- Georgia DOT Selects Plenary Infrastructure Unit For Statewide Broadband Network Project
- A Call For PA And NY State Transportation Agencies To Improve Winter Storm Coordination
- FY 2025 Federal Transportation Spending Remains Unresolved As Shutdown Looms
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Georgia DOT Selects Plenary Infrastructure Unit For Statewide Broadband Network Project
Georgia DOT announced this week that the State Transportation Board has selected Plenary Broadband Infrastructure (PBI) as the state’s Operations, Maintenance and Commercialization (OMC) partner for a statewide broadband project. The firm will install 1,400 miles of fiber-optic cable and supporting technology along Georgia interstates. Although a portion of the broadband capacity thus created will be reserved for GDOT traffic operations, the excess capacity will become commercially available to “provide faster, more reliable broadband access for communities, households and businesses in 70 Georgia counties.” Under the state’s agreement with PBI, the company will maintain the broadband infrastructure dedicated to GDOT’s use and also operate, maintain, and commercialize the additional capacity. PBI will provide payments to Georgia DOT based on the revenue generated from commercialization. of the network.
Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry commented, “Expanding broadband access throughout Georgia is critical to bridging the digital divide, ensuring that rural and underserved communities can access essential online services for education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. This expansion also brings with it the added benefit of modernizing our transportation infrastructure, enabling innovations like connected vehicles and smart traffic systems to improve safety and efficiency.” McMurry added that the PBI partnership “is an innovative approach to project delivery and financing that leverages the private sector to meet the state’s transportation and broadband infrastructure needs.”
GDOT staff made an informative presentation about the broadband project and the vendor selection process during the November 20 meeting of the transportation board’s P3 committee (see slides 53-68). PBI’s selection was approved at the transportation board’s November 21 meeting (see presentation slides 52-58).
PBI is engaged in similar projects in partnership with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and north Carolina DOT.
Georgia Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Information Technology Resources and Acquisitions Intelligent Transportation Systems P3 & Privatization Plenary GroupA Call For PA And NY State Transportation Agencies To Improve Winter Storm Coordination
WGRZ shines a light on interstate communication and coordination problems that affected traffic conditions around the Pennsylvania-New York border last weekend following a crash and a highway closure that coincided with a severe snowstorm. PennDOT and the New York Thruway Authority made traffic management decisions that had a spillover effect on secondary roads and the county agencies responsible for their maintenance. Both the sheriff and the county executive of Chautauqua County, New York, are suggesting that the state agencies prepare an after-action report and examine their procedures for managing similar winter storm emergencies.
Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) New York New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) New York State Thruway Authority Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)FY 2025 Federal Transportation Spending Remains Unresolved As Shutdown Looms
With the current continuing resolution for federal spending due to expire on December 20, Transport Topics looks at the progress of negotiations between Senate and House Democrats and Republicans. Unless Congress reaches an agreement on funding for the fiscal year that’s already under way, or at least another continuing resolution to maintain current spending levels, a partial or full government shutdown is likely.
“Shortly after returning to Washington after the Thanksgiving recess, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) pointed to the need to approve bipartisan fiscal 2025 bills for operations at the Department of Transportation and other agencies. He also downplayed the effectiveness of temporary measures known as ‘continuing resolutions’ for government funding purposes.” Schumer (D-NY) has expressed a note of optimism about negotiations within the past week. “On government funding, both sides are making progress negotiating on a bill that can pass both the House and Senate with bipartisan support,” he said. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA 4) has not yet scheduled any votes on budget legislation in that chamber. (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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