News Briefs - Jan. 9
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The Latest Headlines:
- Increased Construction Set to Begin at Wilson Bridge Along I-95
- Florida Highway Patrol to Crack Down on Aggressive Driving
- Price of Crude Oil Rises to 9-Month High
- Renault Taking Steps to Boost Profit
- Florida Highway Patrol to Crack Down on Aggressive Driving
Increased Construction Set to Begin at Wilson Bridge Along I-95
Truckers are being urged to avoid the Woodrow Wilson Bridge along Interstate 95 near Washington, D.C., as increased construction is expected to cause additional traffic delays, the Associated Press reported.The bridge, which handles about 200,000 vehicles a day, connects Alexandria, Va., with Oxon Hill, Md., along the East Coast's major north-south highway. Alternate routes include U.S. 301 and the American Legion Bridge.
A pair of higher drawbridges will be built to replace the existing Wilson Bridge, but that also means replacing four interchanges. The entire $2.56 billion project will not be completed until 2012, AP said. Transport Topics
Florida Highway Patrol to Crack Down on Aggressive Driving
The Florida Highway Patrol on Friday launched an aggressive driving enforcement and public education operation in Broward County, the Sun-Sentinel reported.The operation will also be launched in Palm Beach County on Jan. 23, the article said.
In Broward, troopers will focus on Interstates 95, 75 and 595, though other areas like U.S. 27 will also be patrolled. The agency will patrol only I-95 in Palm Beach County.
Troopers will track motorists using radar and video cameras, both of which could be used to prove in traffic court that a violator was driving aggressively.
A motorist must commit at least two moving violations in the presence of a police officer to be cited for driving aggressively, according to a state law passed in 2001. Transport Topics
Price of Crude Oil Rises to 9-Month High
The price of crude oil rose to a nine-month high on Thursday, a day after a report from the Energy Department found supplies of crude oil fell to 269 million barrels, the lowest since 1975, Bloomberg reported.Crude oil for February delivery rose 36 cents on Thursday to settle at $33.98 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest closing price since March 17.
Meanwhile, the OPEC oil cartel raised oil production last month to the highest level in more than three years, according to a Bloomberg survey.
Production in December rose 270,000 barrels a day to 28.45 million barrels a day. December marked the sixth straight monthly increase by OPEC. Transport Topics
Renault Taking Steps to Boost Profit
Volvo AB's Renault truck unit aims to improve profit through 2006 as sales in Eastern Europe climb and the company raises prices for its vehicles, Bloomberg reported Thursday.The cAompany is expected to save additional money as Volvo implements its plan to share more parts including chassis and engines among its Volvo, Renault and Mack brands while maintaining each brand's identity, Bloomberg said.
Renault expects the European market to grow about 3% this year and Volvo believes the U.S. market will increase between 10% and 15%.
Bloomberg also said Renault is in talks with China's Dongfeng Motor Co. about jointly manufacturing vehicles for the Chinese market. Transport Topics
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