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Your Dec. 1 Pre-Trip: Lawmakers expect to unveil highway bill today

Dec. 1, 2015

Lawmakers are expected to unveil a compromise highway bill at some point today, The Hill reports.

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. Lawmakers are expected to unveil a compromise highway bill at some point today, The Hill reports. The federal transportation spending plan is set to expire this Friday, Dec. 4, when a bill is expected to make its way to President Barack Obama. According to the report, an agreement is likely to take place this afternoon. This bill would be the first transportation funding legislation to last longer than two years since 2005. The Hill has more. 2. The Rhode Island Trucking Association announced it has filed an open records request for truck toll details from Gov. Gina Raimondo’s office. According to Rhode Island’s NPR, the request seeks a statewide map illustrating specific locations of proposed tolls, the full traffic report conducted by CDM Smith and the state DOT, and all written and electronic communication related to tolls and bridges. The governor has defended her truck toll plan as a requirement to fix the state’s failing bridges. However, trucking groups maintain the plan unfairly targets the industry.3. Bridge safety continues to be an issue for the nation’s safety transportation system. According to a study out of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 10% of the nation’s more than 610,000 bridges were considered structurally deficient as of December 2014. The study also found that nearly 25% of all bridges in the country are deficient and 14% are categorized as functionally obsolete. According to the study, state agencies own about half of all bridges and over 90% of National Highway System bridges. GAO has more.4. Virginia’s Department of Transportation has found that zig zag road markings slow average vehicle speeds, increase motorist awareness of pedestrians and cyclists, and increase the likelihood that drivers would yield at one popular intersection. According to Streets Blog USA, VDOT installed zig zag markings as part of a pilot project to caution drivers of pedestrians and bicyclists approaching the intersection of the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.5. Knight Transportation’s stock fell 3.5% on Monday, according to a Putnam Standard report. The stock traded as low as $26.42 and last traded at $26.50, according to the report. The stock previously closed at $27.46. The Putnam Standard has more.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.