Daily News Briefs, July 3, 2024

Proposed USDOT Appropriations Bill Includes $200 Million For Truck Parking

FreightWaves reports, the bill that includes FY 2025 USDOT appropriations, approved last week by a US House appropriations subcommittee, includes $200 million for the expansion of roadside truck parking facilities. FHWA and the trucking industry have declared the present shortage of parking areas an economic and safety problem. “A U.S. Department of Transportation study found that 98% of truck drivers regularly experience difficulty in locating safe parking.” The American Trucking Associations recognized US Representative Steve Womack (R-AR 3) for his “instrumental” role in ensuring the subcommittee included parking funding in the spending measure. The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to approve USDOT appropriations next week.

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New Albanian Tollway Will Be Part Of EU Blue Corridor

Albanian Daily News reports, Albania’s prime minister was one of the government officials who participated in Sunday’s opening of the Thumana-Kashar toll highway. The facility is expected to reduce congestion on secondary roads and contribute to tourism development. The minimum toll is reportedly EUR 2.1 (approximately USD 2.30). “The new highway is the first segment of the Blue Corridor in Albania, a major infrastructure segment. Also known as [the] Adriatic–Ionian motorway, the Blue Corridor is planned to be built to full motorway standards. It will start in Trieste, Italy, pass through Slovenia, enter Croatia near Rijeka, and continue through Croatia as part of the A1 motorway.”

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July 4 Holiday Travel Is Projected To Set A New Record

“Motor club AAA projects that some 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles [80 kilometers] or more from their homes over a nine-day Independence Day travel period — surpassing pre-pandemic numbers for the U.S. holiday,” Associated Press reports. Regional reports echo the AAA projection:

• The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission “projects more than 5.62 million motorists will be traveling the Turnpike from Friday, June 28 through Sunday, July 7. This is 3% more than last year’s traffic tally during the same 10-day holiday period.”
• The West Virginia Parkways Authority, operator of the state’s turnpike, expects to process about 1.385 million transactions between June 27 and July 7, WVNS reports.
• In Massachusetts, approximately 1.9 million travelers are expected over the holiday, WBUR reports. “Combine that with two major roadway closures in Boston, and it will likely result in some fireworks on the roads.” MassDOT offers its own traffic forecast.

(TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)

MetroNews reported yesterday that West Virginia Turnpike holiday travel is, so far, in line with the operator’s projections.

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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