States face an $86 billion funding gap as inflation and staffing shortages make infrastructure upkeep more expensive. Governing By Fatima Yousofi and Eli Gullett, Pew Charitable Trusts April 15, 2026  States are facing an $86 billion shortfall over the next decade for maintaining roads and bridges. And the U.S. is among the most expensive countries for transportation construction—projects typically cost more than three times as much as in other upper- and middle-income econ

LandLine Media Author: Keith Goble April 13, 2026 Shut down traffic, pay the price. States are moving to crack down on highway protests. At least half a dozen states have laws banning people from blocking busy roads. South Dakota was the first to move. Back in 2017, the state hit hard with tough penalties for standing in traffic to stop cars and trucks. Break the rule, and you could face up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. That same year, Tennessee raised the cost for b

US Department of Transportation Press Release Monday, April 6, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced that the Build America Bureau (Bureau) is investing $54.2 million to advance the progress of transportation and infrastructure projects in rural and tribal areas across the country. These Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (RTA) grants help recipients hire staff or procure financial, technical, and legal assis

These wide-open American roads are some of the most perfect places for a properly spirited drive. Auto Blog By James Ochoa April 1, 2026 Not all highways are made equal.  For most drivers, the speed limit acts as a ceiling on how fast they should be travelling on a given road or highway. But for some pureblooded adrenaline junkies, it’s a challenge. Across the wide-open landscapes of the American West and beyond, certain states have raised their highway speed limits far beyo

2025 had the second-lowest fatality rate on America’s roads in recorded history NHTSA April 1, 2026 The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that traffic deaths fell to record lows in 2025 . With an estimated 36,640 traffic fatalities in 2025—a 6.7% decrease from 2024—the nation saw its second-lowest traffic fatality rate in recorded history at 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Under

Tire problems are the top reason large trucks are pulled off the road, yet monitoring systems are not required InvestigateTV By Anna Werner and Emily Featherston Mar. 30, 2026 ( InvestigateTV ) — It was a clear summer afternoon when an 18-wheeler headed east on a rural stretch of Interstate 40 in New Mexico suddenly careened to the left, barreling across the grassy median. More than 1,200 miles away in California, Derick Walsh had no way of knowing how the trajectory of that

WDSU 6 News By MATTHEW DALY Mar 28, 2026 WASHINGTON — As the war in Iran pushes U.S. gas prices toward $4 a gallon nationally, some lawmakers are pushing to suspend the federal gasoline tax in the latest attempt to try to control surging energy costs. Advertisement Lawmakers say the action would provide much-needed relief for families and businesses that rely on their cars and trucks to get to work and school and run everyday errands. Asked about the gas tax at a Cabinet meet

US Department of Transportation Press Release March 27, 2026 Safe Streets & Roads for All grants will bolster emergency response services, expand truck parking, modernize rail crossings, and upgrade family-focused infrastructure WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced the availability of $999.5 million in funding to upgrade America’s crucial safety infrastructure and save more lives. The Safe Streets for All grant program will fund faste

KFOR by: Associated Press Mar 25, 2026 WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a temporary 8% charge on certain popular products, including Priority Mail, to help blunt the impact of rising transportation costs. USPS filed notice on Wednesday with the Postal Regulatory Commission seeking the price increase, which would take effect on April 26 and remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027, pending final approval. “This temporary price adjustment will provide needed flex

AASHTO March 20, 2026 For example, Minnesota recently secured more than $1 billion in federal investments to replace the John A. Blatnik Bridge between Duluth, MN, and Superior, WI – clearing the way for the largest public works project in that state’s history. The Blatnik Bridge – which originally opened in 1961 and is nearing the end of its service life – is jointly owned and managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation, c

Reason Foundation Baruch Feigenbaum, Senior Managing Director Truong Bui, Director of Data Strategy and Analytics Jay Derr, Transportation Policy Analyst Thuy Nguyen, Data Scientist March 19, 2026 Federal law mandates the uniform inspection of all bridges for structural adequacy at least every two years; bridges rated “deficient” are eligible for federal repair dollars. The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) is the source of the bridge data in the table and figure following, whi

Reason foundation Baruch Feigenbaum, Senior Managing Director Truong Bui. Director of Data Strategy and Analytics Jay Derr, Transportation Policy Analyst Thuy Nguyen, Data Scientist March 19, 2026 Rural Interstates are typically four- to six- lane highways connecting urban areas. One measurement of roadway condition is pavement condition. In most states, road pavement condition is measured using special machines that determine the roughness of road surfaces. A few states cont

US Department of Transportation Press Release Thursday, March 19, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced more than $21 million in grant awards that will fund 84 projects for 61 Tribes in 13 states that will reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries on Native American and Alaska Native lands. The grants, provided under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund (TTPSF), w

MSN Story by Jonathan Small, Entrepreneur March 17, 2026 The U.S. plans to keep on truckin’—just without humans behind the wheel. Multiple companies say they’ll roll out fully driverless big rigs on American highways in 2027. Aurora, Kodiak, and Waabi are racing to eliminate drivers—a cost that represents up to 40% of per-mile trucking expenses, according to The New York Times . Aurora plans to grow from a handful of autonomous trucks to more than 200 by year’s end, then thou

The Journal Record By: David Shepardson, Reuters March 17, 2026 The chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee wants to collect funds from electric vehicles to help pay for U.S. highway repairs as part of a surface transportation bill. Representative Sam Graves, a Republican, said he plans to take up a multi-year bill in early April. Last year, House Republicans proposed a new $250 annual fee on EVs and $100 for hybrid EVs but it was not included in a ma

US Department of Transportation Press Release Tuesday, March 10, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the eight proposals that were selected as part of the brand-new Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The eight selected projects span 26 states and involve leading aircraft manufacturers, operators, and state partners.  See what leading polic

Z94 By Kelso March 5, 2026 Let’s talk about Oklahoma roads. Not in some cute “ugh yeah they’re rough” way. I mean in the really gotta say something before someone loses another tire kind of way. I read a report the other day that basically confirms what every driver in this state already knows. A February 2026 piece on road conditions out of Oklahoma makes it official. Our roads are worse than they were a year ago. Oklahoma slid from 34th on the list to having the fifth-wors

From gridlock to smarter solutions, Professor Manville explains why understanding incentives is key to moving cities forward. UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs March 4, 2026 In the latest podcast episode of It Turns Out , host Kara Miller sat down with urban planning professor Michael Manville to tackle one of the most familiar frustrations in modern life: traffic congestion. Rather than accepting traffic as an inevitable part of city living, Manville explains that traffi

USA TODAY Trevor Hughes March 4, 2026, Driving across the top of Vermont with a load of ingredients for cattle feed, trucker Chris Thomas was still hours away from finishing his workday and already trying to figure out where to sleep . As a full-time over-the-road driver, Thomas, 44, hauls cargo across the United States from Kentucky. And after spending half his life on the road, Thomas finds himself spending more time figuring out where to park his semitrailer at the end of

KSWO By First Alert 6 staff reports and Dorothy Sedovic Feb. 25, 2026 OMAHA, Neb. ( WOWT /Gray News) - Two vehicles were caught in a sinkhole at an intersection in Omaha Tuesday afternoon. University of Nebraska-Omaha Public Safety’s security cameras recorded the moment the two vehicles fell into the sinkhole. “This caught everybody by surprise,” Omaha Police Lt. Dan Martin said. In the video, a maroon Jeep SUV and a silver Dodge Ram pickup are seen stopping at a red light. A