UTC

Visiting Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, to promote private sector investment in US infrastructure US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has signed a new agreement with Australian Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Darren Chester that will strengthen collaboration on infrastructure investment strategies between the two countries. It will also advance collaboration on public-private partnerships, intelligent transportation systems and unmanned aircraft systems. One of the key areas of coope

Nearly US$500 million will be made available for transportation projects across the US in the eighth round of the highly successful and competitive Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. Announcing the funding, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx highlight how this will improve safety and economic opportunity in two US territories, 32 states and 40 communities across the country. This year’s TIGER awards include US$19 million to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania fo

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has awarded a contract to WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff to serve as general engineering consultant on a planned extension of SR 167 in Tacoma. The project will provide a better freight connection between the Port of Tacoma and the Puyallup/White River Valley and also link industrial and urban centres. SR 167 will be extended four miles westward to connect with I-5 and then continue an additional two miles as the SR 509 spur to connect with SR 509 near

French engineering group Egis is to operate the public cycle scheme in the city of Krakow, Poland, under an eight-year contract, during which Egis will replace the existing scheme with a new one, integrating the user database to ensure continuity. The contract involves an implementation period of three months after which the new generation bikes will be deployed progressively to reach 1500 active elements by April 2017. The new scheme will use a technology developed by the Social Bicycles company, whe

Traffic management company Siemens has been awarded one of its first operational services contract to provide traffic signal network management and monitoring for North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) in the UK. The new contract follows investment by NYCC in new technology and hosted systems combined with the introduction of Siemens Stratos, a cloud-based solution for all traffic management, control and monitoring requirements. As part of North Yorkshire’s Highway Maintenance Service, the County Counc

The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) and FIA Europe have welcomed the European Commission’s package of measures, presented this week, to accelerate the transition to low carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy in Europe. The EU says the measures set clear and fair guiding principles to Member States to prepare for the future and keep Europe competitive. Responding to the announcement, the FTA said that the proposed measures are a step in the right direction to reducing freight carbon e

As a result of collaboration between VicRoads and the Technical University of Crete in Victoria, Australia, to find new ways to reduce congestion, drivers on the M80 are to benefit from new technology. Following a manual trial in 2014, the Adaptive Variable Speed Limit has now been implemented on the M80 ring road in Melbourne. The system recognises when traffic is starting to build up and adjusts traffic speed, regulating traffic flow and providing a safer and more reliable journey for the 160,000 drive

The UK government has launched a major consultation to help pave the way for automated cars to be used on British roads, with all drivers invited to have their say. Under the proposed measures, rules will be changed so automated vehicles can be insured for use on the roads. In addition, the Highway Code and regulations are to be altered so advanced driver assistance systems that change lanes on the motorway and park the vehicle by remote control can be used safely. Separately, the government will n

Commuters heading north on Wellington’s urban motorway will now get a smoother trip as the new lane is fully opened and New Zealand’s first smart motorway is turned on in the northbound direction. Using variable speed limits, which will be adjusted in real time in response to changing traffic conditions, the smart motorway will pace vehicles to smooth the traffic flow. Officials say this will result in safer journeys with more predictable travel times. It will also free up nearby roads for better public