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Virginia DOT Briefs MPO On I-495 Express Extension Proposal

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FFXnow reports on the status of Virginia DOT’s I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study project following this week’s briefing of metro DC Transportation Planning Board (TPB) members. The discussion reportedly “did little to quell questions and concerns from regional leaders” representing both Maryland and Virginia.

“VDOT is seeking regional and federal approval to add either one or two lanes in each direction on I-495 from a point just east of the Springfield Interchange in Virginia (also known as the Springfield Mixing Bowl) to Maryland Route 210. Like Virginia’s other express lanes, the 11-mile project likely would be constructed as part of a public-private partnership.”

PA Turnpike Sees Beneficial Results From Wildflower Habitat Seeding Experiments

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PennLive.com reports, “As part of its 30-year plan to maximize sustainability, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission {PTC] has begun experimenting with replacing swaths of oft-mowed grass with pollinator-friendly wildflower habitats. Six of these habitats are already in place with more in the works if the early results pan out.” The largest, at 7.5 acres, is at the Allentown Service Plaza.

PTC spokesperson Marissa Orbanek says the habitat project, which was suggested by college students in the commission’s summer internship program, has several benefits. Because seeded areas are mowed just once a year, the commission saves maintenance and fuel costs and reduces its carbon footprint. The wildflowers support and help revive dwindling pollinator populations, which can lead to improved crop pollination on farms bordering the turnpike.

The article looks at project results and the insights PTC staff have gained over the project’s initial phase, including what they’ve gleaned about seed selection and practices that minimize habitat monitoring and management.

Florida DOT Will Hold Central Polk Parkway East Alternatives Meeting Early Next Week

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Florida DOT and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise announced they will host a public information meeting on their project development and environment study for the proposed Central Polk Parkway East project. The event will focus on alternatives for the proposed multi-lane toll highway running from US 17/92, south of Power Line Road extension, to the future Poinciana Connector (SR 538) (Financial Project Identification Number 451419-1).

The meeting will be conducted in a virtual format at 6:00 PM on Monday evening, April 21. Registration is requested. An in-person (informal open-house) meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on Tuesday, April 22, in Davenport.

FDOT’s announcement doesn’t describe the proposed alternatives but notes that no-build is an option under consideration. It says access points will be evaluated at US 17/92, the future Poinciana Connector (SR 538), and another location yet to be determined.

According to the project website, residential and employment growth within Polk County and the surrounding region has increased traffic and congestion on the road network. “The congested conditions on these major regional roadways will continue to degrade if no improvements or alternative travel routes are constructed.”

Additional project information is available on the website (scroll down to the “Documents” heading). FDOT held a study kickoff meeting at the end of last year.

Ohio, Indiana DOTs Demonstrate Automated Truck Platooning Technology On I-70

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CDLLife reports, Indiana DOT and Ohio DOT partnered Monday on a demonstration of a pair of semi-trucks operated with automated platooning technology. The trucks were deployed on I-70 between Indianapolis and Columbus.

A representative of Kratos Defense, which developed the technology for EASE Logistics, an Ohio third-party logistics provider, said, “This project offers a real-world opportunity to demonstrate how proven automated driving systems can increase safety, strengthen supply chain resilience, and ensure economic vitality.” The demonstration was funded in part by an $8.8 million USDOT grant. INDOT and ODOT reportedly plan to pursue additional testing of the technology this year.

WISH and WXIN also covered Monday’s demonstration.

US Judge Orders Trump Administration To Unfreeze IIJA And IRA Grant Funds

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Associated Press reports, a federal judge in Rhode Island yesterday issued a pretrial ruling that federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Interior Department, and Energy Department, have unlawfully frozen grant funds and ordered them to resume disbursements. US District Judge Mary McElroy is presiding over a lawsuit brought by several conservation and community organizations that received Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grants during the Biden administration. The judge’s preliminary injunction prohibiting further withholding of funds has immediate and nationwide effect with respect to all IRA and IIJA grants.

According to the article, Judge McElroy, who happens to be a Trump appointee, held that the grant recipients “demonstrated that the freeze was ‘arbitrary and capricious’ and that the powers asserted by the federal agencies, including the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, in halting the payouts were not found in federal law.” Her memorandum rejects Trump administration claims of broad powers to control congressionally authorized spending and finds that the defendant agencies “failed to consider the practical consequences of the freeze, showing a lack of reasoned decision-making.”

POLITICO also covers this story, noting that administration spokespersons did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case is captioned as Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, et al. v. US Agriculture  Dep’t, et al., No. 1:25-cv-00097-MSM-PAS (D.R.I 2025)