News

The Argyle area around Blanding Boulevard and I‐295 is a hotspot for traffic accidents. In seven square miles, there are over 500 crashes each year with more than 300 of these crashes involving injuries or fatalities. In addition to the personal trauma and family tragedies, the economic cost of crashes in this small area is staggering at over $91 million per year.

This primer describes the role of transportation systems management and operations (M&O) in advancing livability and sustainability. The document highlights the connections between M&O and livability and sustainability objectives and the importance of a balanced, comprehensive approach to M&O in order to support those objectives. (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-12-004)

Rob Fellows of Washington State DOT (WSDOT) will discuss the WSDOT/Puget Sound Regional Council awareness and acceptance of pricing project. John Swanson of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) will discuss the MWCOG/Brookings Institution Study on the Public Acceptability of Road-Use Pricing, funded by the Value Pricing Pilot Program.

Many state DOTs and Transportation Management Centers are now offering their travelers weather-related information. But gaps remain and strategies and technologies to improve the effectiveness of road weather information are emerging. New social media tools offer great potential in not only providing weather information but also serving as a two-way communication with the consumers. This webinar will address the latest social media approaches for communicating with travelers, with a focus on identifying implementation approaches for State DOTs.

The FHWA Office of Operations with the National Highway Institute (NHI) developed Federal Highway Administration's Principles of Evacuation Planning Tutorial (133107), a Web-based training that provides an introductory overview of evacuation planning topics and common considerations. It covers the roles and responsibilities of local, regional, and state agencies involved in the evacuation process, while highlighting the importance of collaboration.