Law
Driverless vehicles are inching closer to the possibility of cruising down Iowa highways, as the state House of Representatives recently joined the Iowa Senate in approving legislation to allow vehicles with driverless capabilities to operate without a human driver on state roads.
According to a...
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently released a set of proposed regulations to establish a path for companies to test or deploy light-duty autonomous delivery motor trucks on public roadways within the state.
The unveiling of these regulations marks the start of a public...
In the rush to begin work as soon as a public owner issues a Notice to Proceed, prime contractors too often allow subcontractors to begin work before formal subcontracts are executed.
In most instances, the parties subsequently sign a subcontract without issue. In other instances, the parties...
By a vote of 95 to one, the U.S. Senate confirmed Nicole Nason to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on March 28.
Nominated by President Trump on Jan. 3 as the next FHWA administrator, Nason emphasized in her confirmation testimony that she plans to pay particular attention to...
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is making a run as a Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 race, today released a trillion-dollar proposal to help rebuild the nation's roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects.
According to the details of the plan from her campaign, Klobuchar...
Image: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms recently announced plans to establish the city's first dedicated Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve the safety and accessibility of city streets, and to meet the increasing demands of Atlanta’s growing population.
The move is a key pillar of Mayor...
Image: Gov. Kay Ivey via Twitter
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey this week signed into law the Rebuild Alabama Act, a key piece of infrastructure legislation that includes a fuel tax increase for the state.
According to a report from Transport Topics, Ivey signed the bill at a public ceremony March 12, shortly after it was approved by the...
Legislators in 37 states have introduced 185 bills aimed at boosting transportation investment in the first two months of 2019, a new analysis from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Investment Advocacy Center (ARTBA-TIAC) finds.
This number is higher...
Image: Cacophony [CC BY-SA 2.5] via Wikimedia Commons
The Washington State Senate Transportation Committee recently passed a $15 billion transportation package that includes $450 million to replace the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River.
The project has been a priority for lawmakers in Clark County, who have been working to collaborate with the...
Nearly a year after the Florida International University (FIU) pedestrian bridge collapsed, Magnum Construction Management (MCM), the Miami-based contractor hired to install the bridge, has filed for bankruptcy.
MCM, formerly known as Munilla Construction Management, submitted its Chapter 11...
I rarely write on labor union issues.
However, I happened upon a bid protest case in a traditionally strong union state, Pennsylvania, and wondered whether the court’s decision, which struck down a mandatory Project Labor Union Agreement (PLA), might signal a change in judicial attitudes toward...
At this year's American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 2019 Washington Briefing, congressional transportation leaders discussed a variety of transportation funding options while emphasizing the strong support that exists in Congress to pass infrastructure...
Four key transportation leaders in Congress will hold an upcoming discussion regarding recent developments for infrastructure legislation at a policy conference hosted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio (...
According to sources at The Hill, the White House is expected to address the deployment of the 5G network, as well as artificial intelligence, as regards technological advancement and application to the national transportation network.
The plan will offer the "first deliverables" of the National...
Many construction contracts contain a deadline by which work must be finished and a provision for liquidated damages in the event it is not. Contracts also provide procedures for contractors if they believe they are entitled to a time extension, usually resulting from changes in the work, owner-...
Legislation to create a task force to evaluate autonomous vehicles was approved last week by the full New Jersey General Assembly.
The measure would create the New Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force, comprised of eight members. The group would be responsible for conducting a study of...
The Trump administration will implement a new executive order to extend “Buy American” requirements to infrastructure projects that receive federal funding.
According to a Roll Call news report, President Trump signed the order Thursday, a move meant to boost the use of American-made products and...
The question of liability in the event of an accident or incident involving driverless vehicles or vehicles equipped with semi-autonomous technology is one that presently puzzles members of government and concerns both vehicle manufacturers and technology developers alike. There is one state,...
Julie Lorenz
Kansas Governor-elect Laura Kelly this week selected a new interim secretary of the state’s department of transportation. Julie Lorenz is an executive at Burns & McDonnell, an engineering firm out of Kansas City, Mo. Last year, she served as facilitator for the state’s 2018 legislative task...
I have written in recent years on the growing trend within federal courts to hold payment bond sureties liable to subcontractors for payment even though the owner has not paid the prime contractor and the subcontract contains an enforceable Pay-if-Paid clause.
The rationale employed by courts...
