Jeff Riegner

The NTC is working closely with state transportation officials to understand the impact of the FSK bridge collapse on traffic in the region. Learn more about what to expect on the region's roads from Dr. Mansoureh Jeihani and the research team in today's Baltimore Sun!

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Will restrictions on new bike lanes improve traffic flow? How about increased fines for "blocking the box"? Speeding up construction of new highways? Opening the new transit lines on Eglinton and Finch? Effective policy that will improve traffic congestion starts with data. We can use GIS to analyze big data sets to determine the real impact of each potential change. Systems thinking tells us that no change can be considered in isolation: we must look at the system as a whole. There is an optimal combination of changes that will have the maximum positive impact on congestion. Because the system is dynamic, we must continue to evaluate and adapt over time--there is no one quick fix. All of these ideas have merit and should be considered. But we don't need to use a trial-and-error approach. Through spatial data analysis, correlation, and simulation with GIS, new policies, regulations, and funding can drive improvements much more quickly and effectively. https://lnkd.in/ghgbaYMu

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#DOT Stories | State Departments of #Transportation have the enormous job of ensuring safe, efficient, and resilient transportation infrastructure statewide. Today, we're highlighting some of our favorite stories of DOTs using big data to get ahead of their state's biggest #mobility challenges. Read below to see how Georgia Department of Transportation is using real-time traffic data to minimize disruptions from #construction on one of its busiest #highway interchanges. Next, see how Caltrans used O-D and volume data to understand why trucks were cutting through residential neighborhoods, and coordinate with local agencies to keep them on safer, more efficient #freight routes. Last but not least, Nevada Department of Transportation won #NEVI funding with a data-driven grant application that will help them install equitable #EVcharging infrastructure on regional connectors throughout the state.

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This is an important read for any practicing freight rail professional. Updates to Safety Requirements for Long Trains Recommended by TRB and the National Academies Longer manifest trains have more cars, possibly a greater variety of car types and sizes, and more requirements for power distributed across the train in comparison with shorter manifest trains, which can make train handling more demanding. For this and other reasons, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) should revise its Risk Reduction Program (RRP) rule to require railroads to address all major operational changes in their RRPs in an explicit and comprehensive manner. Long Freight Trains: Ensuring Safe Operation, Mitigating Adverse Impacts (TRB Special Report 353), released today from TRB and the National Academies, examines – in response to a request from the U.S. Congress – the safety challenges arising from the operation of longer freight trains, and particularly from the increased use of longer manifest trains that transport a mix of freight in many different types of railcars. The report makes several other recommendations to the FRA and also examines issues such as the impacts of increasing freight train length on the frequency and duration of blocked highway-rail grade crossings and the scheduling and efficient operations of Amtrak intercity passenger trains.

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Next week, Iteris' John Albeck and Pete Yauch, PE, PTOE, RSP-2I, IMSA III will be presenting an online workshop hosted by Tennessee Transportation Assistance Program titled "Preemption of Traffic Signals Near Railroad Grade Crossings" This workshop is open to all traffic signal practitioners, and will dive into preemption of traffic signals at intersections adjacent to a railroad grade crossing, including a basic overview of the preemption process, two case studies, a description of the infrastructure requirements, a review of preemption strategies, and the development of preemption timing parameters. Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02TVZmr0

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"Governance" is a wonky word, but what it really raises are values like "responsiveness," "customer service," "accountability, "and "efficiency," as well as issues like "who decides" and "who gets served." Those are the real stakes Chicagoland and the SF Bay Area need to address as they work to finally remedy the governance fragmentation that has inhibited improvement of public transit for their residents. Outright "consolidation" may or may not be the right answer - the right answer needs to be identified not in terms of form, but in terms of optimized outcomes for the public. https://lnkd.in/esmZ34e4

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Reason #7: Short Line Eligibility CRISI is the only major infrastructure grant program where short line railroads are eligible applicants. Seven Reasons to Love CRISI Grants via Railway Age https://lnkd.in/emj-Mxby

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Pierce Transit launches bus shelter modernization project. The new shelters are being distributed across the service area, prioritizing installations in locations with low and very low equity designations. https://lnkd.in/eM_zdtjq

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Maryland’s Move Over Law requires drivers to move over or slow down when approaching any stopped, standing or parked vehicle displaying warning signals, such as hazard lights, road flares, traffic cones or other emergency signals. The law is designed to protect all motorists traveling on Maryland roads. #MoveOver #MoveOverLaw

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Some of the transportation problems of today are the products of decades of policy decisions and reversals and require intersectional research. #TRBvolunteer Hermanus Steyn of Kittelson & Associates, Inc. puts his skills at breaking down silos to work on these problems as Chair of the Design Section of TRB's standing technical committees. Learn more to see if you want to get involved too! https://ow.ly/Ui8250Uof5R

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"Everyone is watching this project." That's what Maryland Transportation Authority Chief Engineer James Harkness told me, as I spoke to him about the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse and rebuild project. It's hard to believe it's been six months since the tragedy. Now, a contractor has been selected, construction starts next year, and the bridge eventually will open in fall 2028. So, why is everyone watching the project? Today is a completely different era from the '70s when Baltimore's bridge was built. 🌉Bridge design standards are different 🚢Cargo ships are bigger and heavier 📦Overall commerce and vessel traffic is greater There are plenty of learnings to be gleaned from this rebuild, and lessons that may influence infrastructure projects in the future. I explored it all in my article for Business Insider. ⬇️ Barry LePatner, Esq. LePatner & Associates LLP Michael Shields Johns Hopkins Department of Civil and Systems Engineering William Doyle Dredging Contractors of America #baltimore #keybridge #portofbaltimore #bridge #infrastructure #supplychain

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The STB has adopted for 3Q24 the rail cost adjustment factor, defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time”: https://lnkd.in/egxReFjg

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This, right here is why pedestrians are crossing at midblock locations and getting struck at higher speeds. 5 conflict points at intersection vs 2 at midblock. Add to that, long distances between signalized crosswalks, leads to more midblock crossings.

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