Latest News 
Highway, Transit Shutdown Ends with Enactment of One-Month Extension
March 3, 2010
— from AASHTOjournal.org
The Senate approved a bill Tuesday night to extend legal authority for the Highway Trust Fund for 30 days, sending the legislation to President Barack Obama, who has now signed the measure. The president's signature on HR 4691 will end a shutdown of the trust fund and the furlough of 2,000 U.S. Department of Transportation employees that occurred Monday after the fund's authority to spend money expired Sunday. Read full article on the AASHTO Journal Web site...
Senate passes jobs bill
10:48 AM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010
— from WashingtonPost.com
The Senate has approved a $15 billion jobs bill, 70 to 28. The next stop is the House where Democratic leaders are weighing whether to pass the Senate version or go to conference to reconcile it with the $154 billion jobs bill the House passed in December. Read full article in the Washington Post...
Senate advances job-creation bill with GOP help
— from WashingtonPost.com
Aided by a handful of Republicans, Senate Democratic leaders on Monday kept alive a $15 billion job-creation measure and are poised to pass the measure later this week. Read full article in the Washington Post...
FTA Kills Plan to Use Stimulus Funds for Oakland Airport Connector
$70 million will be redistributed for operating funds at cash-strapped local agencies; fate of $422 million more also committed to the project is unclear.
One clear outcome of the distribution of stimulus funds to transit agencies across the country was a marked preference for using the money to increase capital spending, rather than a ramp up of operations. Even as cities from New York to Denver have invested hundreds of millions of federal dollars in renovations and new line construction, they have cut spending on existing services. This has led to a peculiar situation in which transit agencies seem to be willing to trade bus drivers for construction workers. Read more...
TIGER Stimulus Funds Awarded to Lucky Transportation Projects
The U.S. DOT announced the winners of its $1.5 billion TIGER grant awards today. Transit and rail projects won big, winning a much larger share of the funds than is typical from the DOT, whose typical annual allocations go 3:1 in favor of highways. Not so today.Here’s a quick review of the biggest recipients of rail and transit funding...Read more...
Secretary LaHood Announces Funding for Over 50 Innovative, Strategic Transportation Projects through Landmark Competitive TIGER Program
Recovery Act-Funded Projects Will Create Jobs, Spur Lasting Economic Growth
— from Olivia Alair, DOT 30-10
One year to the day after President Obama signed the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will announce Recovery Act awards to states, tribal governments, cities, counties and transit agencies across the country to fund 51 innovative transportation projects. Read more...
LaHood rescinds Bush transit spending restrictions
— from NewsObserver.com
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday rescinded Bush administration restrictions on federal transit grants so that a wider range of projects will be eligible and local transit systems will receive money faster.
LaHood told a conference of transportation officials and researchers that the Obama administration wants greater flexibility to help pay for bus, rail and other transit projects that could provide an economic boost, benefit the environment or improve the "livability" of communities. Read full article in the News & Observer...
Obama Administration Proposes Major Public Transportation Policy Shift
to Highlight Livability
Changes Include Economic Development and Environmental Benefits
In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to cost and time saved, which are currently the primary criteria. Read more...
Statement by John Horsley
Reaction to AP Analysis on Economic Recovery Spending
— from American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
This week, the Associated Press released a flawed analysis of the results of the economic stimulus spending on roads and bridges.
Its authors overlooked the 210,000 direct on-project transportation jobs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee determined were created by stimulus. And it argues that the 6,333 highway recovery projects under construction in America, valued at $15.2 billion, have had "no effect on local unemployment and only barely helped the beleaguered construction industry." Read more...
STIMULUS WATCH: Unemployment unchanged by projects
— from NewsObserver.com
A federal spending surge of more than $20 billion for roads and bridges in President Barack Obama's first stimulus has had no effect on local unemployment rates, raising questions about his argument for billions more to address an "urgent need to accelerate job growth."
An Associated Press analysis of stimulus spending found that it didn't matter if a lot of money was spent on highways or none at all: Local unemployment rates rose and fell regardless. And the stimulus spending only barely helped the beleaguered construction industry, the analysis showed.
With the nation's unemployment rate at 10 percent and expected to rise, Obama wants a second stimulus bill from Congress including billions of additional dollars for roads and bridges - projects the president says are "at the heart of our effort to accelerate job growth." Read full article in the News & Observer...
Jacksonville auto dealer picked for N.C. Board of Transportation
— from NewsObserver.com
Michael K. Alford, a Jacksonville auto dealer, is Gov. Bev Perdue’s 11th pick for a vacant seat on the state Board of Transportation.
Once his name is reviewed by members of a legislative oversight committee, Alford is expected to take an at-large seat dedicated to rural transportation needs. He will succeed another Jacksonville businessman, Lewis W. Sewell Jr., who resigned in 2008 after The News & Observer reported that he had steered DOT money to road projects near commercial property he or his son owned. Read full article in the News & Observer...
As Triangle Residents Age, Triangle Transit Provides Reliable Travel Alternatives
— from Triangle Transit
In support of aging citizens and increased mobility options and opportunities, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and Triangle Transit are endorsing and participating in Older Driver Safety Awareness Week which is being sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association. Read more...
Gov. Perdue Signs Executive Order Creating Logistics Task Force
— from Chrissy Pearson
Gov. Perdue today signed Executive Order No. 32, establishing the Governor’s Logistics Task Force. The task force will make recommendations to ensure that people and goods are able to move efficiently across North Carolina. The order was signed at a signing ceremony at the Raleigh headquarters of Longistics, a full-service provider of global logistics services. Read more...
What Have We Learned from the Recovery Act?
— from Transportation.nationaljournal.com
View National Journal Transportation Experts Blog
Charlotte Area Tops Nation in Growth of Public Transit Use in National Survey
— from Olaf Kinard
Charlotte tops the nation in the growth of people using public transit between 2006 and 2008 in a recent report issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). During this time area residents indicated that they switched to public transit at a growth rate of 47 percent based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, a monthly randomly-sampled survey of area residents, which included questions about commuting choices. Read more...
Registration Open for NCPTA Training Forums
Register today to participate in one of NCPTA’s upcoming training forums! The 5 hour training has been created for all public transit staff that interact with internal and external customers. The three training sessions will be held at the following locations:
December 8th, 2009 – Waynesville
January 21st, 2010 – Kinston
February 9th, 2010 – Greensboro
Visit the training page for more information and registration. Class size is limited!
Zebulon/Wendell – Raleigh Express Begins October 26th
— from Mark Hetrick, Town of Zebulon
A new weekday express bus route connecting Zebulon and Wendell with downtown Raleigh will begin on Monday, October 26, 2009. There will be an introductory fare free period from October 26th through November 30th. Read more...
Chapel Hill Transit Joins Regional Transit Information Center
— from Triangle Transit
Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) will join the GoTriangle Regional Transit Information Center on Monday, October 5, 2009. The regional call center, managed by Triangle Transit, provides a single source of information about public transportation services in the Triangle region. Read more...
CATS Invests in the Future of Local College Students
— from Jean Leier, CATS
 Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) students are making room for a new learning tool from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). CATS Interim CEO John Muth donated a bus to CPCC President Tony Zeiss for the College’s Transport System Technology program at the Transport Systems Building, located at the CPCC North Campus in Huntersville. Read more....
Federal Transit Administration Proposed Circulars
— from FTA.dot.gov
 The new proposed FTA Circular 9030.1D for the 5307 formula program for
public transit can be found on the FTA public Web site.
The Federal Transit Administration Web site contains proposed FTA circulars or guidance documents. Refer to the Federal Register Notices on procedures and contact information for commenting on FTA circulars and guidance. The latest circular topic is "Capital Facilities and Formula Grant Programs." Title: Urbanized Area Formula Program. Program Guidance and Application Instructions are available.
For more information and instructions visit: www.fta.dot.gov/laws/circulars/leg_reg_5607.html
Cabarrus County kicks off new service for better access to jobs
 A new transportation service linking rural residents to major employment, shopping, and medical offices will begin October 5 in Cabarrus County. Part of Cabarrus County Transportation Service (CCTS), Cabarrus Links will provide public transportation to residents in Harrisburg, Midland, and Mount Pleasant. Cabarrus Links has several designated pick–up locations in these communities with routes going to Concord Mills, Carolina Mall, CMC–Northeast, and the CK Rider bus hub, where riders can transfer their ticket to take a bus to locations throughout Concord and Kannapolis. A kickoff celebration for Cabarrus Links was held on Wednesday, September 30 at 10 am at Concord Mills. Read More...
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