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New Hampshire DOT Issues Toll Smishing Warning

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New Hampshire DOT has joined the chorus of transportation agencies warning the public about fraudulent SMS texts attempting to scam recipients into paying fictitious toll bills and revealing their personal financial data in the process, WMUR reports. Claiming the false identity “NH-Pass,” fraudsters are issuing messages warning about late fees that will accrue if alleged  outstanding toll balances aren’t paid. NHDOT assured the public that E-ZPass will never send text messages requesting payment of tolls or late fees.

In addition to recommending that a suspicious text be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov), WMUR suggests alerting the mobile service provider by forwarding the message to 7726.

USDOT Office Releases Reports And Data Tracking ITS Systems Deployment Nationwide

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Yesterday, USDOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) announced the release of reports on its most comprehensive survey to date of ITS deployment across highways, arterials, and transit systems, the 2023 ITS Deployment Tracking Survey. As a result of a geographic coverage expansion, this year’s data compilations include small urban and rural areas across the country.

According to the ITS JPO news release, the 2023 survey results address “a wide range of questions on ITS deployment.” The release includes links to other agency resources on ITS systems and the evaluation and tracking of deployments.

Washington State Seeks More Input On Proposed I-405 And SR 167 Tolling Changes

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The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) has launched an online survey to gather public input on potential changes to managed and express lane toll rates and policies along I-405 and SR 167, corridors where the state is aiming to establish a continuous, 50-mile express lane network. The survey will remain open until December 13.

WSTC plans to implement toll changes in late 2025 upon opening the express lane segment now under construction on I-405 between Bellevue and Renton. Changes under consideration include:

  • Lifting the maximum toll rate from $15 to $18.
  • Tolling the I-405 lanes on weekend days, consistent with current practice on SR 167.
  • Raising peak-period SR 167 HOV standards to three or more occupants, consistent with current practice on I-405.

TRN notes, WSTC last month concluded an online open house to gather public input on the same set of proposals.

New York Observes Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge’s Sixtieth Anniversary Today

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The mighty Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened to traffic sixty years ago today. The span — once the world’s longest suspension bridge — is still the longest in North America. It carries 1,600 MTA buses every weekday and served a total of 80 million vehicles in 2023.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) marks the anniversary in a news release that looks at the bridge structure and explains the crossing’s regional importance in the East Coast transportation network. MTA adds, “A series of major investments and enhancements have been implemented over several capital plans to adapt to evolving traffic flow and improve road safety, including the replacement and reconfiguration of the upper-level to meet current loads, improve wind resilience, and provide a reversible bus/HOV peak-travel lane. These improvements, along with the conversion to Open Road Tolling in 2017, have enhanced the bridge’s functionality and reduced travel time by up to 15-20 minutes for tens of thousands of daily commuters and bus riders.”

THE CITY offers an in-depth profile of the bridge it calls “an integral part of New York history.”

SILive.com publishes a gallery of photographs from the first 60 years of the bridge’s operation.

Trump Chooses Sean Duffy As His Transportation Secretary Nominee

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Mr. Duffy, 53, is a former Republican Congressman from Wisconsin who became a public figure in the 1990s as a reality television star, The Washington Post reports. He served as a county district attorney in his home state before election to Congress. Most recently, he was co-host of “The Bottom Line,” a Fox Business program. Duffy has little transportation experience, but the article notes that’s not unusual for the position, which often is supported by an industry-seasoned deputy.

Bloomberg News (via Transport Topics) covers Duffy’s selection as the nominee for the USDOT post, noting that the American Trucking Associations immediately gave its endorsement because of Duffy’s record of supporting “pro-trucking policies to strengthen the supply chain.”