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Transportation FridayAn electronic newsletter concerning regional transportation issues
Friday, August 2, 2013 Volume 7, Number 5 In This Issue
· MOBILE MPOUPDATES
· PROJECTS LET JULY26th , 2013
· LEGISLATIVEUPDATES
· FUNDINGOPPORTUNITIES
· JUST FOR FUN
· IN THE NEWS
· TRANSPORTATIONRESEARCH
Recently Completed PlanningStudies Origin Destination Study UsingCell Phones Mobile CountyComprehensive Bicycle andPedestrian Plan Intelligent Transportation SystemDiversion Route Planning Study Click Here to see when andwhere federal and state projectswill be happeningin your area. Contact Us http://www.mobilempo.org [email protected] Kevin Harrison, PTPDirector of [email protected] Tom PiperSenior Transportation [email protected] Monica WilliamsonTransportation [email protected] Anthony JohnsonTransportation Planner
It’s the Sales Tax Holiday this weekend, so use our transportation network safely, and go shopping. There are somenon- transportation related “energy” funding announced; please see Funding Opportunities
There is a MPO meeting for the Mobile MPO scheduled on September 4th, a TCC/CAC meeting scheduled for August
14th and a BPAC meeting on August 15th. 5310 applications for STATE 5310 are due to us TODAY; please see MobileMPO Updates. Also, in case you missed it, below are this round of ATRIP funding awards:
· Mobile County, $22.1 million this round, $50.22 million overall· Baldwin County, $12.9 million this round, $34.25 million overall· Escambia County, $5 million this round, $11.92 million overall
We would like to thank Ms. Erika Young with the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) for all of her hardwork and dedication that he has provided to us and the entire State of Alabama of the years. Erika is taking anotherjob and moving up the ladder. She has been a valuable resource to us and we wish her the best; thanks for alwaysbeing there for us.
Have a great weekend! Anthony Johnson, Monica Williamson, Tom Piper, and Kevin Harrison
www.mobilempo.org 706-1CAR
Mobile MPO Updates
ATRIP AWARDSIn the third round, Mobile County’s ATRIP projects include the following:
· Intersection improvement at Bayou La Batre Highway and Half Mile Road in Irvington· Resurface and add turn lanes to West Lee Street, from Grand Boulevard to Kansas Street in Chickasaw· Interchange improvements at Celeste Road and Interstate 65 in Saraland· Bridge repair and resurface Baker Road from the city limit to Scanlan Way in Satsuma· Resurface Juniper Avenue from Alabama 43 to Aaron Drive in Satsuma· Repair to bridge and approaches over Carls Creek on Padgett Switch Road in Irvington· Repair to bridge and approaches over Big Creek on Wilmer-Georgetown Road in Wilmer· Resurface Dawes Road from County Road 11 to County Road 32· Resurface Tanner Williams Road from County Road 5 to Eliza Jordan Road in west Mobile· Reconstruction of Lott Road from Brown-Blankinchip Road to Beverly Jefferies Highway in Citronelle· Reconstruction and widening on Broad Street from 15th Street to I-10 in Mobile
TAP FUNDSLast week the TAP Selection Committee met after a couple weeks of prioritizing the projects submitted for fundingwith Mobile Urban Area Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Funding . We received 6 applications worth$1,407,249 of projects. The total dollar amount the Mobile MPO has been apportioned is $513,441 of federal dollars,which is $641,801 of programmable funds. The project ranking process is a quantitative, transparent process [HERE]. The following projects have been awarded for funding by the Project Selection Committee:
· City of Mobile, sidewalks on Old Shell Rd from Ridge Lawn Drive West to McGregor Avenue: $154,899· City of Saraland, bicycle, sidewalk and access management on US 43 between Everett Street and Celeste
Road: $186,650· City of Saraland, sidewalk to Adams Middle School, Dixon Park, and Bayou Sara Park: $191,750
The Alabama Department of Transportation received 78 applications including applications from: Baldwin County,
From: transportationTo: [email protected]: Transportation Friday, August 2Date: Friday, August 02, 2013 11:58:34 AMAttachments: image001.png
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http://www.sarpc.org/http://www.mobilempo.org/Publications/Technical%20Report%20SARPC%20Model%20Calibration%20with%20AirSage%20Data%20(FINAL%20w%20Appendix).pdfhttp://www.mobilempo.org/Publications/Technical%20Report%20SARPC%20Model%20Calibration%20with%20AirSage%20Data%20(FINAL%20w%20Appendix).pdfhttp://www.mobilempo.org/bikepedplanning.htmlhttp://www.mobilempo.org/bikepedplanning.htmlhttp://www.mobilempo.org/bikepedplanning.htmlhttp://www.mobilempo.org/DetourITSstudy.htmlhttp://www.mobilempo.org/DetourITSstudy.htmlhttp://alletting.dot.state.al.us/FutureLetting/FY2012_half1_planned_projects.pdfhttp://www.mobilempo.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.mobilecountyal.gov/pdf/news/stholidayquickrefsheet13.pdfhttp://t4america.org/blog/http://www.mobilempo.org/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mobile-Metropolitan-Planning-Organization/154573304725261http://mobilempo.org/Transportation%20Alternatives/TAP%20RANKING%20PROCESS.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
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[email protected] South Alabama RegionalPlanning Commission110 Beauregard StMobile, Alabama 36602(251) 433-6541
Bay Minette, Brewton, Chickasaw, Daphne, Fairhope, Flomaton, Foley, Gulf Shores, Magnolia Springs, Mobile County,Orange Beach, Saraland, and Spanish Fort. The awards announcement will be later this year from ALDOT for thosefunds.
MPO Meeting, TCC/CAC Meeting and BPAC meeting scheduled.There will be an MPO meeting held on September 4th, 2013 at 10:00 AM in the SARPC Board Room . Also, there willbe a TCC/CAC meeting on August 14th, 2013 at 10:00 AM in the Training Room. Our STP Attributable funds aregrossly out of balance again [HERE] due to cost overruns from a previous FY. What was a carryover of $20,841,373 isnow a carryover $15,666,368. We need to get a handle on this because this is going to push needed projects backfurther and further; this past spring we had a $12 Million cost overrun. Smaller MPOs in the State have a policy thatsponsors pay the cost over runs on all STP Attributable projects. This is something the TCC/CAC may consider. Notices will go out next week pertaining to meetings and agendas. The BPAC will meet August 15th at noon (bring alunch)
PPP and TDP in the UPWPStaff has finalized the new Public Participation Plan (PPP) and is currently out for public review for 45 days at 43various locations around the county. Also, the FY 2014 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is out for publicreview as well. The UPWP includes a Transit Development Plan. This will be a third party contract to develop a 10year plan for not just the Wave Transit, but all transit within the MPO study area. Airbus coming to Mobile hascreated a business-friendly climate [HERE], and now that you can take the Wave to Megabus, let’s get an innovativeplan in place to quickly and efficiently tie all passenger modes together, within the MPO study area. If you have anycomments or suggestions concerning the UPWP or the PPP, please let us know.
GOOGLE ITMPO staff is currently putting all federally funding transportation projects into Google Maps. This will be a great toolfor the public to be informed as to where the federal dollars are being spent in Mobile. [HERE] Currently we just havethe STP Attributable pot of money, but eventually will have all federal funding sources available.
South West RegionFor those of you unaware, starting July 1st, the 9th Division of ALDOT is to be called the South West Region forALDOT’s pilot reorganization program. The South West Region covers Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia,Mobile, Marengo, Monroe, Washington, Wilcox. Vince Calametti said “We are not losing a division, we are gaining a region. We will be able to make more decisions atlocal level, and be able to provide better service”.
Public Awareness Campaign Bicycle/Pedestrian SafetyAs part of a public awareness campaign that we discussed at the last BPAC meeting, we have assisted Team Sharethe Road in developing the attached bicycle safety brochure. We will be printing these out next week and we willhave them available for anyone that would like to have some to hand out. We would like to also develop a brochuregeared toward drivers and their interaction with cyclists and pedestrians. If anyone has any ideas for this, please letus know.Click HERE to view the brochure.
Projects Within Region Let July 26, 2013
There are no projects within the region to be let this month.
Legislative Updates
Breakdown in House Transportation Appropriations: This week, the U.S. House of Representatives brought to theHouse floor the FY14 Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriationslegislation to debate and pass their version of the bill. However, Republicans removed the bill from considerationafter they determined that they would not have enough votes to pass the legislation out of the House. HouseAppropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY-05) expressed his extreme disappointment and used the opportunity to callfor a reversal of the recent federal budget sequestration.
Senate Vote on Moving Forward with THUD Appropriations Bill Today: In the upper chamber, Senators will vote
mailto:[email protected]://www.mobilempo.org/Newsletter_Links/1-2-3%20-%2012_16_STBMB_7_8_13%20(2).pdfhttp://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/06/business-friendly_climate_airb.html#/0https://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://www.mobilempo.org/TIP/Mobile_TIP_Projects13.kmz&hl=en&sll=32.576226,-86.680736&sspn=6.413536,14.27124&t=h&z=11https://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://www.mobilempo.org/TIP/Mobile_TIP_Projects13.kmz&hl=en&sll=32.576226,-86.680736&sspn=6.413536,14.27124&t=h&z=11http://www.mobilempo.org/Bicycle%20Pedestrian%20Comprehensive%20Plan/Mobile%20Brochure%20final.pdfhttp://narc.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6f332e973fea19c6d59ade453&id=e7a3bb955c&e=1a6d6ffe01http://narc.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6f332e973fea19c6d59ade453&id=b267e20898&e=1a6d6ffe01
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today to move forward with their version of the THUD Appropriations bill (S 1243). Through a process known as“invoking cloture”, Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) will attempt to gain the votes of 3/5 of the full Senate andlimit the amount of debate allowed on this bill. While possible, many estimate that he will need six Republicans tovote with the Senate Democrats.
D.C. Delegate Holmes Norton Top D on House T&I H&T Subcommittee: The Democratic members of the HouseTransportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I) elected D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton to replace Rep.DeFazio (D-OR-04) as the Ranking Member on the Highways & Transit (H&T) Subcommittee. Rep. Carson (D-IN-07)will take Norton's spot on the economic development panel.
Senate Considers FY14 Transportation Funding: This week, the U.S. Senate has been considering the FY14Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies appropriations legislation that will fundtransportation, housing and urban development programs for the upcoming fiscal year. NARC recently posted on thedifference between the House and Senate THUD appropriations bills, which includes the differences on funding theTIGER program, as well as Amtrak and the New Starts program. Senators are expected to continue working throughamendments to the bill, which Democrats are hoping to finish this week.
Funding Opportunities
Funding opportunities from the ADECA Energy Division are listed below. All proposals are due by Friday, August 30,2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eligibility should be verified before submitting a proposal. 1. State Energy Program - Energy Codes TrainingSoliciting proposals from qualified applicants to provide training on the statewide commercial and residential energycodes. 2. State Energy Program - State Buildings Maintenance Training Program Soliciting proposals from qualified applicants to establish a state buildings maintenance training program. 3. State Energy Program - Energy Efficient Retrofits of K-12 Schools Addendum A for Energy Efficient Retrofits ofK-12 SchoolsSoliciting proposals from public school systems in Alabama for the purchase and installation of energy-efficientimprovements in K-12 schools located within their jurisdiction. 4. State Energy Program - Energy Efficient Retrofits of Wastewater Treatment Facilities Addendum A for EnergyEfficient Retrofits of Wastewater Treatment FacilitiesSoliciting proposals from wastewater treatment facilities for the purchase and installation of energy-efficientimprovements to wastewater systems.
Just For Fun
With FY 2014 approaching, the Mobile MPO is intending to do a Transit Development Plan. Imagine thepossibilities…
In the News
The Document you all have been waiting for is out in draft form.. it’s the 2013 Alabama Rail Directory The Alabama Rail Directory, a complementary document to the Alabama Rail Plan, serves to concisely highlightpertinent features of all the freight railroads currently operating in the state. Details provided for each railroad inthe Directory generally include, but are not limited to: miles of track, stations served, connecting railroads, major
http://media.vw.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=6B37E8A62168BFDD337FF49A421EAEF4?&id=1382&allImage=1&teaser=volkswagen-debuts-ibeetle-shanghai-auto-show&mid=http://narc.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6f332e973fea19c6d59ade453&id=d40fc454bc&e=1a6d6ffe01http://narc.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6f332e973fea19c6d59ade453&id=a2da15cec2&e=1a6d6ffe01http://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20Energy%20Codes%20Training%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20Energy%20Codes%20Training%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20State%20Buildings%20Maintenance%20Training%20Program%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20State%20Buildings%20Maintenance%20Training%20Program%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20K12%20School%20Retrofits%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20K12%20School%20Retrofits%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/Addendum%20A%20School%20Energy%20Improvement%20Application.dochttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/Addendum%20A%20School%20Energy%20Improvement%20Application.dochttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/Addendum%20A%20School%20Energy%20Improvement%20Application.dochttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20Wastewater%20Treatment%20Facility%20Retrofits%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/SEP%20Wastewater%20Treatment%20Facility%20Retrofits%20RFP.pdfhttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/Addendum%20A%20Wastewater%20System%20Energy%20Improvement%20Application.dochttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/Addendum%20A%20Wastewater%20System%20Energy%20Improvement%20Application.dochttp://www.adeca.alabama.gov/about/Documents/FundingOps/Addendum%20A%20Wastewater%20System%20Energy%20Improvement%20Application.dochttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75F3CSZcCFshttp://media.vw.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=6B37E8A62168BFDD337FF49A421EAEF4?&id=1382&allImage=1&teaser=volkswagen-debuts-ibeetle-shanghai-auto-show&mid=http://media.vw.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=6B37E8A62168BFDD337FF49A421EAEF4?&id=1382&allImage=1&teaser=volkswagen-debuts-ibeetle-shanghai-auto-show&mid=http://www.dot.state.al.us/moweb/Rail/StateRailDirectoryDraft.pdf
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commodities and principal businesses served, annual volumes, and contact information. The previous AlabamaRail Plan and Alabama Rail Directory were completed in December 2008. An earlier Rail Plan was published in2001.
Leroy Stevens Roadwork Picks up PaceMobile County will be setting up its crane to start the heavy work of building the bridge at Leroy Stevens Road,between Country and Nugget drives, where the failure of a culvert pipe forced the road’s closure in March. Whilethe county has fast-tracked the project because of the roadway’s heavy use, its timetable is subject to the abilityof local utilities to move lines along the road before the construction can get fully underway. Gas lines weremoved recently, allowing slope work to progress over the last couple weeks. Alabama Power will be moving itslines this week, allowing the county to proceed with the installation of bridge components on Monday. “Afterour public meeting I understand the urgency of our situation,” said District 3 County Commissioner Jerry Carl. “Iappreciate our Engineering Department’s response to speed the project up.”
Mobile City Council Approves $4.4 Million for Capital ProjectsA new skatepark in Midtown and improvements to a major thoroughfare were among the projects approved bythe Mobile City Council at their meeting on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. The projects are being paid for by anallocation of interested earned by the Alabama Municipal Trust Fund. This year’s amount came to a total of $4.4million.
Mobile’s first public skatepark, located at Public Safety Memorial Park in midtown, will be a flowing landscape ofconcrete and steel that will serve the city’s full spectrum of skateboarders – from those taking their first push, tothe seasoned shredders who will be perfecting their craft. The park features a diverse offering of “street” styleelements such as ledges, rails, manual pads, stairs, and hubba ledges among other features.
Zeigler Blvd will be widened and improved between Athey Road and Cody Road in west Mobile. This project is aMobile Metropolitan Planning Organization venture.
Here is a list of all projects and their budget:
Zeigler Blvd Improvements - $2,200,000 Public Safety Memorial Park Skatepark – 450,000 Citywide Roof Repairs – 445,775 Connie Hudson Senior Center Debt Service – 390,225 Reserve for Contingencies (TIF) – 300,000 Building and Grounds – 300,000 Public Building Maintenance – 150,000 Mechanical Maintenance – 150,000
McVay Drive to Close for Bridge ImprovementsMcVay Dr. between Dauphin Island Pkwy and Navco Rd will be closed at the bridge for repairs. The City ofMobile will be performing bridge improvements. The work will take approximately four days and will begin at8:30 A.M. tomorrow morning, July 30, 2013. Each day the road will be reopened to traffic around 3:30 P.M.The detour will be Navco Rd to Halls Mill Rd to Dauphin Island Pkwy. If any additional information is required,contact Mobile 311 by dialing 311 or 208-5311.
Self-driving trucks for commercial, industrial use to become commonplace in two decades, WSJ reports
By Madison Underwood | [email protected] Email the author | Follow on Twitter on July 30, 2013 at 7:44 AM
A Lexus modified into a Google self-driving car. (Photo by Steve Jurvetson)When we think of autonomous vehicles, we normally think of passenger cars, like theGoogle Car, as that's the application that's likely to affect us most directly. However, the revolution in driverless cars iscoming in the industrial and commercial fields, too, according to the Wall Street Journal. And it's coming soon --within in the next two decades. Caterpillar is expected to being using 45 automated mining trucks at anAustralian mine soon, and changes in the commercial trucking industry -- which includes 253 million trucks -- arejust around the corner, according to WSJ.Ubiquitous, autonomous trucks are "close to inevitable," says Ted Scott, director of engineering and safety policyfor the American Trucking Associations. "We are going to have a driverless truck because there will be money init," adds James Barrett, president of 105-rig Road Scholar Transport Inc. in Scranton, Pa. A world of autonomous
http://connect.al.com/staff/madisonu84/index.htmlmailto:Madison%20Underwood%20|%[email protected]�http://twitter.com/madisonuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_carhttp://online.wsj.com/article/the_game.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/the_game.html
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trucks might mean cheaper goods and lower transportation costs, but 5.7 million professional drivers could beout of jobs, too.Read much more at the WSJ.
U.S. 98 closed south of Fairhope as state crews repair collapsed drain
By Marc D. Anderson | [email protected] Email the author | Follow on Twitter on July 31, 2013 at 11:52 AM, updated July 31, 2013 at 11:55 AM
FAIRHOPE, Alabama -- The state highway department has closed U.S. 98 south of Fairhope to replace a collapseddrain. The Alabama Department of Transportation closed a mile-long stretch of U.S. 98 south of Baldwin County24 Tuesday afternoon and the road is expected to reopen Wednesday night. Traffic is being detoured to BaldwinCounty 24 east to Baldwin County 13 south to Baldwin County 3 east.
ALDOT director says economic development put some counties at top of ATRIP funds list
By Mike Cason | [email protected] Email the author | Follow on Twitter on July 31, 2013 at 7:52 AM
Gov. Robert Bentley signs the Rural Assistance Match Program (RAMP) bill at the State Capitol in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday, April 10,2013. With Gov. Bentley, from left to right, are: Rep. Mac McCutcheon, Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper, Lt.Gov. Kay Ivey, Henry County Probate Judge David Money, Winston County Commission Chairman Roger Hayes and Sen. Paul Bussman.(Photo from Gov. Bentley's website)
MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- Economic development projects put three counties on top in the state's $1 billionroad and bridge program, the director of the Alabama Department of Transportation said Tuesday. A chartcompiled by AL.com showed that Cullman County, Madison County and Tuscaloosa County received more percapita than the other 20 largest counties under the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and ImprovementProgram. The two legislators on the ATRIP committee are from Cullman and Madison counties, and Gov. RobertBentley is from Tuscaloosa County. But officials said favoritism was not a factor. ALDOT Director John Cooper saidthe plan was to spread the money according to population in the larger counties and as equally as possibleamong the others. But that varied because some counties requested fewer projects because they lackedmatching money or for other reasons. "There is some variation to it," said Cooper, who was appointed byBentley. "But there was a formula to it and there was a rationale to it, and that rationale was not broken foranybody." Sen. Paul Bussman, R-Cullman and Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Capshaw, were the legislators on theseven-member committee that reviewed applications. They said they didn't favor their counties. Bentleyspokesman Jeremy King said the governor, who had the final say on ATRIP decisions, did not favor his homecounty.Statewide, ATRIP will pay for about $1 billion in road and bridge improvements. Cities and counties applied fortheir projects. ALDOT screened the applications, and those eligible for federal funding went to the ATRIPcommittee, which made recommendations to the governor. Eighty percent of ATRIP project costs will be coveredby bonds to be paid off by the state's future federal highway money. Cities and counties pay a 20 percent match.Bentley announced the third and final round of ATRIP funding to the counties last week. During the first tworounds, the governor's office announced projects that were approved. During the final round, with morerequests than money to go around, counties were told how much money they will receive. Seventeen countieswill receive enough to pay for all their projects. In 28 counties, ATRIP funding won't cover all eligible projects.Those counties have until Aug. 23 to submit a priority list to ALDOT. (Continue reading HERE)
Village of Spring Hill will build more sidewalks with $125,000 transportation grantPrint
By Sally Pearsall Ericson | [email protected] Email the author | Follow on Twitter
http://online.wsj.com/article/the_game.htmlhttp://connect.al.com/staff/maanders/index.htmlmailto:Marc%20D.%20Anderson%20|%[email protected]�https://twitter.com/MarcD_Andersonhttp://topics.al.com/tag/Fairhope/posts.htmlhttp://connect.al.com/staff/mikecason/index.htmlmailto:Mike%20Cason%20|%[email protected]�https://twitter.com/MikeCasonAlaLeghttp://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/hey_alabama_did_your_county_ge.htmlhttp://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/hey_alabama_did_your_county_ge.htmlhttp://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/hey_alabama_did_your_county_ge.htmlhttp://topics.al.com/tag/ATRIP/index.htmlhttp://topics.al.com/tag/ATRIP/index.htmlhttp://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/07/a_closer_look_at_atrip_how_all.htmlhttp://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/atrip_committee_legislators_sa.htmlhttp://blog.al.com/live/print.html?entry=/2013/07/village_of_spring_hill_will_bu.htmlhttp://connect.al.com/staff/sericson/index.htmlhttp://connect.al.com/staff/sericson/posts.htmlhttp://connect.al.com/staff/sericson/posts.htmlhttps://twitter.com/Sallyericson
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on July 30, 2013 at 6:32 PM, updated July 30, 2013 at 6:52 PM
Children march in The Village of Spring Hill's second Sidewalk-a-thon, which raised about $30,000 to help build sidewalks on the north sideof Old Shell Road. (Courtesy of The Village of Spring Hill)
MOBILE, Alabama – If you build them, they will walk. That’s a lesson well learned by the folks at the Village ofSpring Hill Inc., a nonprofit that was just awarded a $125,000 transportation grant to install more sidewalks alongOld Shell Road. TVSH earned the grant from the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission through apartnership with the City of Mobile. “Sidewalks were the No. 1 priority for the people of the community,” saidLinda St. John, TVSH president.In the seven years since TVSH began the sidewalk effort, more than 63,360 square feet of sidewalks have beeninstalled along Old Shell Road, and they’ve been worth every penny, St. John said. “Any time of day, thesidewalks are packed,” she said. “People are out there all day long with their dogs, children; strolling with babies,riding bikes.” Many mothers who before were reluctant to allow their children to walk along Old Shell are nowcomfortable with their children walking or riding their bikes to school, she added. “It has transformed ourcommunity more than anything.” In April 2012, a group of Spring Hill children organized a sidewalk-a-thon toraise money for the project. More than 500 took part, raising $25,000, and the J.L. Bedsole Foundation also gavea grant, which was enough to install sidewalks on the north side of Old Shell from Lavretta Park to RidgelawnDrive West.Sidewalks help businesses, too, St. John said. “You have people walking and running past and it addssustainability to the commercial areas. It’s important to get more and more neighborhoods connected to schools,parks, social areas, businesses; it’s all about connectivity.”The neighborhood nonprofit has a master plan to continue improving the area’s walkability and visual appeal.Last fall, the Village worked with the city of Mobile and the Mobile Public Library to install a “cultural courtyard”and a sculpture at the front of the library’s Moorer/Spring Hill branch. In 2011, the nonprofit worked withRegions Bank to put in a pocket park on the corner of the Spring Hill branch’s property. The second sidewalk-a-thon this past April brought in $30,000, St. John said, and resulted in another grant from the Bedsole Foundation.The Village of Spring Hill used the 2013 funding to apply for the transportation grant, which required a 20percent match. Because TVSH is a nonprofit, it wasn’t eligible to apply directly for the grant, which was onlymeant for cities or municipalities. So, the Village partnered with the city of Mobile on the effort. “The citygraciously agreed to make the application,” St. John said. “We had already done the engineering and we paid forthe matching funds.”City officials will accept bids on the new sidewalks and be responsible for their construction. The pathway willrun from Ridgelawn Drive West to McGregor Avenue, St. John said. “We’re all so excited about this grant,” shesaid, noting that TVSH was up against 78 applicants from cities and municipalities all over the region, and onlythree grants were awarded. “The competition is fierce,” she said. “To take $30,000 and turn it into a $150,000project for our community is fabulous.” For more information, visit TVSH's websiteat www.thevillageofspringhill.com, or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheVillageOfSpringHill.
Transportation Research
The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute released, Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked?This report examined trends between 1984 and 2011 in the numbers of light-duty vehicles (cars, pickup trucks,SUVs and vans) in the U.S. fleet. The researchers concluded that while the absolute number of vehicles reached amaximum in 2008, which was most likely due to the economic downturn. Consequently, the improving economyand the expected increase in the U.S. population, may lead to an increase in (from a long-term perspective) theabsolute number of vehicles.
Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP-2) symposiumBelow is a link to a recent announcement by the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) second StrategicHighway Research Program (SHRP-2) symposium, which will be held over two days in October 2013. TRB hasissued a call for papers focused on innovations in freight modeling. More information about the symposium andthe call for papers can be found in the link below: http://www.trb.org/main/blurbs/169110.aspx
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