- FHWA Proposes Rescinding “Buy America” General Waiver For Federal-Aid Transportation Projects
- New York Thruway Phishing Scam Is Partially Interrupted, But Remains Active
- Dallas North Tollway Bridge Scheduled For Repair Of Truck-Strike Damage
- Illinois Tollway Offers Full Slate Of Paid Internships
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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FHWA Proposes Rescinding “Buy America” General Waiver For Federal-Aid Transportation Projects
“Engineering News-Record” reports, “In a move that the Biden administration says is aimed at strengthening U.S. manufacturing, the Federal Highway Administration has proposed to jettison its more-than-40-year-old general waiver from the federal domestic-preference requirement for manufactured products used on federal-aid highway projects.” While current Buy America rules would continue to apply to some materials — for example, the iron or steel components of precast concrete — the FHWA’s proposed revisions would require most manufactured products be made in the US and consist of a specified percentage of US-produced components. In a news release, FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said broadly eliminating the waiver gives American companies “a long-term incentive to tap into the broader government market.” But Associated General Contractors of America criticized the measure and suggested the rule would backfire economically by slowing down infrastructure progress. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) also objected to FHWA’s proposal and recommended that the agency instead conduct “targeted market studies to observe which products can be on-shored successfully.”
According to its news release, “FHWA will also issue a Request for Information (RFI) on the domestic availability of specific manufactured products commonly used in FHWA-funded projects, which will help guide FHWA implementation, should the waiver be rescinded.” The proposed rulemaking was announced yesterday, March 7, and comments are due within 60 days.
FHWA maintains that elimination of the Buy America general waiver aligns with current Build America Buy America Act (BABA) requirements. TRN notes, transportation and construction industry representatives told a US House committee last month that BABA rulemaking has stymied attainment of national infrastructure rehabilitation goals.
Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Issues of Law Procurement of Tolling Equipment & Services US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesNew York Thruway Phishing Scam Is Partially Interrupted, But Remains Active
WHEC reports, scammers are still targeting New York Thruway motorists with text messages about outstanding toll account balances. The phishing attempts involve text messages with a link to a bogus website set up to collect both payments and personal information. One site, tollspayny.com, reportedly has been taken offline, but another, nytollservices.com, remains in operation. WHEC reminds viewers to be careful handling messages and provides an example of a legitimate message from the Thruway Authority, which never requests personal information via text.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Crime Beat ETC Systems New York New York State Thruway AuthorityDallas North Tollway Bridge Scheduled For Repair Of Truck-Strike Damage
Community Impact Newspaper reports, the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) announced that partial closures of the Dallas North Tollway will be required over the coming weekend, March 8-11, and again during the weekend of March 22-25. Over both periods, bridge repair work will require all southbound lanes between I-635 and Royal Lane in Dallas, as well as several nearby ramps and ramp lanes to be closed to traffic. The repairs are required because a truck carrying an oversized load struck and damaged the tollway’s Northaven Road bridge in September. NTTA inspections determined that the bridge remained structurally stable but required the forthcoming repairs.
Dallas-Ft. Worth Metro Region (DFW) Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) TexasIllinois Tollway Offers Full Slate Of Paid Internships
The Illinois Tollway is offering paid internships to enable eligible college students to gain experience in engineering, information technology and finance, as well as business systems specifically related to tolling. Both summer and yearlong internships are available. Applications are due March 31, and an online information session for candidates is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.
Illinois Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway) Transportation And Infrastructure Workforce IssuesThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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