Here are five things worth knowing today:
1. Face recognition software in trucking
Caterpillar Safety Systems has partnered with Seeing Machines to install fatigue protection software in thousands of mining trucks. According to a Huffington Post report, the software uses a camera, speaker and light system to measure signs of fatigue – for instance eye closure and head position. When a potential fatigue event is detected, the system sounds an alarm and sends a video clip of the driver to a 24-hour sleep fatigue center at Caterpillar headquarters, the report adds. Huffington Post has more.
2. Transport Intermodal seeks to build new cargo facility
Transport Intermodal LLC seeks to build a new cargo transfer facility in Valparaiso, IN, NWI Times reports. The facility would be a full intermodal ramp loading and unloading international cargo from rail-to-truck and truck-to-rail, according to the report. A land acquisition is currently in progress. The Times has more.
3. NY to use $200 million to replace bridges, culverts
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the availability of $200 million in enhanced assistance for local government to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts over the next two years. Funding is provided through the governor’s Bridge NY incentive, which puts emphasis on projects that address poor structural conditions, mitigate weight restrictions or long detours, and increase development.
4. ‘Unpaving’ America’s roads
According to Grist.org, there’s a new trend in American infrastructure: Unpaved roads. All over the country, roads are being “depaved” as municipalities can’t afford to pay for road upkeep. According to the report, unpaved roads could have a few benefits if done right. “Paving materials not only absorb heat and make the area roads hotter, they also contribute to surface runoff and can cause erosion, water pollution and flooding,” Grist says, adding cement is a huge producer of carbon dioxide. Grist has more.
5. South Carolina road debate continues
South Carolina’s road funding debate continues as a plan to build a freeway to Myrtle Beach has resurfaced. According to a report in The State, the proposal would let the state fill hundreds of acres of wetlands in the path of I-73. The state DOT is seeking a federal wetlands permit for the highway that proposes to protect an 11-mile stretch of wetlands.
