A Crown Jewel of Bikeways
A unique sunken railway in Minneapolis had degenerated into an urban dumping ground. Now the Midtown Greenway is the superstar of the city’s bicycle network. Here’s how it happened.
Public Roads
Where Were You Looking?
FHWA equips field research vehicles with tracking technology to gather data on drivers’ eye glances to recommend practices and countermeasures to improve transportation safety.
Laying the Groundwork for Innovation
The theme for the 2017 annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is Transportation Innovation: Leading the Way in an Era of Rapid Change. This focus presents a timely opportunity to look toward the future of the Nation’s transportation system and some of the driving forces for innovation.
What Drives Highway Safety Improvements?
FHWA is rolling out new requirements for performance-based decisionmaking. Take a look at how the HSIP has changed, including the addition of safety performance management requirements.
Q&A: The New Office of Innovative Program Delivery
In 2016, the Federal Highway Administration began retooling the Office of Innovative Program Delivery (OIPD) to expand the agency’s ability to advance innovation in the transportation community. This expansion involved the restructuring of four individual centers focusing on innovative finance, acceleration of innovation, local-aid support, and transportation workforce development. Following this overview of the new OIPD and its four centers, future issues of this column in Public Roads will focus in turn on each of the individual centers.
Financing the Future
Public funds used by State and local governments to build, operate, and maintain the national transportation network are under pressure. The current backlog of needed but unfunded investments in transportation infrastructure in the United States will be almost $1trillion by 2025. The passage of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act stabilizes longer term investment, but the funds it provides are insufficient.
Management and Administration
Along the Road is the place to look for information about current and upcoming activities, developments, trends, and items of general interest to the highway community. This information comes from U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) sources unless otherwise indicated. Your suggestions and input are welcome. Let’s meet along the road.
The Influence of Mobile Applications
More and more, travelers are turning to smartphone applications for a wide array of transportation activities. Drivers often use apps for vehicle routing, real-time data on congestion, information regarding roadway incidents and construction, and parking availability. Transit users often rely on apps for real-time predictions of transit arrivals.