Special Announcement

The Tom Warne Report is pleased to announce the availability of audio content from the 2006 AASHTO Spring meeting at Jekyll Island, Georgia held May 4-6, 2006. Content is available through the following link and highlights the AASHTO Board of Director's meeting as well as portions of the Standing Committee on Highways. 2006 AASHTO Spring Meeting

In This Issue

	Former Federal Highway Administrator Dies
	Officials Attempt to Fix Public's View of Big Dig
	New Road Technology Concerns Privacy Advocates
	Road Sensors Provide Data
	New Devices help Travelers Save Time
	House Panel Plans Toll Roads Hearing
	Highway Projects Price Soars
	Staten Island Bus Lanes may become HOV
	Trans-Texas Corridor Creates Controversy
	Light Rail Success in Dallas
	Berkeley Considers Developer Transit Tax

Former Federal Highway Administrator Dies

Penn. - Thomas D. Larson, former secretary of PennDOT and federal highway administrator, died Thursday. Larson, 77, led transportation policy under President George H.W. Bush and was the top official in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for eight years.

"Tom was a giant among Pennsylvania public servants," said former Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornberg, who hired the professor of civil engineering in 1979. "I sought out the best expert I could on PennDOT operations, and it turned out to be Professor Larson at Penn State."

Larson was a member of the Michael Baker Corporation Board since 1993, as an independent director and chairman of the Health, Safety, and Environment Committee

Larson was sworn in as a federal highway administrator in 1989, and brought close to $155 billion in federal funds for transportation programs through his role in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in the mid-90's.

In October, 2004, Larson sustained head injuries after being thrown from a horse-drawn cart. His health had slowly declined over the last year, and family members believe his death was related to the accident.

Tom was a great transportation leader who did more for our industry than words can describe. He was a thoughtful man who cared deeply for our nation's transportation systems and those responsible for them. He will be deeply missed by many. TW

Officials Attempt to Fix Public's View of Big Dig

BOSTON - Transportation officials in Massachusetts are working to restore public confidence in the Big Dig after a woman was crushed to death by falling ceiling panels in a project tunnel.

A recent Boston Globe poll revealed only 4 percent of respondents would feel "very" safe when asked "How safe would you feel driving through the Big Dig tunnels?" Sixty-eight percent said they felt "not very" or "not at all" safe.

Roadways remain closed as engineers continue repair work, while Gov. Mitt Romney, transportation leaders and legislators are working to overcome the crisis that has caused drivers to doubt the security of the subterranean highway system.

So far, Romney has refused to set firm deadlines on any reopenings and has promised a "stem to stern" safety audit. The state attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation into the collapse. One of the biggest challenges officials are facing is convincing the public the tunnels are again safe once they are reopened.

The I-90 connector tunnel was originally supposed to have a lighter ceiling, but Big Dig officials decided to go with a heavier concrete ceiling that was less expensive and easier to install, according to Alexander Bardow, state director of bridges and structures. While the ceiling still met safety standards, it was 2 ½ times heavier per square foot than the one in the Ted Williams tunnels, yet the bolts holding it up were not as thick.

New Road Technology Concerns Privacy Advocates

ATLANTA - The future technology of roads could range from cars that record every place you drive, to high-tech cameras that analyze and record everything they see in your car, to a database that tracks the miles you drive.

These are serious government initiatives, as officials respond to the national transportation funding shortage. One answer for many states is toll roads, many of which are wired. While scientists and planners working on these high-tech systems predict they will save money, run highways more efficiently and protect privacy, privacy advocates have their doubts.

These critics say the public doesn't realize how easy it is for governments, private investigators, and hackers to use this recorded data for unintended purposes. In Georgia, state leaders are planning high occupancy toll roads, which could make use of technology that counts passengers in a car. The decision of what technology road companies could install on major state roads would be up to the department of transportation.

Georgia DOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl said the state will protect privacy, and it is too early know what technology the state would use, and who would have access to the data.

Road Sensors Provide Data

MURRYSVILLE, Pa. - The Federal Highway Administration is joining PennDOT and the University of Pittsburgh on a project that will provide information on the highway's response to temperature, precipitation, and weight loads using 400 sensors embedded in a new road.

The sensors, embedded in Route 22 in Murrysville to the Monroeville line, record data every 15 minutes that is then put into a database. Officials will use the information provided by the $300,000 project to design new highways.

The data will either validate current practices or recommend changes in concrete design and placement practices to ensure PennDOT gets more wear from the pavement, said Joe Szczur, a PennDOT District 12 executive.

PennDOT's chief pavement engineer Dan Dawood said the goal of the project is to create new pavement designs to be used nationally, and they hope to replace the pavement design standard that has been in use for the last 40 to 50 years.

"We will have the best calibrated model for our pavement," Dawood said. "It also gives us a good forensic tool. This will measure the stresses a pavement is going through and will give us a good idea for what works."

New Devices help Travelers Save Time

National - Since summer is the peak season for construction and congestion caused by vacationers on some roads, travelers may want to consider a rising number of tools that can be used to avoid the crowded roads.

The most recent innovation will be available next month from Budget and Avis. Their new Where2 global positioning devices will be available at 125 locations in the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico. For $9.95 a day, the devices will monitor traffic and suggest alternate routes.

Motorists in 25 states can call 511 to receive "real-time information on traffic conditions and incidents." All 50 states will have the system by 2010. Seven cell phone carriers, offer Rand McNally Traffic, which sends phone users text messages and maps about traffic conditions in 94 metropolitan areas for $3.99 a month. The service includes information on accidents, lane closures, congestion, and the average speed of vehicles on roadways.

Many state and city transportation websites display up-to-the-minute traffic conditions. Some local radio and TV stations, as well as local newspapers have detailed traffic maps on their websites that enable internet users to keep track of crashes and road maintenance delays.

We included these three stories as a reflection of how technology will change our transportation industry in the coming years. Everything from micro-sensors embedded in pavements and bridges to signs and other devices communicating with vehicles will become commonplace sooner than we think. We may yet cross that threshold into "intelligent transportation systems." TW

House Panel Plans Toll Roads Hearing

TUPELO, Miss. - The Mississippi House Transportation Committee is planning hearings for September on a bill to authorize toll roads in the state.

The committee chairman, Rep. Bill Miles, D-Fulton, said toll roads could become a source of revenue to build new highways. He said the tolls would only last less than 20 years, after which alternate routes would be available so people could avoid the tolls.

Miles hopes the tolls, or user fees, could help finance certain roads, such as a proposed parkway linking Jackson/Evers International Airport in Rankin County to downtown Jackson.

"Nationwide, tolling is becoming more the norm than the exception, particularly for new highways," said Butch Brown, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Highway Projects Price Soars

Kan. - Cost estimates for numerous major highway projects still pending under the 10-year highway plan in central and southwest Kansas have grown significantly, according to recent figures released by state officials.

Officials say the differences from the original cost estimates are mainly because of changes in the scope of the projects since they were originally proposed.

In Reno County, three projects rose to more than a combined $23 million from original estimates, two of which shot up over 80 percent, individually.

The original cost estimates are from 1999, when the projects were selected as part of the state's Comprehensive Transportation Program. The numbers were updated earlier this year because transportation officials were worried about the rising costs of asphalt, oil, and concrete, among other elements used in road construction.

In total, the 16 projects cost estimates increased about 25.7 percent, from under $300 million to $376.4 million. For the majority of the projects in the comprehensive plan, funding commitments were capped, so project increases won't affect local budgets.

"I think our concern all along is that there be enough money in the program to complete commitments made in 1999," said Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff. "The Secretary of Transportation has done an excellent job in putting a program in front of legislators and encouraging them to find ways to complete the projects they made a commitment to in 1999. I have confidence that will happen."

Staten Island Bus Lanes may become HOV

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The New York state department of transportation is considering switching the new bus-only lanes on the Staten Island Expressway to HOV lanes.

Critics say the change would cancel the benefits for mass-transit commuters. A recent investigation by the Staten Island Advance revealed that 2,337 cars used the bus-only lanes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. over two consecutive days this month. Just two of the violators were pulled over by police. These critics fear

Department of transportation officials say converting the lanes into HOV could cost $4.5 million. The money would be used to alter the roadway to accommodate a car driver's line of site. Constructing an HOV lane along the entire length of the expressway, from bridge to bridge could cost between $95 and $140 million.

Trans-Texas Corridor Creates Controversy

Tex. - More than 1,000 people voiced their opinion Monday at a Texas Department of Transportation public hearing in Waco about the proposal to build a huge transportation corridor parallel to Interstate 35. The four-thousand-mile-long highway aims to ease congestion and get trucks off the interstate.

Speakers at the Waco meeting bashed the corridor, for displacing farmland, for its funding as a toll road, and the decision for a Spanish company to develop it, as the crowds cheered.

TxDOT says many have misplaced fear of the use of their land, and that the corridor won't be wider than the length of four football fields. The agency also hopes to keep hazardous materials away from cities, and use existing highways wherever possible.

State transportation officials say the corridor is needed to help meet Texas' growing transportation needs. Some estimates say I-35 would have to be expanded to 12 to 16 lanes if an alternative is not built.

Light Rail Success in Dallas

DALLAS - DART light-rail system in Dallas recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of its first rail line. DART is so successful today, the Dallas Morning News recently reported the 45-mile rail system has begun reshaping its region by changing the way the land is used along its path. Studies report $3 billion in projects announced or built in DART rail corridors in the last ten years.

The line carries 70,000 riders weekdays, for about 17.5 million a year, which is very near original predictions.

But the system almost didn't make it in Dallas. After a few years of drawing up plans, voters had to agree to dedicate 1 percent sales tax. Many of the small suburbs repeatedly voted against it, because it would be 25 years before they would see the rail in their area. And many of the cities that approved DART in the mid-80's questioned their decision and pulled their approval. Then in 1988, residents voted against allowing DART to issue long-term bonds to finance construction, a move which officials say set rail construction back almost a decade.

The next step for DART will be connecting with the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in less than seven years. Upon the completion, DART will have doubled in size, to 93 miles of rail lines.

Berkeley Considers Developer Transit Tax

BERKELEY, Calif. - Officials in Berkeley are debating whether to tax big developers for projects that create more traffic. Transit advocates say the builders should have to pay the costs of the increased traffic. The Berkeley city government is split on the decision, with the Transportation Commission supporting it and the Planning Commission against it.

How much the developers should pay is another question. One proposal says developers should pay $5,811 for each extra car trip generated by a development, while a second has them paying $2,400 per trip. These would cost builders $300,000 or $600,000 a year, depending on the proposal.

"There's a lot of developers out there crying wolf on this saying they won't develop in Berkeley, but if you look at the fee as a total of project cost, it's less than 1 percent," said Sarah Syed, Chair of the Transportation Commission. "This fee is important to ensure that development pays for itself in terms of livability and congestion.

"If you have a new office building and you have 200 new employees who commute to Berkeley and half come by car, you have 100 new trips during peak commute time. You increase the bottlenecks and the backups, especially when you build away from transit."

The fees would pay for stop lights, parking, street striping, and programs encouraging alternative transportation.

In theory this might make sense. However, using this fee arrangement to offset traffic congestion only gets to part of the problem. With work trips accounting for only 20% of the total in a given community ignores all the other trips that are growing faster than the commute component of the total. TW