whose son was killed by a speeding tractor-trailer, buy-in from some truckers and the promise of fewer highway deaths convinced U.S. officials in September to propose requiring speed-limiting devices on all large rigs.

TT Managing Editor Lorrie Grant chats with government reporters Eugene Mulero and Eric Miller to recap the year so far in congressional and regulatory news that impact trucking, and looks ahead at the final six months. (Joseph Terry/Transport Topics)

During a rare weekend meeting, Oregon state lawmakers on July 1 voted to send a slimmed-down, $5.3 billion proposal to raise taxes and fees to pay for transportation projects to the House floor for a full vote.

Identifying the most viable source of long-term funding for infrastructure projects nationwide is an elusive task, the country’s top transportation officer explained last week.

State transportation authorities that sought funding for freight infrastructure grants will need to reapply for the federal funding availability, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced June 29.

The weakest U.S. consumer expectations since the election indicate growing concern about prospects for President Donald Trump’s agenda, though Americans’ high satisfaction with their finances should support continued spending, University of Michigan survey data showed June 30.

Union Pacific Corp. sees Mexico trade as a bright spot for its rail freight growth despite tough trade talk from President Donald Trump, CEO Lance Fritz said.