Highways, Bridges and Roads

Your daily transportation speed-read:

An AirTran Airways pilot in Minneapolis, Minn., was arrested for being drunk before his scheduled flight.

Hawaii is having some second thoughts about rail.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be among the attendees at Rahm Emanuel's inauguration as Chicago mayor.

Washington state has a transportation budget.

The unlikely duo of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton is featured in a new ad campaign from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and the American Public Transportation Association.

The groups are using the former presidents from opposite ends of the political spectrum to try to build bipartisan support for a six-year transportation spending bill. The radio spot features Reagan making the case for spending more on transportation. 

"The state of our transportation system affects our commerce, our economy and our future," Reagan says at the beginning of the radio commercial, which has begun airing on WTOP radio in Washington.

A pair of Democratic senators filed legislation Wednesday that would create a transportation infrastructure fund and seed it with $5 billion.
 
The duo, Sens. Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) and Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.) said the fund would be used to attract private investment in transportation through loans and loan guarantees. They argued the initial start-up money from the federal government would create jobs.
 
"The United States has not adequately invested in its transportation infrastructure, and we're seeing the results in our crumbling roads and bridges, airport delays, and a rail network that doesn't meet the demands of travelers and businesses," Lautenberg, the chairman of the Senate Surface Transportation subcommittee, said in a statement. 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Lengthy airline delays continue to decline after new rules passed by Department of Transportation took effect.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood thinks bicyclists need love too, but he doesn't know if he is a hipster.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking at bus and truck safety this week.

The Department of Transportation has cleared Delta to partner with the Virgin Blue Group on U.S.-Australian flights.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The Northeast emerged as the big winner in the sweepstakes for Florida's rejected rail money.

Bombardier is going to make high-speed train parts.

There isn't much transportation-related happening in the Texas state legislative session.

New Jersey drivers should be ready for their close-ups on the Atlantic City Expressway toll road.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Missouri's transportation programs would be cut in half under new proposals released this year.

Airfares are on the rise just like gas prices.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is proposing tougher regulations for buses.

Fuel-efficient cars are keeping General Motors's coffers full.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Ray LaHood is confident there will be a transportation bill this year.

New York City is doing its own transportation census.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) says he is not surprised federal officials are making his state give back money for a canceled commuter tunnel.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has another decision looming on a railway in Florida.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

St. Louis's Lambert Airport won't get any emergency management money from FEMA because it has insurance.

The NTSB is investigating the Southwest plane that slid off the runway at Chicago's Midway Airport.

Iowa has a new transportation director.

Arrests have been made in Atlanta's MARTA rail-system beating.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

American Airlines wants more flights to Brazil.

Illinois is opening the door on looking into bicycle accidents involving the doors of parked cars.

Studded tires in Washington state have to be removed now.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) is the latest pol who doesn't think the proposed underground Washington MetroRail station at Dulles Airport should be allowed to take off.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Flights at St. Louis's Lambert Airport are getting back to normal after being hit by a tornado during the weekend.

Atlanta's MARTA rail system is defending its safety record after a beating of Delta employees by individuals police believe to be gang-related.

Opponents of high-speed rail in California are cheering the recent budget deal that puts the brakes on funding for the rest of the fiscal year.

Maine is considering bringing back billboards on highways in the state.