Message from the Managing Director

Progress is often just seen as an expected part of our jobs and is engrained into all of us in the operations community-- especially so for engineers. We are often challenged to continually improve upon the processes and systems we have in place for the simple notion that we must always be striving to advance the community which we are a part of. To highlight the value of the knowledge and experience these incremental changes can have, the NOCoE is interested and encouraging our community to provide examples of incremental improvements that have proved to be of great value to your agency’s operations.

So whether or not the practice that you improved is a “best practice” or not, if it made a positive impact that you think is worth sharing with other peers to know about and perhaps adapt, then please contact us at NOCoE and we can have you guest contribute to a newsletter issue highlighting what you did that is helping improve operations in your area.

Request for Proposal for NOCoE Program Coordinator from AASHTO
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) invites bidders to submit proposals to this Request for Proposals for the requested National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) Program Coordinator. Questions of a technical or contractual nature about the contents of this RFP are due no later than COB October 18, 2016, to the attention of Mr. Strat Cavros, AASHTO Manager of Acquisitions, Contracts & Business Development (Contracts Manager), at scavros@aashto.org.

AASHTO will strive to answer questions and send those answers by e-mails to prospective bidders as an Amendment to the RFP by October 21, 2016. Proposals must be sent to Mr. Cavros no later than 4:00 PM EDT October 31, 2016. It is expected that AASHTO will make an award to the successful bidder no later than November 30, 2016.

Webinar to be Rescheduled: Connected/Automated/Autonomous Vehicles & Metropolitan Planning Organizations – What Do You Need to Consider?

The "Connected/Automated/Autonomous Vehicles & Metropolitan Planning Organizations – What Do You Need to Consider?" webinar scheduled for October 19th, 12:00-1:30 EDT has been cancelled and will have a new time and date soon. An announcement will be distributed with the new information. Thank you to everyone who registered.

USDOT, Safety Council Unveil 'Road to Zero Coalition' to End Roadway Deaths
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration partnered with the National Safety Council to launch what they call the "Road to Zero Coalition" that aims to end roadway fatalities within the next 30 years.

The USDOT said it has committed $1 million a year for the next three years in grants to organizations working on lifesaving programs.

The announcement said the coalition will initially focus on promoting proven lifesaving strategies such as improving seatbelt use, installing rumble strips, improving truck safety, campaigns to change behavior and data-driven enforcement of traffic safety laws. To read more, please click here. 

USDOT Announces $5 Million for Emergency Repairs to Infrastructure Damaged by Hurricane Matthew

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced the immediate availability of $5 million in Emergency Relief funds from the Federal Highway Administration to help begin road and bridge repairs damaged by Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina.

“Hurricane Matthew caused significant damage to the state’s roadways and bridges and we will take extraordinary measures to help North Carolina restore its roads and bridges,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These emergency funds are just a down payment on the Department’s commitment to reconnect people with vital services they need to begin the process of putting their lives back together.”

North Carolina experienced heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Matthew beginning on October 8. The damage from the storm continues as water still rises in areas in the eastern part of the State. To read more, please click here.