Today’s Headlines

  • LaHood hails New York Times’ Pulitzer win as a victory for distracted driving campaigners (DOT Blog)
  • Oklahoma state DOT delays projects as federal funding from recent jobs bill has yet to materialize (T. World)
  • Amtrak starts high-speed rail group to maximize partnership potential on federally funded projects (Bond Buyer)
  • Safety Q&A with Jeff Moskos, former Baltimore police officer, author, and professor (Streetsblog NYC)
  • Obama administration’s oil-drilling proposal raises the question: Just how much fossil fuel would it produce? (Newsweek)
  • Chrysler sharing technological info with NASA (CNNMoney)
  • China looks to rail to propel future economic growth (NYT)

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Polly Trottenberg Tapped For Senior U.S. DOT Spot

By Elana Schor |
It’s a happy Friday for transportation wonks: the White House has nominated Polly Trottenberg, executive director of Building America’s Future, as assistant secretary for policy at the federal DOT. Polly Trottenberg, tapped as assistant DOT secretary (Photo: NewTalk) Trottenberg’s ascension signals that the Obama administration will make transit a serious priority and encourage a more […]

Crunching June Stimulus Numbers: Roads Create Pricier Jobs Than Transit

By Elana Schor |
Transportation spending under the economic stimulus law created close to 15,000 jobs in June, or three times as many as were created in May, according to estimates released today by the U.S. DOT. (Photo: Cleveland Plain Dealer) Those numbers are bound to hearten Obama administration officials who have defended the stimulus’ 6-percent investment in infrastructure […]

On Bike to Work Day, U.S. DOT and Cycling Advocates Eye New Moves

By Elana Schor |
In addition to the announcement of a new local bike-share system, today’s D.C. Bike to Work Day found both the U.S. DOT and the nation’s leading bike advocacy groups positioning themselves to claim new victories for cyclists in the coming days. FTA chief Peter Rogoff addressing cyclists at this morning’s Bike to Work Day events. […]

U.S. DOT Proposes Giving Minority-Owned Firms Greater Shot at Contracts

By Elana Schor |
Women- and minority-owned companies would have an easier time winning federal transportation contracts under a new rule released by the Obama administration today, which comes in the wake of complaints from social-equity advocates that such firms had received just 2 percent of infrastructure contracts awarded under last year’s economic stimulus law. (Photo: CA DOT) The […]