Daily News Briefs, July 17, 2023

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US House Advances FY 2024 Transportation Funding Bill

Transport Topics reports, the US House appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over transportation “easily” approved FY 2024 funding of USDOT last week. Subcommittee chair Tom Cole (R-OK) “touted the measure’s aim to improve safety and efficiency throughout the nation’s infrastructure networks.” The spending bill currently allocates $62 billion for FHWA, $19.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, $14.6 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, $1.4 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, $1.2 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, $145 million for the National Transportation Safety Board and $46.9 million for the Surface Transportation Board. “Specific to trucking policy, the legislation would dedicate $891.3 million to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.”

The Appropriations Committee has scheduled the full-committee markup of the spending measure for tomorrow morning, July 18, beginning at 10:30 AM Eastern.

Infrastructure Investment Trends US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration US National Transportation Safety Board

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Transportation Cybersecurity Research Center Begins Operation

AASHTO Journal reports on the launch of a new research center based at the University of Houston (UH) with a mission to counter potential cyberattacks on US transportation networks. “CYBER-CARE – the Transportation Cybersecurity Center for Advanced Research and Education – is a Tier 1 U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Center supported by a $2 million USDOT grant for its first year with anticipated total federal funding of $10 million over five years.” The center consortium, led by UH, includes Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Rice University; Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Cybersecurity Highway and Bridge Safety (Including COVID-19 Impacts) Information Technology Resources and Acquisitions Intelligent Transportation Systems US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding

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South Korea's President Attributes Fatal Tunnel Flood To Climate Change Impacts

The Guardian and Associated Press report, “flash floods and landslides triggered by days of heavy rain” flooded a highway tunnel in the major South Korean city of Cheongju on Saturday. Fire department officials estimate that it took just two to three minutes for flood water to fill the tunnel. So far, first responders have recovered 13 bodies from the tunnel; the overall death toll from the weather event is now at least 40. “The devastation prompted the country’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, to warn that the climate crisis had made extreme weather a fact of life. ‘This kind of extreme weather event will become commonplace . . . we must accept climate change is happening, and deal with it,’” Yoon said. He added that “the idea that extreme weather linked to climate change is an anomaly and can’t be helped ‘needs to be completely overhauled.’” The article notes that the incident has sparked a discussion about local government’s preparation for severe weather that was predicted.

Climate Change & Infrastructure Resilience Highway and Bridge Maintenance Highway and Bridge Safety (Including COVID-19 Impacts) South Korea

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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