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Ohio DOT Promotes Tech Tools For Real-Time Winter Traffic Updates

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The department is promoting its website, ohgo.com, where drivers can find real-time traffic updates, hazard alerts, and estimated travel times to specific destinations, WTOV reports. A spokesperson from ODOT’s District 11 also notes that the navigation app Waze, known for disseminating crowdsourced information, is now pulling data from ODOT plow trucks to keep other drivers informed of where and when plowing is occurring.

Already this winter, 13 plow trucks have been struck by vehicles sharing the road — compared to 22 in all of last winter.

WCMH provides more detail about ODOT’s partnership with Waze. “In a short video, the agency explained that most of ODOT’s fleet has been equipped with technology that updates plow locations every five minutes on Waze and waze.com.”

Massachusetts Officials Prepare For Release Of Transportation Funding Task Force Report

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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) on Tuesday joined the final, closed-door meeting of the 31-member transportation funding task force she charged with “making recommendations for a long-term sustainable transportation finance plan,” CommonWealth Beacon reports.

Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt — who is co-chairing the panel with Healey’s budget chief, Matt Gorzkowicz — said the report that will be released in the coming days is a comprehensive review of short- to long-term funding mechanisms seen around the world. Presumably, that will include congestion pricing. Healey said she is keeping an eye on how Manhattan’s newly implemented program plays out.

TRN notes, reporting last summer suggested some confusion had emerged about the role of the task force, along with concern that Healey may have downgraded its mission.

North Texas Highway Crews Prepare Response To Dreaded “Wintry Mix”

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As an unpredictable mix of wintry weather bears down on the region, North Texas Tollway Authority and TxDOT crews have been spraying highways with a briny solution to help cut down on potential ice accumulation, NBC News Dallas-Fort Worth reports. “‘That’s going to help us get a little bit of advantage over the ice once it starts happening, but we do want to remind drivers it’s not a cure all,’ said Kenna Mitchell, spokesperson for TxDOT’s Dallas district.”

NTTA spokesperson Michael Rey also stressed that drivers need to watch their speeds, no matter how much the agency responds to poor driving conditions. “We’ll prepare for a slow speed environment but there’s only so much we can do in this type of weather,” Rey stated.

Editorial: Pennsylvania Open-Road Tolling Is “A Step Toward Sanity”

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In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial, the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s ongoing conversion to fully electronic, open-road tolling is held up as one important step for the turnpike commission (PTC), which is just starting to climb out of a debt burden traced to the state legislature’s passage of Act 44 in 2007. “For 15 years, the PTC was forced to shell out $450 million a year for other transit priorities, which led to huge annual toll increases, deferred maintenance on Turnpike roadways, and the delay of expansion projects.” That mandated payout has since been reduced to $50 million.

Open road tolling, expected to reach western Pennsylvania by 2027, will allow for new collection points while also easing congestion for drivers. However, the editorial board cautions, higher-than-inflation rate increases likely will be needed for years to come as the agency retires debt. The editorial board notes that a 2022 audit found PTC held $13.2 billion in debt — more than the state government itself.

Along the way, the editors say, PTC will need to be vigilant in its efforts to minimize leakage. “Toll-by-plate systems must become more efficient, especially as the PTC continues to ask for more from toll-payers.”

Mark Gillett Retires As Wyoming Chief Engineer

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Wyoming DOT announced the retirement of its chief engineer, Mark Gillett. Mr. Gillett started his career at WYDOT in 1980, immediately after graduation from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He held increasingly responsible engineering posts before being appointed chief engineer in 2020.

Gillett was responsible for overseeing transportation planning, highway design, and operations statewide, including highway construction, winter maintenance, highway safety, highway and bridge design, and equipment and building maintenance.

WYDOT executives will work with the state transportation commission on selection of a new engineering chief.