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Strike Averted: Longshoremen And East Coast And Gulf Port Operators Reach A Deal

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The terms remain undisclosed at this time, but the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) have reached a tentative deal for a new six-year contract, CBS News reports. The extension of their current agreement, which was set to expire on January 15, was agreed to after a three-day October walkout.

The workers’ concerns about being displaced by automation has been a sticking point in negotiations, but the two parties said in a joint statement that their new agreement allows for both modernizing ports and creating jobs. The article also provides high-level detail on wages and the types of technology the most advanced US ports currently utilize.

Southern California Wildfires Disrupt Office Operations For Metro ExpressLanes

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As more dire consequences of the wildfires ravaging Southern California continue to emerge, LA Metro, operator of tolled express lanes in Los Angeles County, issued an alert that its mail operations are disrupted. The agency states there will be a delay in both receiving and processing mailed payments but they’ll be posted to customers’ accounts as soon as practical.

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.