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New DelDOT Leadership Team Takes Office

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On January 30, Shanté Hastings was sworn-in as the department’s twelfth secretary following her unanimous confirmation by the state senate. DelDOT’s announcement of the official start of her term added that Ms. Hastings has appointed Lanie Clymer the deputy transportation secretary and Mark Luszcz as DelDOT’s chief engineer.

The new secretary was nominated in December shortly before taking over as acting secretary upon the departure of Nicole Majeski. She has been a DelDOT staff member and executive for more than 20 years, according to detailed biographical information in the announcement.

Ms. Clymer has extensive public and private financial management experience. She joined DelDOT in 2007 and was serving as the department’s finance director before her elevation.

Mr. Luszcz has nearly 30 years’ experience in public and private sector transportation engineering. He previously served as a deputy director in DelDOT’s Division of Transportation Solutions, at various times having responsibility for a wide-range of operations or for design. He was the department’s chief traffic engineer at an earlier stage of his career.

ATRI Finds Trucking Delay Costs Due To Congestion Reached Record High In 2022

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Transport Topics reports, according to research conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), US highway congestion “added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, up from $94.6 billion in 2021.” The findings are set out in a “Cost of Congestion” study update ATRI released in December.

Hours of congestion actually decreased slightly during the year, but an increase in truck operating expense made vehicle slowdowns more costly by a factor of 15 percent. ATRI compared the level of highway delay to “more than 430,000 commercial truck drivers sitting idle for one work year and an average cost of $7,588 for every registered combination truck.” It also noted that the 6.4 billion gallons of diesel fuel trucks wasted due to congestion added $32.1 billion to the industry’s costs.

Public Update On Kansas Express Lanes Project Scheduled

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In early 2023, design-build contractors broke ground on Kansas DOT’s $572 million 69Express project, which will deliver the state’s first tolled express lanes along a congested US 69 corridor in the Kansas City metro area. The project team has scheduled an open house for this Thursday evening, February 6, to update the public on its progress. According to a City of Overland Park news release, staff will “answer questions and share 2025 construction plans, upcoming closure information and information on how to use the express lanes.”

The lanes are expected to open later this year or in early 2026. The Kansas Turnpike Authority, a project participant, will manage the new facility’s toll collections.

AASHTO: Rescinded Freeze Order Could Have Affected Federal Transportation Funding

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AASHTO Journal reports, a freeze memo issued last week by President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) could have disrupted the flow of federal transportation funding — including money destined for the states — although the administration was ultimately pressured to rescind it. The directive affected a wide range of federal programs involving discretionary grants, research funding and loans, which prompted AASHTO staff to seek immediate clarification and advocate for an exemption covering most of the transportation programs under USDOT jurisdiction, especially the Federal-aid Highway Program.

Jim Tymon, chief executive of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), commented “AASHTO will continue to work with USDOT to ensure that federal funding to states and related project management functions are fully restored.”

Confusion surrounding a Trump executive order on energy policy caused a brief suspension of highway reimbursement payments to states on January 21. AASHTO played a role in resolving the order’s ambiguity so that funding could resume.

Fire Destroys Main Turnpike Garage And Its Entire Contents

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News Center Maine reports, the early Sunday night fire entirely destroyed an eight-bay garage located off I-95 near Auburn. The Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) facility was unoccupied at the time and neither MTA personnel nor firefighters were injured.

The millions of dollars of equipment lost included four plow trucks, a loader, a traffic control truck, a three-quarter-ton pickup, and a box truck. MTA states it has enough remaining equipment to maintain all its maintenance routes, although spares are limited.

State and federal investigators are conducting a cause and origin investigation. Their preliminary finding is that fire had an undetermined cause, with no indication of foul play. MTA spokesperson Erin Courtney notes that a 2021 fire at an MTA maintenance facility in Litchfield caused a similar level of damage. The cause of that fire has not been determined.

WMTW and Sun Journal also cover this story.