AASHTO Journal - Mon January 22, 2018
Partial Agency Shutdown Takes Hold as Policymakers Fail to Settle Differences
A partial shutdown of federal agencies took hold Jan. 20 and continued into Jan. 22 as negotiations failed to settle differences on budget and policy issues in order to keep funding the government. A bipartisan group of senators reportedly met throughout the weekend to come up with a plan that would allow a three-week funding extension along with a commitment by the majority to allow floor debate on remaining issues including a fix to immigration policy toward undocumented aliens who were brought into the country as children and have grown up here....
Emily Buenzle - Tue January 16, 2018
'We'll Do It:' Company Steps Up to Build Border Wall for $12.2B
The Fisher Sand and Gravel Company has told the Department of Homeland Security that it would be able to build 700 miles of the border wall for $12.2 billion. In 2017, Fisher Sand and Gravel was among six companies selected to build a border wall prototype in California....
AASHTO Journal - Tue January 16, 2018
DOT Chiefs Explore Options, Limits on States' Efforts to Increase Project Funding
Generating new investment in transportation infrastructure at the state level requires building public trust and increasingly adopting "creative" or new approaches, CEOs of state departments of transportation said Jan....
DANICA KIRKA - The Associated Press - Mon January 15, 2018
UK State Contractor Collapses, Putting 43,000 Jobs at Risk
LONDON (AP) — One of the British state's biggest contractors collapsed Jan. 15, putting thousands of jobs at risk, after creditors and the government refused to bail out a company struggling under the weight of more than 1.5 billion pounds ($2.1 billion) of debt....
Melinda DeSlatte - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Fri January 12, 2018
$600M in Louisiana Interstate Projects Moving Toward Reality
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana intends to use a federal transportation borrowing tool to construct $600 million in interstate projects that have been sought for decades to relieve traffic headaches, Gov....
Wed January 10, 2018
Transportation Construction Coalition Statement Responds to Release of the Problem Solvers Caucus Report, Rebuilding America's Infrastructure
The Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) released the following statement in response to the Jan. 10 release of the Problem Solvers Caucus report, Rebuilding America's Infrastructure:"To its credit, the report demonstrates bipartisan support for improving all manner of infrastructure facilities and an array of specific policy actions to achieve that goal....
Wed December 20, 2017
Congress Passes Tax Reform
Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) code and now awaits President Trump's signature. The House of Representatives passed the bill 227 to 203 and the Senate passed it by a vote of 51 to 48....
Wed December 20, 2017
Oklahoma Officials Update Progress on Capitol Project
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma has spent more than $63 million on a restoration project of its Capitol building that's expected to be completed in five years. The project includes the restoration of the Oklahoma Capitol's interior and exterior features, along with infrastructure, The Oklahoman reported....
Wed December 13, 2017
Criticism of Kansas Prison Plan Reflects Lawmakers' Distrust
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators' criticism of a plan to build a new state prison reflects bipartisan mistrust of the Department of Corrections and doubts that it seriously considered a potentially cheaper alternative to leasing the new facility from the company building it....
Mon December 11, 2017
W.Va. Lawmakers Authorize $800M in Road Repair Bonds
CHARLESTON, W.VA. (AP) The West Virginia Legislature on Dec. 4, authorized issuing up to $800 million in bonds for road repairs and construction over the next seven months, followed by another $800 million in the following three years....
