U.S. Department of Transportation

Norman Yoshio Mineta died May 3. He was 90.

Norman Yoshio Mineta, 1931-2022

Norman Yoshio Mineta, the first Asian American to run the U.S. Department of Transportation and the agency’s longest-serving leader (2001-06), died May 3. He was 90.

Federal Judge Halts Mask Mandate for Transportation, DOJ Appeals (UPDATED)

A Florida judge on April 18 struck down a federal mandate requiring mask use on public transportation and at transportation hubs. While railroads were deciding whether to keep the mandate in place until May 3 or make mask-wearing optional, the Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 20 filed an appeal. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is weighing in.

Aerial view of Pier B, courtesy of Port of Long Beach.

Feds OK Port of Long Beach Pier B Proposal

The U.S. Maritime Administration has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) approving the Port of Long Beach’s planned $1.547 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project.

Portal North—part of the massive Gateway Program, which will eventually double rail capacity between Newark, N.J., and New York—will replace the 110-year-old Portal Bridge, a mechanical-trouble-plagued swing bridge built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1910 as part of its New York Improvements project.
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Portal North Builder Gets Official ‘Go’ From NJT

New Jersey Transit has issued a “Notice to Proceed” to Skanska/Traylor Bros PNB Joint Venture (STJV) for construction of Portal North Bridge, which is slated to take approximately five and a half years to complete.

USDOT: $20B for FY22 Transit Investment

More than $20 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 funding is available to transit agencies and communities—58% more than in FY 2021 thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which on April 6 released full-year apportionment tables for each of its 30 programs.

An ACS64-led Amtrak Northeast Regional train prepares to depart Penn Station New York, bound for Washington, D.C. William C. Vantuono photo

Biden FY23 Budget Request: $105B for USDOT

President Joe Biden on March 28 submitted to Congress a $5.79 trillion budget plan for fiscal year 2023 that calls for $105 billion to be distributed to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). With an additional $37 billion in guaranteed advance appropriations provided under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL; also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA), the USDOT’s total budget would be $142 billion. Included in the budget for USDOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is funding for four new rail-related projects; the Gateway Program’s Hudson Tunnel project in New York and New Jersey, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II rail project in California are among them.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix our outdated infrastructure and invest in major projects for the future of our economy,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “Until now, we had limited ability to make awards beyond a certain level, or to support projects with funding from multiple federal grant programs.”

USDOT to Provide $2.9B for Infrastructure Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) reported on March 23 that is offering a total of $2.9 billion through three discretionary grant programs supporting major infrastructure projects; it has issued a combined Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that will make it easier to apply to one or more programs with a single application and common set of criteria.

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