- Updates On Hurricane Milton's Progress And Evacuation Conditions
- Illinois State Police And Google Collaborate On Move-Over Law Compliance
- PennDOT And State Police Partner To Curb Work Zone Speed Violations
- What's Your Toll Rate For A One-Horse Sleigh Or A Score Of Sheep?
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Updates On Hurricane Milton's Progress And Evacuation Conditions
Late this afternoon, Orlando Sentinel reported that Hurricane Milton “began its turn toward Florida . . . rebounding back to near Category 5 strength with a forecast landfall near Tampa Bay with up to 15-foot storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.”
The storm, which was rated Category 5 with 180 MPH winds in the Gulf of Mexico, lost some power overnight then regained force during the day. Forecasters say it will remain “extremely dangerous” when it makes landfall late tomorrow night or early Thursday morning classified as a “major Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds and 155 mph gusts.”
“The latest forecast track ranges from Cape Coral in southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast north up to near Homosassa Springs [in Citrus County], but the consensus path remains targeted south of Tampa Bay. . . .” The storm is expected to pass south of Lakeland and Kissimmee and head toward Cape Canaveral before passing into the Atlantic Ocean while retaining hurricane status. “’Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,’ said NHC senior hurricane specialist John Cangialosi.” Milton is also triggering tornado warnings across Florida.
In addition to covering the storm’s progress, Orlando Sentinel reports extensively on state and local preparations for the impact and recovery.
“Residents along Florida’s Gulf Coast were fleeing in droves [today] ahead of Hurricane Milton’s predicted landfall, in what officials said was likely to be the biggest evacuation the state has seen since Hurricane Irma struck in 2017. Evacuees have faced hourslong traffic jams on highways and gas stations running out of fuel,” according to The New York Times. Motorists taking I-75 and I-275 report major traffic congestion and depleted fuel supplies today. Traffic jams are also occurring on sections of I-4 and I-95. Governor Ron DeSantis (R) assured the public yesterday there is no fuel shortage and retail outlets are being resupplied.
Florida Politics covers DeSantis’ statements on fuel availability.
Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) I-95 Orange County FL Metro Area (Orlando) Tampa Bay-Hillsborough County FL Metro AreaIllinois State Police And Google Collaborate On Move-Over Law Compliance
The partnership involves configuring Waze and Google Maps to alert users when they should slow down or change lanes to safely pass an emergency vehicle is stopped on a roadside, KFVS reports. The messages, initiated by the Illinois State Police (ISP), also will convey warnings about potential traffic disruptors, such disabled vehicles, roadway debris and crashes. In a press release, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated, “The tragic accidents that have injured and killed Illinois State Police officers cannot become an expected hazard of the job. Illinois drivers — slow down, pay attention, and help our law enforcement officers stay safe while they save lives.” Two ISP troopers have been killed since 2019 in “move-over crashes,” and dozens more injured. ISP is among the first state police agencies to develop such a notification system.
A news release from the governor’s office has more information about the notification system.
Google and Alphabet Inc. Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Illinois Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Mobile Navigation and Traffic Monitoring Apps WazePennDOT And State Police Partner To Curb Work Zone Speed Violations
ABC News Philadelphia reports on Operation Yellow Jacket, an initiative underway across Southeastern Pennsylvania to improve the safety of highway workers. Pennsylvania State Police troopers with radar devices are being stationed inside PennDOT maintenance vehicles parked at work zones to watch for speeding or distracted or reckless driving. When a violation is observed, a nearby marked police unit is in position to stop the offender. So far, state troopers have conducted 17 such operations.
“State police say they want the initiative to send a clear message. ‘I know citations are part of it, but that’s not the focus of Operation Yellow Jacket. It really is to change driver behavior,’” commented state police captain Gerard McShea, commander of metro Philadelphia’s Troop K.
Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Philadelphia PA Metro Area Transportation And Infrastructure Workforce IssuesWhat's Your Toll Rate For A One-Horse Sleigh Or A Score Of Sheep?
The Albany (New York) Institute of History and Art spotlighted an artifact of the US “Turnpike Era” in a social media post. It contains the image of a sign in the institute’s collection that displays the toll rates charged around 1840 for travel across a five-mile-long turnpike “that ran south from the Albany city line on the road that would be named South Pearl Street.” The facility was built in 1805, and judging by its variety of rate classes for wagons, carts and animal herds, its purpose was to facilitate commerce as much as personal transportation.
The era when toll roads accommodated traffic other than motor vehicles is long over, of course. However, this relic of Albany’s past demonstrates that turnpikes have been crucial arteries for the movement of goods as well as people since their earliest days.
New York Toll Rate ChangesThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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