- A NOTE ON TODAY'S EDITION
- Small Louisiana Police Department Stops One Smishing Scam
- Hurricane Helene Claims 26 Lives, Ravages Roads In The Southeast
- Data Show Monthlong Sumner Tunnel Closure Caused Delays, But Not Gridlock
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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A NOTE ON TODAY'S EDITION
Loyal readers will notice a change in the format of Daily News Briefs today. Instead of digging deep on some ten or eleven issues, we’re offering more — but shorter — stories in a test of a more concise presentation style. We hope you’ll find today’s edition informative and readable.
We encourage you to comment on today’s “test,” which we may repeat occasionally over the next several weeks. If you’d care to share your thoughts, please send us an email.
Small Louisiana Police Department Stops One Smishing Scam
According to NOLA.com, the Kenner, Louisiana, Police Department obtained a warrant and seized a counterfeit website used by scammers posing as the state’s GeauxPass electronic toll collection system. The bogus text messages emanating from the site — it was hosted in Russia — were similar to the toll payment demands that have been circulating in the US and Canada since April.
The relatively small police department took action after three of its officers received bogus texts. It obtained the seizure warrant from a state judge after consulting with US Department of Homeland Security officials and the federal government’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. The link contained in the fraudulent texts now connects to a message about the scam and the court-ordered seizure.
Crime Beat Cybersecurity GeauxPass Louisiana Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)Hurricane Helene Claims 26 Lives, Ravages Roads In The Southeast
As of press time Friday, Hurricane Helene had been downgraded to a tropical storm but 26 fatalities were left in its wake and millions still were left without power as the storm pushed north from Florida and Georgia through the Carolinas toward Tennessee. ABC7 reports, about 2,000 miles of Florida roads already had been cleared of debris but many causeways and bridges must be inspected before re-opening to traffic due to the severe storm surge that engulfed them.
USA Today reports, Helene is the seventh most powerful storm to make landfall in Florida and the 14th most powerful in the country overall, according to the National Hurricane Center.
TRN will continue monitoring the storm and its aftermath for news specific to surface transportation infrastructure.
Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Georgia Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) South CarolinaData Show Monthlong Sumner Tunnel Closure Caused Delays, But Not Gridlock
State House News Service reports, traffic data recently presented to state officials confirm that many trips through Boston were significantly delayed — some by as much as double the time — due to this summer’s closure of the Sumner toll tunnel for major repairs. However, the state’s highway administrator said traffic on connecting streets that absorbed the traffic remained manageable. State and city officials are keen to understand the impact of the tunnel closure as its restoration project enters the final phase.
Boston Metro Area Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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