Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Halloween is always an exciting time of year. These days, I look forward to taking my grandchildren trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. It really is a magical time.

But, all that rushing from door to door to fill up plastic pumpkins and buckets can increase the risk of children darting into traffic. Or into the path of an oncoming car.

So, to make sure everyone has a fun and safe Halloween this year, our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has put together a list of easy tips for everyone.

It will only take a minute to read them, and they could prevent a lifetime of regret:

• Motorists – Stay alert and, please,  SLOW DOWN.
  We all remember the thrill of rushing from one door to the next collecting loot. And we all know that kids aren’t always careful about looking both ways, especially when they’re trying to get to as many houses as possible. So let's take extra caution when driving this Halloween night.
• Parents – Help your kids be visible and prepared.
  Make sure your princesses, superheroes, and monsters have a flashlight, and consider putting reflective tape on costumes and treat bags. Brightly colored costumes are easier to see than dark ones, and the masks your children wear should not impair their field of vision. Most of all remind them to look not once or twice, but three times when crossing the street.
• Trick-or-Treaters – Please, watch where you’re going.
  I know you’ve heard it all before, but it’s even more important to be careful when you’re out after dark when cars have more difficulty seeing you. Make sure you look both ways--left and right, then left again--before crossing the street. Wear comfortable shoes, and make sure you aren’t tripping over your costume. And stay within sight of the grownups who are out with you. But, most of all, HAVE FUN!

Halloween is scary enough without the risk of injury or worse. Let’s all work together to make sure this year's Halloween is safe and fun for everyone.

Every Jedi warrior knows to carry a light saber after dark

At the Department of Transportation and across the country, people are still plenty excited about the innovative TIGER II awards we announced last week. And Wednesday, I went to Salt Lake City, Utah, to officially announce a $26 million TIGER II grant for the Sugar House streetcar line.

Now, a century ago, streetcars were a common sight in cities across America. But by the 1960s, most communities had phased them out--to the great detriment of neighborhoods and downtowns. Today, streetcars are coming back. And they’re reviving some of the very same neighborhoods they once helped create.

Salt Lake City will be at the forefront of America's streetcar renaissance.

Read the full article in the Opinion section of Newark, NJ, based The Star-Ledger

Two weeks ago, I helped dedicate the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which bypasses the narrow, two-lane road atop the Hoover Dam. It is a marvel of engineering, the longest bridge of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, and it rests on the tallest precast concrete columns ever fashioned.

Staring up at this monument to human ingenuity, almost 1,000 feet off the ground, I could not help but feel inspired. This bridge is more than the cement and steel that ties Nevada to Arizona. It is a symbol of a great nation that does great things.

O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge bypassing Hoover Dam; a testament to American ingenuity and bold infrastructure investment

In America, we pride ourselves on dreaming big and building big. We invest for the future, not just in spite of challenges, but as the means of overcoming them. After all, we constructed the Hoover Dam and Golden Gate Bridge during the worst depression of our history. And we planned and paved America’s state-of-the-art interstate highway system in the aftermath of World War II.

Against the backdrop of these enduring legacies, Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to terminate America’s largest transportation project was particularly disappointing. Unfortunately, his choice comes with profound consequences for New Jersey, the New York metropolitan region and our nation as a whole.

Portal to the existing Hudson transit crossing; is this really the symbol we want for America's infrastructure?

Tens of thousands of jobs that the tunnel would have created will be lost. Future New Jerseyans will face shrinking property values, suffocating road traffic, interminable train delays and increasing air pollution. A $3.358 billion federal investment in the region’s economic future will move elsewhere.

Click to continue reading "On ARC, one derailment won't stop progress" at The Star-Ledger site...

America is buzzing about high-speed rail today, and no community is more excited than Iowa City, where I visited this afternoon.

It was also an exciting trip for me as Iowa City became the 100th American city I've visited since becoming Transportation Secretary! I went there to announce some terrific news: a $230 million grant for planning and constructing intercity rail service between Iowa City and Chicago, through the Quad Cities.

Now, $230 million is a big deal, but the money itself is not nearly as big a deal as the idea it embodies--a revitalized American passenger rail system--and the jobs it will create.

Today, the Obama Administration and the Department of Transportation are awarding $2.4 billion for planning and construction of intercity passenger rail service. With these 54 projects in 23 states, we're moving full-speed ahead toward a nationwide high-speed rail system.

President Obama signed the Recovery Act to build bridges between the Americans who needed jobs and the infrastructure jobs that needed doing. One of those jobs was creating a 21st century rail system in the United States.

The $8 billion in the Recovery Act for high-speed rail was step one, a down payment on a national network that, within 25 years, will give 80% of Americans the choice of traveling from downtown to downtown by high speed passenger train.

With today's awards, we take a second step toward that future. A future that envisions riding from downtown Los Angeles to downtown San Francisco in two hours and forty minutes. Or Chicago to St. Louis in two hours. Or Tampa to Orlando in 55 minutes.

The intense demand for high-speed rail dollars demonstrates just how important this historic initiative is. We received 132 applications for $8.8 billion, more than three times the funding Congress made available. Across the country, states are seeing the future and clamoring for passenger rail routes. That's why we've already expanded to include a route from Iowa City to Chicago--running through the Quad Cities--and a route in Michigan connecting Detroit to Chicago via Kalamazoo.

States understand that high-speed rail represents a unique opportunity to revitalize our manufacturing base, spur economic development, and create jobs.

Last week, the Department of Transportation awarded nearly $600 million in TIGER II discretionary grants. The 75 projects we're supporting with these awards are innovative proposals that take on economic, environmental, safety and mobility challenges at the same time.

Whether it's widening a road for trucks and cars in Logan, West Virginia, building a deep-water marine highway port in Dyersburg, Tennessee, or relieving a critical freight rail bottleneck in Fort Worth, Texas, these projects will put Americans to work today laying the foundation for the 21st century economy we need to better position our nation for sustained prosperity.

And when you see a map of the United States that shows how we've blanketed the country with these good projects, you can't help but get excited about the variety of ideas and breadth of distribution our TIGER II grants demonstrate.

So today I want to thank Transportation For America, a non-profit organization that has created precisely such a map and posted it on their website.

T4America's interactive map of USDOT TIGER grants shows projects from Maine to Hawaii

For each of the last 15 years, our Federal Transit Administration has recognized transit providers that overcome significant challenges to deliver reliable services to families, seniors, and persons with disabilities who live and work in rural, often far-flung communities.

Yesterday FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan traveled to the National Transportation Research Board Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Conference in Burlington, Vermont. There, she presented six transit providers with this year's Outstanding Rural Transit System awards:

• Special Transit of Boulder, CO
• Rural Community Transportation of St. Johnsbury, VT
• Citylink Public Transit System of Worley, ID
• Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency of Cookeville, TN
• Flint Hills Transportation Agency of Manhattan, KS
• South Central Adult Services Council of Valley City, ND

FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan announcing the Outstanding Rural Transit System awards

Now, the millions of us who live and work in the nation’s cities and suburbs have options for getting around: car, taxi, bus, train, trolley, bike, or our own feet.

But that’s simply not the case for many Americans living in more rural areas. From the tribal communities of North Dakota to the Ozark Mountain towns of Arkansas, transportation choices are more limited—particularly if you can't afford a car—and destinations are often spread far apart.

Citylink, a partnership of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the State of Idaho, the KMPO, and Kootenai County,
provides critical services to Idahoans

With a problem as serious as distracted driving, there's no quick fix.  It takes good laws.  It takes tough enforcement.  And it takes increased awareness and personal responsibility from every driver on our nation's roadways.

Students in Orlando got the message yesterday as the University of Central Florida's Student Government Association kicked off their week-long "Put Down Ur Cell Fone" campaign to discourage texting and talking while driving.

After declaring October 25th Distracted Driving Awareness Day at UCF, members of the student government fanned out across campus to encourage students to sign a petition promising to drive responsibly and limit distractions behind the wheel.  In less than three hours, over 500 young people had taken the pledge.

Students get information and sign the "Put Down Ur Cell Fone" pledge at UCF's main campus.

UCF's campaign was spearheaded by Student Body Vice President Taylor Lochrane, who interned as a field engineer this summer at the Federal Highway Administration's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Facility in McLean, Virginia.  He got the idea for "Put Down Ur Cell Fone" last spring during a ceremony honoring the Eternal Knights--a tribute to UCF students who had passed away during the previous year.

According to Taylor, too many of the young people lost were killed in car accidents.  And when he learned that drivers under the age of 20 were most likely to be involved in fatal distracted driving crashes, he committed to raising awareness through his position in the student government.

"It's important that this message comes to students, from students," Taylor said.  "A conversation among friends is a lot more powerful than seeing a commercial."

Last weekend, with Research and Innovative Technology Administrator (RITA) Peter Appel, I toured the USA Science and Engineering Festival on the National Mall. It was a terrific event, and not just because the organizers gave me a yellow “Celebrate Science” t-shirt!

Engineering and science create many wonderful opportunities, and they were on full display at the National Academies exhibits. In the National Research Council tent, DOT’s own RITA collaborated with the Transportation Research Board and the National Advanced Driving Simulator to demonstrate the dangers of distracted driving.

With Peter Appel, watching a young 'driver' put the simulator through its paces, while her sister looks on

I’ve spoken at length about the dangers of distracted driving, specifically regarding cell phone use and texting.  More than 5,500 people died in distracted driving related crashes last year. More than a half million more were injured.  But some people still think they alone are responsible or aware enough to handle that kind of distraction.

As the National Research Council advertised, the “Stayin’ Alive : Simulate the Dangers of Distracted Driving” exhibit proved them wrong. The simulator test allowed kids and teens to safely see and experience distracted drivers behind the wheel. It demonstrated just how dangerous it is to use your cell phone or text while driving.

The simulator offered participants an opportunity to “learn and live.” Hopefully, everyone who tried it out discovered just how dangerous distracted driving really is.

In this case, engineering and technology helped show people what can happen, while still keeping them protected. On the road, it’s a completely different story. There’s a reason 30 states have passed laws restricting cell phone use and banning texting while driving.

Today, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and I proposed the first national standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency for medium and heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses.

This is a historic first step to address categories of vehicles previously excluded from America's corporate average fuel economy guidelines. Currently, the vehicles we propose covering account for 20% of the transportation sector's carbon emissions. So reducing those emissions and improving fuel efficiency for these vehicles is certainly a win for the environment.

With EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

But the new standards are also a win for energy independence and the economy. We're talking about saving 500 million barrels of oil and cutting emissions by nearly 250 million metric tons over the life of model year 2014 to 2018 vehicles covered by our proposals.

For example, the new rules are expected to save truckers more than $35 billion in net benefits. Whether you're an independent contractor who relies on a pickup truck or an independent operator of a full-size semi, shrinking fuel costs will mean more money in your pocket. Owners will save thousands over the lifetime of their vehicles.

Some of those fuel-cost savings will also reduce transportation costs for businesses, who may choose to invest those savings in creating new jobs here at home rather than shipping barrels of dollars abroad to foreign energy providers.

One of our nation's most impressive qualities is service. Americans' willingness to come together, step in, and help others is a terrific demonstration of how we honor all that we have by giving something back to the community. And, last Saturday, on Make A Difference Day, an estimated 3 million Americans did exactly that.

I was fortunate to attend a playground-building event with my wife Kathy at a school here in Washington, DC. It was organized by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization whose mission is "to create great playspaces through the participation and leadership of communities."

KaBOOM! has been building playgrounds since Make A Difference Day in 1995, and the project on Saturday was their 1,894th. I think that is a record of service worth celebrating.

My colleagues in the Obama Administration agree; also helping out on Saturday were HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The more than 500 volunteers who also pitched in made sure we were far from alone. That's right--five hundred people showed up at 8:00 on a Saturday morning!

On Wednesday, Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt, attended the National Business Aviation Association's annual meeting. There, he presented the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award to six outstanding legends of aviation: Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, Bob Hoover, Clay Lacy, Russ Meyer, and Arnold Palmer.

The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise in maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years. And it would be difficult to find six people more deserving of this honor.

Neil Armstrong took his first flight lesson at age six, so it is no surprise that his storied career would lead him to the very limits of our imagination--the surface of the moon. Since becoming the first man to walk on the moon, he has mostly avoided public appearances, but it is worth noting that in recent years he has become a staunch advocate for NBAA's signature cause: business aviation. And, while he is a humble man, he represents one of humankind's most dramatic achievements.

Courtesy Morgan Anderson Photography

Cross-posted from the White House blog

This morning at the National Press Club, I joined HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to discuss the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.  The Partnership is an initiative that brings together the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that the agencies’ policies, programs, and funding consider affordable housing, transportation, and environmental protection together.  Founded on the idea that how and where we build our communities affects our economy, our environment, and our everyday lives, the Partnership is supporting communities that want to give Americans more housing choices, make transportation systems more efficient and reliable, and support vibrant neighborhoods that attract businesses.  This is good for our communities and good for our economy.

Since June of 2009, the Partnership for Sustainable Communities has been building economic competitiveness by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation. Examples include:

• EPA grants to develop area-wide plans for the reuse of formerly contaminated properties and targeted technical assistance to communities tackling growth and development issues;
• HUD Sustainable Community Regional Planning Grants to assist in the development and execution of regional plans that integrate affordable housing with neighboring retail and business development and realize more livable and sustainable communities across the country;
• DOT TIGER II Grants to fund innovative surface transportation projects that can improve communities’ quality of life while advancing broader transportation goals;
• And, awarded in conjunction with DOT’s TIGER II grants, HUD Community Challenge Planning Grants to support local planning activities that integrate transportation, housing, and economic development.                                                                                                                                                             

Coordinating federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services meets multiple economic, environmental, and community objectives with each dollar spent.  At a time when every dollar the federal government invests in jumpstarting the economy is critical, the President’s plan ensures that all these agencies are coordinating efforts and targeting resources with precision.  This collaboration gets better results for communities and uses taxpayer money more efficiently. 

The Sustainable Communities Partnership is yet another foundational pillar of the President’s urban agenda; last month you learned more about the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.  Both of these initiatives show that the federal government is doing business in a new way to more effectively serve the American people and our communities in urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods.

Yesterday the Department of Transportation officially announced nearly $600 million in competitively awarded TIGER II grants. The 75 innovative projects this money makes possible will put people to work today building a 21st century foundation for tomorrow's economic growth.

To mark this important day, I traveled from Atlanta, Georgia, to the bridge between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine, visiting two of the projects these grants support.

Speaking in Atlanta

The 75 winning projects are indispensable--that's why DOT selected them from more than 1,000 applications requesting $19 billion. Some of our awards will help establish urban circulator buses, bicycle lanes, and multimodal transportation stations. Others fund more traditional projects that don’t fit neatly into old formulas--bridge construction and freight movement.

But, each of these TIGER II grant rewards true excellence, effective partnerships, and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

This bridge over the Piscataqua River between New Hampshire and Maine is hardly a fitting tribute to the memory of the veterans who served in World War I.

On a chilly January evening in Birmingham, Michigan, a Buick Skylark with five teenagers was struck head-on by a Ford Galaxy driven by a young man who had been drinking. Three of those teenagers and the driver of the Ford were killed. It was 1965. 

The stunned responses of those who knew the three kids included everything you might expect in 2010. "They had their whole lives in front of them." "A bright future." "Such good kids."

 What you might not expect is the persistence of that cold night's gruesome events more than 40 years later.

Many, many lives were interrupted that night. And their story is compellingly told in the 2009 book Henderson’s Light, by Columbus Dispatch writer Jack Torry.

"It's a wound that just never heals," says Paul Fleming, a friend of the victims. "I have no idea why this happened. There is no reason."

For Torry, there is a very clear reason: an intoxicated 22-year-old climbed behind the wheel of his car.

"The best thing I can tell people," he says, "is this is a totally preventable accident. This should never happen. Don't drink and drive."

Torry was 13 and also living in Birmingham at the time of the crash:

"They towed the two cars up to local gas stations, and you saw them there for the next week. There was a Buick Skylark that looked like it was about half of its size, and there was a Ford Galaxy convertible that looked like a V. Those memories just stuck with me."

Sadly, as the book unfolds, readers realize that those memories stuck even more fiercely to everyone touched by the crash.

Today, as we continue our campaign to end distracted driving and reduce all road fatalities, I can't help but wonder if those who refuse to listen to our safety message understand the scale of the hole a crash rips into a family, a circle of friends, an entire community.

Since that 1965 crash, Jack Torry estimates that half a million more people have been killed in drunk driving crashes. And that means a lieftime of loss for far too many families.

As National Teen Safe Driving Week continues, I urge everyone to get the message. Drunk driving kills. Distracted driving kills. Excessive speed kills. And seat belts save lives.

Please, let's stay safe. There are some lessons best not learned firsthand.

Sunday marked the beginning of National Teen Driver Safety Week, and its arrival reminds us of a sobering fact: traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America.

Too many young people are driving without their seat belts, under the influence, or with cell phones in hand. Consider some numbers:

• 16-to-20-year olds are twice as likely to be killed in a crash involving alcohol, two and a half times more likely to die while driving or riding unbuckled, and three times as likely as the average American to die in a speed-related crash.
• 18% of all teen motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2008 involved distracted driving.
• One in three teens who text say they have done so while driving.
• 70% of 13-to-15-year-olds killed in traffic crashes in 2008 were not using seat belts--the highest percentage of all age groups.
• Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.

These statistics are alarming. And, while overall traffic fatalities have declined in recent years, teenagers are still our most inexperienced drivers--and they're the most likely to engage in risky behaviors behind the wheel.

At the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), we're using a diversified safety approach that supports good laws, strong enforcement, education, and parental involvement to reduce the number of young driver fatalities on our roadways.

The nation’s police and firefighters will continue to be among the best-prepared in the world to deal with hazardous materials incidents thanks to federal grants of over $21 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Last Thursday, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Administrator Cynthia Quarterman announced a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grant of over $300,000 to the State of Maryland.

Baltimore County Fire Chief John Hohman highlights the benefits of USDOT HMEP Grants to the local community while Baltimore County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz (left) and PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman (center) look on.

Quarterman made the announcement during a visit to a Baltimore County fire station in Lutherville, MD, where she joined Baltimore County Fire Chief John Hohman observing county and local firefighters in a hazardous materials response exercise.

“Safety is our top priority,” said Administrator Quarterman. “These funds will help local emergency responders become prepared to expertly handle hazmat emergencies and protect their communities.”

Administrator Quarterman also presented the PHMSA Public Safety Award to the Baltimore County Fire Department in recognition of their outstanding hazardous materials emergency preparedness safety, training, and community planning efforts.

PHMSA Administrator Quarterman (center) presents the PHMSA Public Safety Award to Baltimore County Fire Chief John Hohman. The green and blue hazmat suits protect firefighters during response to hazmat incidents.

The grant to Maryland was awarded under the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Grants Program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s PHMSA.

The HMEP Grants Program is designed to assure that states and local emergency responders are planning and training for emergency response to hazardous materials incidents. The Program also helps a large number of the nation’s approximately 4,000 local emergency planning committees prepare and carry out hazardous materials emergency response plans and conduct studies to better understand the risks of transporting hazardous materials through local communities.

Since 1993, approximately 2.5 million first responders and others have received training assistance with HMEP grants. 

Yesterday, New York Governor David Paterson and I signed a grant agreement providing $83 million in Recovery Act funds from our TIGER program to help bring the dream of a new Moynihan Station to life.

This money will improve passenger access, improve rail operations, improve ventilation, and improve safety. And it provides the final piece of the puzzle for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get phase one of the new station underway.

Signing the agreement with Gov. Paterson. Photo courtesy Governor's office.

Now this is not just any station--when completed, Moynihan Station will be nothing less than the Mid-Atlantic anchor of America's high-speed rail network. So, a station that will be good for New York and New Jersey will also be good for the nation.

After signing the agreement, I was honored to present the ceremonial pen to Elizabeth, widow of the station's namesake, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Then, Governor Paterson and I--joined by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and US Rep. Jerrold Nadler--stepped outside to get construction on the new station started by swinging a few sledgehammers. We went with the sledgehammers instead of the traditional shovels because the new station will actually be a transformation of an existing building, the James A. Farley Post Office.

And, when I say transformation, I mean transformation. Like the original Penn Station, opened 100 years ago, the new station will indeed be a "temple of transportation." And one befitting its namesake, the late Sen. Moynihan.

As Governor Paterson said, "Initiating the first phase of Moynihan station today lays the foundation for what will be a glorious train hall right through the Farley Post Office. That will bring New York back to the grandeur of the old Pennsylvania Station.”

Congressman Nadler observed that, "Pennsylvania Station wasn’t just a magnificent architectural temple, the modern day version of a cathedral; it also marked the beginning of train service into Manhattan, of the major trains across the Hudson.”

Rendering courtesy Moynihan Station Development Corporation

Today, courtesy of our TIGER discretionary grant program, we signed a new lease on life for one of Massachusetts' most important commuter rail lines. And I want to thank everyone who braved the fall chill to attend today's groundbreaking in Fitchburg.

More than a century ago, the Fitchburg Railroad served passengers traveling between central Massachusetts and Boston at the dawn of America's golden age of railroading. But, over time, the route fell into neglect; service was cut back and the infrastructure was allowed to deteriorate.

Not anymore. Today marks a new beginning for the Fitchburg Railroad. We are reinvesting in this line to provide a faster, safer, more reliable ride for the thousands of Massachusetts commuters who would prefer to ride the rails in comfort than ride their brakes in traffic.

 
Breaking ground in Fitchburg

Through TIGER, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, DOT is providing $55 million to help bring this storied rail line into the 21st century. We're helping extend service westward, construct a new passenger station in Fitchburg, and allow freight and passenger trains to share the tracks more efficiently.

And, if you regularly commute by car in northern Massachusetts, you know what US Representative John Olver meant when he said, "This line extension will reduce painful congestion along Route 2. The hardest part of the workday shouldn't be getting to and from work."

Talking about Recovery and Massachusetts with my former House colleague John Olver

When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he said it would make a difference in communities across the country. And, on Friday, when we broke ground on a new air traffic control tower for Oakland International Airport, we delivered on that promise.

Construction of the new tower will employ 650 workers. It will make the airport's taxiways, runways, and skies safer. And it will continue the Port of Oakland's proud progress toward greener, cleaner efficiency.

This new control tower, funded by $33 million in Recovery Act money, is also FAA's single largest project. And it is an investment that makes sense.

First, the new tower will be 50 feet taller than the airport's existing facilities. Greater elevation means better visibility for our controllers, and better visibility translates into safety.

Second, building a taller new tower will allow the airport to consolidate the two existing towers and the crews needed to operate both into a single building. This means better communication and coordination among air traffic controllers.

And these efficiency gains will also benefit customers at the Bay Area's other airports. Between San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, air traffic controllers provide service to tens of millions of passengers flying into and out of the region every year--any step to improve efficiency at one airport has the potential to improve efficiency at all three major airports and the many airports they connect to.

Third, we will work to achieve a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold environmental rating for the new tower and base building:

• The new facility will be green right from the start. The goal for this project is that 30% of the building materials will come from recycled material. I think that’s impressive.
• The completed building will also feature solar panels to provide electrical power.
• We're building an underground, geothermal system that will provide heating and air conditioning for the facility. Because the underground temperature remains constant at around 60 degrees, it will take less energy to heat and cool the building.
• An underground water storage system will capture rain runoff from the building roof and will provide all of the irrigation for the facility's landscaping.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of dedicating the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, part of the Hoover Dam Bypass project. Now, I've visited a lot of projects and attended a lot of ceremonies during the past 20 months, and I can safely say, This bridge is something.

Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez and I were accompanied by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, US Senator Harry Reid, US Representative Dina Titus, many of the bridge's construction workers, and the families of the two American heroes for which the bridge is named.

The new O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge stands 890 feet above the Colorado River

This majestic bridge is the longest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. It rests on the tallest precast concrete columns ever constructed. And it reaffirms a powerful idea: Americans can still build great things not just in spite of enormous economic challenge, but as the means of overcoming it.

As Patrick Tillman, Pat's father, said, "It is an impressive piece of work."

That, of course, is something of an understatement. After all, we're talking about a 1,900-foot bridge whose central arch reaches more than 1,000 feet--a bridge standing nearly 900 feet above the Colorado River and composed of 16 million pounds of steel, 30,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 2 million feet of cable.

But, beyond the materials, I am overwhelmed by the human achievement the bridge embodies--engineers, crane operators, and concrete workers. Like the Hoover Dam, 1,500 feet upriver from the new bridge, this marvel is a monument to America's can-do spirit.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year's theme is "Talent Has No Boundaries: Workforce Diversity Includes People with Disabilities."  It's an opportunity for all of us to appreciate the contributions people with disabilities have made in the workplace.

I'm proud of the diverse group of employees we've brought together here at DOT.  One of them is Barry Hyde--a man whose story exemplifies how much we benefit from having people with disabilities in the workforce.

Twelve years ago, Barry dreamed of becoming a pilot for a major airline.  And he was well on his way, logging more than 1,600 hours in the air as a flight instructor in North Carolina.

Then, on June 1, 1998, he boarded a 1965 Piper Twin Comanche with a pilot who wanted to practice his instrument skills.  A half hour after takeoff, the plane's engines stalled and the aircraft crashed into a patch of trees near Roanoke, Virginia. 

At the hospital, Barry was pronounced dead on arrival, but a dedicated team of medical professionals continued working and saved his life.  The accident's effects, however, were devastating.  He was blinded in the crash and left without the ability to taste or smell. 

Eventually, he was able to piece together a new life from the wreckage of that day.  And while his career in the air may have been over, his career in aviation wasn't. 

Barry Hyde and his guide dog, Jet, at FAA Headquarters.

Through hard work and dedication, he became the first blind student to earn a master's degree in aviation science and aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  He also became the first blind advanced ground and instrument instructor certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.  Barry now works as an aviation safety analyst at the FAA and is a member of the FAA Safety Team (FAAST).

"I did not think I would be working here," he says.  "This is a dream I never thought of achieving."

"We're pretty grateful for the Recovery Act. Most people are having hard trouble with the economy right now and it's helping a bunch of us out with a 40 hour week job and a steady paycheck."

That's Nashville carpenter Josh Littleton, telling his story in our latest Voices of the Recovery Act video. You can hear Josh's story and many others on our YouTube channel. And you can see all of these stories represented by orange cones near their locations on our new Voices of the Recovery Map.

Josh Littleton directs a 60,000 pound bridge beam into place on a pier above Robertson Road in west Nashville

Upgrading the I-40 -- Briley Parkway -- White Bridge Rd. interchange in Nashville is the second largest Recovery Act project in Tennessee. When finished, the new interchange will reduce congestion and improve the commute of thousands of people each day.

But right now, the project, supported by $32 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is already improving the lives of workers like Josh Littleton, a carpenter on the interchange.

As Josh says, "I was just working very minimal hours, and I got called to come back out. I needed a job, so it helped me out a whole lot.”

That story has been repeated across America as 11,907 highway projects worth $24.1 billion are currently underway employing thousands of others like Josh, happy to be back at work. And those roadway projects are just part of the $48.1 billion DOT has made available for highway, road, transit, bridge and airport construction and repairs nationwide.

The Recovery Act is keeping workers on the job today building infrastructure for tomorrow. Visit our online map to see and hear workers near you telling their stories. And if you have a story about how the Recovery Act has kept you on the job, please upload it to YouTube and email us a link at recoveryvids@dot.gov.

On our new web map, each orange cone represents a video by an American worker; click to hear their stories

I want to thank Mayor Tammy de Weerd and the City Council of Meridian, Idaho, for passing "Kassy's Law," a local measure banning texting while driving.

The new law honors the memory of Kassandra Kerfoot, an 18-year-old who died December 29, 2009, from injuries sustained in a crash. Kassy had been texting just before losing control of her car and drifting into oncoming rush-hour traffic.

Kassandra Kerfoot (April 21, 1991 - December 29, 2009) and the remains of her vehicle

Since then Kassy's mother, Liz Catherman, has been an outspoken advocate in the campaign against distracted driving.

From producing a poster to hang in Meridian High, where Kassy graduated in June 2009, to testifying in the Idaho legislature in support of a statewide texting ban, to telling her story at our recent Distracted Driving Summit, Liz has been tireless in her efforts to make our roads safer.

"This is real. I want others to know this can happen to anybody," Catherman said at our summit.

Last night, she thanked the city leaders of Meridian for their support of the new ban:

"Hopefully it will make teens stop and think twice--you know, this was my friend--and hopefully they show respect for Kassy and just hang up and focus on what they're supposed to be doing in their cars--driving."

 

The tarmac delay rule the Department of Transportation put into action on April 29 appears to be making the difference we intended to protect airline passengers. And I'm pleased to see that there have been few unintended consequences.

In August 2009, passengers in the US endured 66 different tarmac delays of more than three hours. This year? That number was down to just one, a decrease of more than 98%.

And, during the four months of May through August this year, passengers were stuck in extended tarmac delays only eight times, down from 529 during the same period in 2009, also a drop of more than 98%.

I call that a dramatic improvement.

US aviation consumers are getting off the tarmac and into the air

These numbers show that our recent tarmac delay rule is working--and passengers are being given options in the event of unanticipated delays. With the busy summer travel season behind us, it seems the rule is working as planned.

But these numbers demonstrate something else worth highlighting: our nation's airlines are doing their part.

This morning the Department of Transportation took a step toward protecting the lives of our dedicated professionals with a pedestrian safety demonstration.

Two months ago, I blogged about a pair of crashes involving pedestrians near DOT headquarters. Soon after, the DC Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Police Department introduced "No turn on red" restrictions and added crossing safety officers at the area's busiest intersections.

USDOT employees watch DDOT StreetSmart demonstration

And today's StreetSmart demonstration, again in partnership with the terrific folks at DDOT and the MPD, brings us even closer to the kind of safety we need to achieve near DOT headquarters--and in communities across America.

As DDOT director Gabe Klein said this morning, the burden is on everyone--drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians--to be more careful out there.

But the fact remains that pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of our roadways, with bicyclists not far behind. And when you are driving, you are the sole pilot of a 4,000-pound projectile; you must slow down, pay attention, and proceed with caution.

That means, first and foremost, respecting the law. It means turning carefully, no speeding, and no distracted driving.

The yellow demo car approaches the child/dummy (circled) at 25 mph, braking in time

In a dramatic demonstration this morning, we saw firsthand the cost of ignoring the speed limit. A vehicle traveling at the 25 mile per hour local speed limit was able to brake in time to avoid a young boy--in our case, a safety dummy--crossing the intersection.

At 35 miles per hour, the same vehicle could not stop in time and struck the child with a thud that instantly silenced those of us watching the demonstration. It really took very little imagination to understand that in real life the dull thud of car against dummy would have taken a life and destroyed many others.

At an unsafe speed, 35 mph, the braking distance the car requires cannot spare this child's life

I was proud to stand beside President Obama yesterday as he urged Congress to take up his $50 billion infrastructure initiative.

The President outlined America's two great challenges--upgrading our infrastructure and putting Americans back to work--and reminded the nation that his proposed investment in roadways, railways, and runways responds to both of those challenges.

"What we need," he said, "is a smart system of infrastructure equal to the needs of the 21st century."

The President’s speech followed our meeting with a bipartisan group of mayors and governors from across the country. We talked about the current state of our transportation infrastructure, the challenges we face to improving the infrastructure in America's cities and states, and the short--and long--term economic impact of new infrastructure investment. 

We were also joined by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and former Transportation Secretaries Sam Skinner, Norman Mineta and Rodney Slater. Around the table, the key message we heard was that our nation’s infrastructure is vital to our economy and our future competitiveness.

That is precisely why the President has laid out a bold new plan for rebuilding and modernizing America's transportation infrastructure that will bring jobs to our economy now and increase our nation's growth and productivity in the years and decades ahead.

And if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you will know that I agree with him 100% on the urgency of this push. And you also know that the transportation projects supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have begun addressing these needs.

As President Obama said yesterday, "Tens of thousands of projects employing hundreds of thousands of workers are already underway across America."

On our new web app, each orange cone represents a video by an American worker; click to hear their stories

Americans know the Recovery Act has been working because they see their friends and neighbors working on roads and bridges and transit systems. They see the orange cones. They hear the stories of workers who have good jobs on long-needed projects.

They have seen their tax dollars at work helping to turn the economy around and put the country back to work.

Cross-posted from K-TOC

This weekend, the US Department of Transportation, state agencies, and safety advocates across the country will mark an auspicious day. Sunday, October 10, 2010 (yes, it's 10-10-10) is the 10th anniversary of "Put the Brakes on Fatalities" Day.

This is a day when we focus public awareness on driver behavior, vehicle safety, and roadway improvement in an effort to reduce traffic deaths across America. And these efforts are working.

As we announced last month at DOT, traffic fatalities in 2009 were down considerably from the previous year--even though the number of miles driven went up during the same period. In fact, last year saw the lowest number of traffic fatalities since 1950.

The numbers from the first six months of 2010 are even more encouraging. Road fatalities from January to June of this year are down another 9.2% compared to the same period last year. And we've now been able to sustain 17 straight quarters of year-to-year declines.

Now, America's roads may be safer today than they’ve ever been, but that is little consolation to those who have lost parents, children, brothers, and sisters to traffic crashes. If you know one of the nearly 34,000 people killed on our roadways in 2009--if you lost a loved one--then you know that number is still too high.

So Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day is an opportunity for the safety community to highlight important initiatives like Work Zones Need Our Undivided Attention; Click it, Or Ticket; Under the Limit, Over Arrest; and Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other. And it’s a chance for us to remind people that everyone has a personal responsibility to make safe decisions when you get behind the wheel.

It's a chance to take this safety fight to the next level. And that's exactly what's on my mind 365 days a year.

This morning, I was joined by DOT employees and representatives from dozens of non-profit organizations to kick off the 2010 Combined Federal Campaign for the National Capital Area.  It was a great turnout for what I know will be another year of high participation in and generous contributions to our annual federal employee giving program.

Since President Kennedy first established the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) in 1961, it has grown into the largest workplace charity program in the United States.  Each year, the CFC supports thousands of organizations that deliver crucial services to disadvantaged people in our neighborhoods and around the world.  And it has raised more than $6 billion through the generosity of public servants across the country. 

 
Secretary LaHood speaks at the 2010 CFC Kick-off Rally at DOT HQ.

Last year, DOT's goal was to raise $1.43 million.  And I'm proud to say we exceeded that--by almost $300,000--because more than one in three of our employees contributed.  This year, we've set a higher target: $1.5 million.  The goal is bigger because the need is greater.  And I have 100% confidence that we'll meet it.

From now through December 15, federal employees will have the opportunity to participate in this important effort--and to encourage their colleagues to do the same.  Yesterday afternoon, I did my part by pledging a contribution to Everybody Wins! DC, a local reading and mentoring program I've been involved with for nearly 20 years.  It was an easy process--even for a grandfather of nine like me. 

And I'm encouraging all DOT employees to do the same, by finding an organization they believe in and giving what they can. It's as simple as logging in to Employee Express and clicking on Combined Federal Campaign.

In the field of motor vehicle safety research, the International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles has been and continues to be one of the world's premier events. And in June 2011, the 22nd ESV Conference comes to the US, hosted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

As part of that conference NHTSA is excited to announce the 4th Student Safety Technology Design Competition. For this exciting contest, teams of 2-5 undergraduates and a faculty advisor are challenged to develop models or mockups of new vehicle safety systems. The deadline for abstracts is October 29.

When it comes to developing safer cars, we want to hear creative, forward-thinking ideas from America's talented college students.

So the goal of this competition is to bring young professionals with innovative ideas into the growing field of automotive safety. NHTSA designed the competition to promote multi-disciplinary teamwork; enhance students' awareness of automotive safety; and embrace engineering, human factors, and biomechanics.

Teams whose abstracts are accepted can receive $2,000 to support the development of their model (pending availability of funding by the sponsor country). The top three teams will then gain international recognition by presenting their work at the ESV Conference, in the Washington, DC, area next June.

For student presenters, this is a very big deal. Attendees at the ESV Conference will include government safety agencies, the automotive industry, motor vehicle research engineers and scientists, medical professionals, insurance companies, consumer advocates, and media--from around the globe.

And when good vehicle safety ideas are introduced, we all win.

Today, I had the good fortune of joining students from East Silver Spring Elementary School in Maryland as they walked and biked to school in celebration of International Walk to School Day. I want to thank Principal Morrow and the entire ESS community for welcoming me so enthusiastically.

With Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett (left), Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown (right) and young Benjamin Simpson, who jumped into my arms quite unexpectedly

Walk to School Day is a great opportunity for me to spend time with parents, kids, and teachers and to showcase our Safe Routes to School program and First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative.

These two students at Takoma Park, MD, Piney Branch Elementary School are excited about Walk To School Day

As a father, grandfather and former schoolteacher, I know how important it is that we provide students with safe options for getting to school while promoting exercise and healthy lifestyles. That's why I've embraced the Safe Routes to School program so wholeheartedly since becoming Secretary of Transportation.

Simply, Safe Routes works to ensure that children have a safe way to walk or bike to school. And that dovetails perfectly with the First Lady's goals of increasing physical activity among kids and reversing childhood obesity.

I'm really pleased today to present a web experience honoring the men and women who are doing the heavy lifting to renew America's transportation infrastructure. With our interactive map, viewers can see all of the "Voices of the Recovery Act" videos from our YouTube channel on a single screen.

Each of these videos features a worker whose job was saved or created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In their own words, they talk about their Recovery Act projects and how they've built or repaired infrastructure, and how their projects jump-started economic activity in their communities.

On our new web app, each orange cone represents a video by an American worker; click to hear their stories

From John Tracey in Maine to Alison Barber in Colorado to Bill Montgomery in California, tens of thousands of workers have put Recovery Act dollars to good use on more than 14,600 highway, road, transit, bridge, airport, and small shipyard projects nationwide.

Thanks to the Recovery Act, these good people, who would have been unemployed otherwise, are at work today on more than 13,900 needed projects currently underway. And in our video series you can hear them share what that has meant to them in tough economic times for the construction industry.

As Vice President Joe Biden said, "'Voices of the Recovery Act' is one more way in which the American people will be able to see their tax dollars at work helping to turn the economy around and put the country back to work.”

I encourage you to visit our online map, click on an orange cone, and listen as these workers tell their stories.

And, if you have a story to tell about how a Recovery Act transportation project has helped you find or keep a job, upload your video to YouTube and email us a link at recoveryvids@dot.gov.

You could be our next orange cone!

For over three decades, consumers have relied on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 5-Star Safety Ratings System to help them choose the safest vehicle.  And since this system was put in place, cars have continued getting safer in order to measure up--a fact reflected in America's declining highway fatalities and injuries.

But even with these successes, our pursuit of safety is never finished.  Today, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland and I unveiled a new 5-Star Safety Ratings System that will use more rigorous tests, better crash data, and higher standards to make safety ratings tougher and more meaningful for consumers.

We're raising the bar on safety.  And our message is simple: more stars mean safer cars. 

 
Secretary LaHood and NHTSA Administrator Strickland unveil the new 5-Star Safety Ratings System in Washington, DC.

The 5-Star Safety Ratings System evaluates the safety of cars using a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 1 star being the lowest and 5 stars the highest.  The new system will measure vehicle safety in three broad areas: frontal crash, side crash, and rollover resistance.  The results of these tests will be combined and compared to the results from other vehicles.  This will generate an Overall Vehicle Score--a simple, clear safety rating consumers can use when purchasing a car.

With his vigorous support for high-speed rail, President Obama is thinking about a better future. And so is the Department of Transportation. We're moving America forward for all Americans.

The bottom line is that high-speed rail will deliver a more efficient downtown-to-downtown mobility; it will spur economic development; it will bring manufacturing jobs to the US; and it will move us to a cleaner, greener way of getting around.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be rolling out even more grants to help write the next chapter in American innovation.

We're talking about nothing short of transforming transportation much the same way the interstate highway system did under President Eisenhower. Can you imagine if Ohio or Wisconsin or any other state had said, "No, thanks--we don't think that highway thing is going anywhere?"

The fact is that--as with much of the Recovery Act--I keep hearing objections being expressed in the media while at the same time my office phone is ringing off the hook with calls from elected officials of both parties competing feverishly for a rail corridor in their state! I've never heard from anyone saying, "Don't put my constituents to work."

Look, the people vowing to send this train back to the station are missing the boat, so to speak. High speed rail will offer states' incredible economic opportunities. It means jobs for workers, it means manufacturing opportunities and it means economic development corridors.

The millions of people who depend on transit each day to get to work, to school, to the doctor, or to the grocery store expect a safe and comfortable ride. And the Federal Transit Administration's new "State of Good Repair" discretionary grant program is helping those riders by making sure America's transit systems are in the best working condition possible.

Yesterday, the FTA awarded a combined $776 million to rural and urban transit providers in 45 different states and the District of Columbia. Each of the 152 projects those dollars make possible will help bring buses, bus facilities, and related equipment into the state of good repair transit riders across America deserve.

For example, in Arizona the City of Phoenix will replace buses that have aged beyond their useful lives with diesel-electric hybrid buses that will provide safer, more reliable rides while reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

And in Colorado, the Regional Transportation District will upgrade and renovate the Boulder Maintenance Facility and the Platte Facility, both built in the 1970s. The two locations are in need of major repair as most of the original equipment is beyond its useful life expectancy and in need of upgrades to meet current code.

Whether it's replacing aging buses with fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, constructing new bus shelters and maintenance facilities, or installing updated fare boxes and fleet tracking systems, we are helping transit agencies deliver safer and more reliable service, operate more efficiently, and lower fuel costs.

And we're doing it for good reason. Because the FTA estimates that 40% of the nation's buses are in marginal to poor condition. In fact, a report we released in June, The National State of Good Repair Assessment Study, projected that the cost of bringing US rail and bus transit systems into a state of good repair is close to $78 billion.

Yesterday's grants are a welcome start. And from Alaska to Alabama, the rural and urban transit providers whose projects were awarded money are glad to have those funds.

So are the transit-dependent customers they serve.

Cross-posted from aolnews.com

As the grandfather of nine, I take safety personally. Every time my grandkids get in a car, bus, train or plane, I need to know that they are safe.

At the US Department of Transportation, our fundamental mission is to help Americans move safely from one place to another. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. So our solemn obligation--the responsibility with which the American people have entrusted us--is to help prevent those accidents. As long as President Barack Obama and I are on the job, we won't take that trust lightly. When it comes to safety, we will not take a back seat to anyone.

Many Americans are familiar with our crusade against distracted driving, our fight to give airline passengers the rights and respect they deserve, and our push to hold automakers accountable for safety defects in their vehicles.

But consider a few other initiatives under way.

In conjunction with its annual meeting, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has just released a report called “The U.S. Transportation Construction Industry Profile.” I think it's a real eye-opener.

This new report shows that the annual value of transportation construction in the US will surpass $120 billion this year. This ranks higher than industry sectors such as farming ($97.5 billion) and coal mining ($29.8 billion).

More importantly, the report says money invested this year in transportation construction will generate more than $380 billion in economic activity. That is nearly 3% of America's gross domestic product (GDP), and it's actually more than the GDP of 160 nations, including Saudi Arabia ($370 billion) and Kuwait ($111 billion).
 

You know, when I talk about renewing America's transportation infrastructure through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, I focus on jobs because that is a real priority for our nation. And by the end of this year the Recovery Act will have saved or created 3.5 million jobs.

But I also talk a lot about the indirect economic activity generated by transportation construction. And when $120 billion in direct activity from an industry stimulates more than $380 billion in spending, that is what I call a real ripple effect.

The states of the Northeast rail corridor are a diverse group. They have different economic strengths and different populations. But their representatives in the newly formed Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission are working together for one simple reason: they want high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

Earlier this week, the unprecedented regional partnership met for the first time, and I know the commission will help us write the next chapter in the emerging story of American high-speed rail.

Everyone familiar with the Northeast rail corridor knows the rail line is already woven into the social and economic fabric of the region. Commission members also recognize the crucial need for expansion and improvement to accommodate their growing populations, the region's congested roadways, and the demand for sustainable transportation options. And they understand the value high-speed rail promises.

On Tuesday, Amtrak unveiled its new vision for the Northeast Corridor: Washington to Boston in 3 hours.

It's a bold goal, and we have some work to do before we achieve it. But, it was a similar resolve that led to the creation of the interstate highway system--a system that forever changed the way America travels.