Celebrating the U.S. Interstate at 70
Roads & Bridges is marking the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Interstate Highway System with a year‑long multimedia series. The initiative will feature a 50‑state photo‑then‑now gallery, in‑depth interviews with historians and enthusiasts, and a roundtable on the network’s future. Readers are invited to contribute personal stories and historic images. Each installment aims to celebrate the system’s legacy while sparking dialogue on modernization, safety and funding.
America Spent $1.5 Trillion on Roads. Here’s Why Many Still Aren’t Getting Better
The United States has poured more than $1.5 trillion into highways over the past three decades, yet 16.3% of federally eligible roads were still classified as poor in 2024, only a modest gain from 19% in 2018. States added roughly 113,000...
From Laptops to Multiple Phones, Minnesota’s Distracted Driving Stops Raise Concerns
Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety coordinated a statewide distracted‑driving campaign in April, issuing 5,426 hands‑free cellphone citations. The enforcement highlighted extreme violations, including drivers using laptops, multiple phones, and ignoring police stops. A concurrent one‑day impaired‑driving crackdown on April 20 led...
USDOT Opens $3B Bridge Grant Program for Repairs, Replacements Nationwide
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $3 billion Bridge Investment Program, offering grants to federal, state, local and tribal entities for bridge repair, replacement and planning. Grants are split into planning awards and project awards, with project funding available for...
Illinois Offers Up to $60K in Student Loan Relief to Attract Engineers
Illinois’ Department of Transportation announced a pilot program that will pay up to $60,000 in student‑loan debt for newly hired civil engineers—$15,000 per year for four years. The initiative targets up to 50 engineers hired after July 1 2024 and is designed...
DOT Secretary Sean Duffy Faces Backlash Over New Family Reality Show
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a five‑part reality series, "The Great American Road Trip," featuring his wife and nine children traveling across the United States ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The show will stream for free on YouTube beginning...
A 1,000-Foot-Wide Cut Through PA’s Allegheny Mountain? Critics Push Back
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is weighing a $300 million plan to cut a 1,000‑foot‑wide, 250‑foot‑deep gorge through Allegheny Mountain as an alternative to expanding the aging Allegheny Tunnel. The realignment would create a seven‑lane highway, promising safety gains for motorists and...
Atlanta Drivers Brace for Full I-285 Shutdown Over Mother’s Day Weekend
Georgia Department of Transportation will close all lanes of I‑285 between Cascade Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from Friday night through early Monday as part of a $206 million, 10‑mile reconstruction slated to run through 2028. The shutdown forces...
$900M Connecticut Bridge Project Triggers Major I-95 Traffic Shakeup
Connecticut’s $900 million rehabilitation of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge on I‑95 will commence a traffic crossover on May 30, shifting two northbound lanes onto the southbound span and reducing the southbound bridge to three lanes. Drivers will face a reduced speed...
Could This New Alert System Prevent Work Zone Deaths?
Researchers at Morgan State University have created “Bear Alerts,” a multi‑sensory wearable that uses LIDAR, edge computing and AI to warn highway workers of approaching vehicles up to 400 feet away. In a six‑day pilot near the campus, the system recorded...
Push for 75 MPH on Rural Highways Sparks Safety Debate in Missouri
Missouri lawmakers are advancing Senate Bill 1408, which would raise rural interstate and freeway speed limits from 70 mph to 75 mph. The House has passed the bill, and a Senate vote is pending before it reaches Governor Mike Kehoe. Supporters cite...
Charge While You Drive? Wireless EV Roads Are Moving Closer to Reality
Researchers at Utah State University and the Michigan Department of Transportation are piloting wireless charging roadways that can power electric vehicles while they travel. Utah's ASPIRE Center is testing magnetic bursts and embedded pads on a quarter‑mile test track and...
State DOTs Take On Big Challenges From A $2.3B Bridge To Wrong-Way Alerts
State transportation departments are tackling major projects and safety challenges. Louisiana has broken ground on a $2.3 billion I‑10 bridge replacement that will add lanes, improve a key energy corridor, and generate over 16,000 jobs. Pennsylvania is piloting a real‑time wrong‑way...
Clock Ticking on Highway Bill as Committee Markup Slips
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s markup of the surface‑transportation reauthorization bill slipped from an April target to May, jeopardizing a deadline that sees the current law expire on September 30. Committee Chair Sam Graves and ranking member Rick Larsen remain...
How Cities Are Using AI and Smart Tech to Improve Traffic and Project Delivery
U.S. cities are accelerating AI adoption to ease traffic congestion and streamline infrastructure projects. Arlington and Dallas have installed the Israeli NoTraffic system, which uses live‑stream data to adjust signal timing in real time ahead of the World Cup. The...