- Trump Nominates Former USDOT General Counsel For Department's Second-Highest Post
- PA Turnpike Fiber Optic Upgrade May Also Help Eliminate State's "Broadband Deserts"
- Ohio Turnpike Travel Plazas Win Praise From Truckers, RV Owners
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Trump Nominates Former USDOT General Counsel For Department's Second-Highest Post
Smart Cities Dive reports, on Wednesday, President Trump nominated Steven Bradbury, a lawyer, for the post of USDOT deputy secretary.
Bradbury served as USDOT general counsel — and intermittently performed the duties of deputy secretary — during the first Trump administration. He was acting secretary of transportation for a brief time after Elaine Chao resigned in protest over the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. During the George W. Bush administration, Bradbury held executive positions in the Department of Justice. He clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The nominee is currently a “distinguished fellow” at the conservative Heritage Foundation and, according to the article, a critic of Biden administration policies on electric vehicles and vehicle emissions standards.
“Mass Transit” Magazine reports on what Trump and Bradbury are saying about the nomination and on Bradbury’s professional career. (The brief article suggests he had no transportation system experience prior to his three years as USDOT’s chief lawyer.)
In 2017, Bradbury’s nomination as general counsel barely achieved the Senate votes necessary for confirmation. As POLITICO reported at the time, he was a controversial choice because of his role in Justice Department legal review of interrogation techniques used in terrorism investigations. In a social media post explaining his vote against Bradbury, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul stated, “you shouldn’t get to author memos on torturing people & then get another government job.”
Appointments-Promotions-Retirements US Department of Justice US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesPA Turnpike Fiber Optic Upgrade May Also Help Eliminate State's "Broadband Deserts"
Technical.ly explains how the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s (PTC’s) major investment in a nearly complete fiber optic network installation project will make the agency’s tolling operations faster and more economical — and in the process, possibly expand the deployment of broadband resources to underserved communities around the state. The network “can be described as ‘middle mile connectivity,’ meaning that while it isn’t providing broadband infrastructure directly to individual households, it does expand the infrastructure that service providers need to bring internet access to those communities. . . .”
The article also mentions PTC’s participation in the Smart Belt Coalition, “a collaborative of transportation agencies and research institutions across Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The goal of the partnership is to share knowledge about transportation technology, including the fiber optic network.”
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Information Technology Resources and Acquisitions Non-Toll Revenue Sources Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike CommissionOhio Turnpike Travel Plazas Win Praise From Truckers, RV Owners
“Mobile app Trucker Path released an annual ranking of the independent and chain truck stop locations most preferred by the trucking community,” CDLLife reports. “The top honor this year went to the Ohio Turnpike Tiffin River Service Plaza located at mile marker 20.8 Eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike.” Truck parking, a lounge, free showers, a coin-op laundry, and lottery terminals are among the plaza’s amenities for commercial drivers. “Every day of the year, 24 hours a day, Ohio Turnpike Service Plazas are open to give truck drivers the best possible experience on the road,” said turnpike commission chief executive Ferzan Ahmed. “We are proud that the Tiffin River location has been recognized by drivers as the number 1 location in the nation for safe, clean facilities and services that truckers value.” (TRN inserted links in quoted text.)
Ohio plazas also got a recent shout-out from RVtravel.com, which stated, “They provide a convenient overnight stop with electric and dump station access at a very affordable rate.” On its website, Ohio Turnpike Authority promotes overnight RV parking at eight travel plazas.
Customer Service Experience Non-Toll Revenue Sources Ohio Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission Service PlazasThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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