Public Works Department News
Industry / Vendor News
Six-month archive
About 300 transportation measures, roughly $30 billion, go before voters on Nov. 3
ARTBA's Transportation Investment Advocacy Center (TIAC) is tracking about 300 state and local transportation funding measures in 22 states on Tuesday's ballot, which together would decide roughly $30 billion in new and renewed funding. Most of the measures renew existing revenue; about 86 would create new revenue. Measures TIAC is watching include a Fresno County, California, sales tax replacement, sales tax renewals in Charleston and Richland counties in South Carolina, and an Arizona statewide question on a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. TIAC plans to publish its after-action report on the results next week. If your county or region has a measure on the ballot, have the project list, delivery schedule and reporting plan ready for the day after the vote. Passed measures come with public expectations about which projects start first. If your measure fails, TIAC's results report is a useful benchmark for what passed elsewhere and why.
FRA awards $2.3 billion in CRISI rail grants to 105 projects, including grade-crossing work
On October 19, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced that the Federal Railroad Administration is investing $2.3 billion through its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program in 105 freight and passenger rail projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia. USDOT says the projects will improve more than 2,000 miles of track and will also receive more than $1.9 billion in non-federal funding from state, local and private partners. AASHTO reports that several awards include work at road crossings: Georgia DOT received $12.4 million for the final phase of the Heart of Georgia & Georgia Southwestern Rail Corridor project, including resurfacing 40 at-grade crossings, and the Vermont Agency of Transportation received $60.3 million for the Hoosick-Bennington-Rutland line, including upgrades to 22 at-grade crossings. Wisconsin DOT received $218 million for the Hiawatha West project, which extends Chicago–Milwaukee passenger service and rehabilitates track, bridges and crossings. If a CRISI project runs through your jurisdiction, ask the state DOT or railroad now about crossing closures, detours and resurfacing schedules so your road work and theirs can be coordinated.
OSHA signals it is still working on a federal heat-illness rule
Speaking at the National Work Zone Management Conference in Reston, Virginia, on Oct. 28, OSHA Assistant Secretary David Keeling said the agency is still working on a heat injury and illness prevention standard. "We are not done. We think there's a path forward," Keeling said. ARTBA is pressing OSHA for a performance-based standard that fits the conditions of specific industries rather than a single prescriptive rule. Don't wait for a federal rule. Review your crews' heat plan now, while it's cool enough to make changes: water, rest and shade triggers, acclimatization for new and returning workers, and how supervisors document heat-related decisions.
USDOT releases more than $1.6 billion in Emergency Relief funds for disaster-damaged roads and bridges
On October 19, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced more than $1.6 billion from FHWA's Emergency Relief program to help 34 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands repair roads and bridges damaged by natural disasters and catastrophic events. The largest share, $873 million, goes to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene recovery, where the storm caused more than 9,000 damage sites and more than 1,400 road closures. Hawaii receives $81 million for the March 2026 Kona Low storms, and Texas receives $52 million for heavy-rainfall damage and bridge washouts, including on FM 1431 between Lago Vista and Marble Falls. ARTBA notes that Emergency Relief funds can restore facilities to pre-disaster condition or to current design standards, and can cover cost-justified protective features such as raising roadway grades, relocating roads out of floodplains, upsizing culverts and adding scour protection. If a declared disaster damaged federal-aid routes in your jurisdiction, confirm with your state DOT that your sites are in its Emergency Relief request, keep damage documentation and cost records current, and ask early whether culvert upsizing or grade raises can be built into the repair instead of a like-for-like replacement.
State DOTs gear up for winter with staffing surges, storm drills, living snow fences and live plow maps
AASHTO reports that state DOTs are finishing winter preparations. Ohio DOT will field nearly 3,000 drivers on 12-hour shifts, including about 500 seasonal and auxiliary drivers, across more than 43,000 lane miles; its goal is to clear primary routes within two hours and secondary routes within three hours after a storm, a target it met 99.3% of the time last winter. Missouri DOT ran a statewide winter storm drill. Iowa DOT is renewing its Standing Corn Snow Fence program, which pays farmers to leave 6 to 24 rows of corn standing along highways ($6.25 per bushel for 2026) or to place hay bales ($1 per linear foot). "Studies show that plowing snow costs 100 times more than trapping it with a snow fence, so these partnerships really pay off," said Craig Bargfrede, Iowa DOT's winter operations administrator. Kansas DOT's Plow Locations Tool on KanDrive.gov now refreshes every 60 seconds and shows images from 12 camera-equipped plows. Run a tabletop or dry-run storm drill before the first event, confirm your shift coverage and backup drivers, and look at your worst drifting spots: a standing-corn or hay-bale agreement with an adjacent landowner can cost far less than repeated plowing.
FHWA's 55% domestic-content test for manufactured products now applies to newly obligated projects
FHWA's Buy America requirements for manufactured products on federal-aid highway projects have entered their next phase. Under the January 2025 final rule, manufactured products must have final assembly in the United States, and for projects obligated on or after October 1, 2026, the cost of U.S.-made components must exceed 55% of the total cost of all components (23 CFR 635.410). FHWA's Q&A guidance explains that for these obligations, components made predominantly of iron or steel count toward the 55% calculation. Iron and steel products themselves remain under the separate, existing all-domestic requirement. For federally funded projects obligated this fiscal year, make sure specifications, bid documents and submittal requirements call for manufacturer certifications covering final assembly and the 55% component-cost test, especially for traffic signals, lighting, pumps, generators and other assembled equipment.
Senate committees introduce bipartisan permitting reform bill; AASHTO flags benefits for project delivery
In late September, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee introduced a bipartisan bill to reform federal environmental review and permitting for energy and infrastructure projects, formally titled the "Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026." According to AASHTO's analysis, the bill would strengthen federal permitting deadlines and accountability after NEPA reviews; expand the use of categorical exclusions, programmatic reviews and state-produced environmental documents; set clearer timelines for judicial challenges and better protect previously issued approvals; and streamline related approvals, including Clean Water Act permitting, Endangered Species Act consultations and historic preservation reviews. AASHTO called the bill "common-sense permitting reform," while noting that some provisions go beyond procedural streamlining and "warrant further review." If your federally funded street, bridge or drainage projects routinely stall on Clean Water Act permits, ESA consultation or Section 106 review, track this bill and ask your state DOT how expanded categorical exclusions and programmatic reviews would apply to locally sponsored projects.
Water-system cyberattacks rise; engineers urge "cyber-informed" design and three low-cost steps
ASCE reports that U.S. water systems have been targeted by more than 100 reported cyberattacks across seven states over the past few months, widely suspected to come from Iranian state actors. None of the reported attacks caused water outages or contamination, but they expose common weaknesses in operational technology such as programmable logic controllers and communication systems. Experts quoted by ASCE stress planning for recovery, including the ability to run plants manually, and note that small and mid-sized systems that rely on regional systems integrators often have security gaps. West Yost's Andrew Ohrt, P.E., recommends three low-cost steps: put cybersecurity money in next year's budget, map your system's dependencies through tabletop exercises with operations staff, and contact your local CISA representative. Ask your water and wastewater operators a simple question: if communications or a PLC went down tomorrow, could the plant run manually, and for how long?
FHWA apportions $11.2B in federal-aid highway funds for Oct. 1–Dec. 11
FHWA Notice N4510.916 apportions $11,207,297,065 in federal-aid highway formula funds for the period October 1 through December 11, 2026, under the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2026 (Pub. L. 119-103). The amount equals 72/365 of FY 2026 levels and covers NHPP, the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program ($2.95 billion), HSIP, Railway-Highway Crossings, CMAQ, Metropolitan Planning, the National Highway Freight Program, the Carbon Reduction Program and PROTECT formula funds. The funds are available for obligation immediately and through September 30, 2030. FHWA says supplementary tables, including STBG, Carbon Reduction and Transportation Alternatives suballocations, will follow in a separate notice. Check with your MPO or state DOT on when suballocated STBG and Transportation Alternatives amounts will post, and keep federally aided projects ready to obligate.
FHWA: foreign-made drone restrictions apply to federal-aid highway projects, effective immediately
FHWA guidance says federal funds may not be used to procure, operate, or maintain covered foreign-made drones on federal-aid highway projects, and covered drones may not be used on those projects even with non-federal funds. There is no transition period.
FHWA opens FY 2026 Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program: ~$80M, applications due Nov. 16
FHWA published a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the FY 2026 Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, with approximately $80 million available. Applications are due November 16, 2026; awards are anticipated in March 2027.
EPA announces $272M WIFIA loan for Columbia, Tennessee drinking-water expansion
EPA announced a $272 million WIFIA loan to Columbia, Tennessee for a new raw water intake, transmission main, and water treatment plant improvements. EPA is accepting letters of interest for WIFIA and State WIFIA.
USDOT INFRA: $426M for 12 highway and freight projects
USDOT announced $426 million through INFRA for 12 highway and freight projects in 12 states, aimed at freight bottlenecks, highway capacity, and congested corridors.
AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation, 4th Edition
AASHTO released the Manual for Bridge Evaluation, 4th Edition (MBE-4) on September 25, 2026, superseding the 2018 3rd edition and aligning with the National Bridge Inspection Standards.
FHWA proposes a streamlined SEP-16 / SEP-15 / TE-045 application process
FHWA seeks comment on a uniform two-step path for SEP-16, SEP-15, and TE-045. The Federal Register notice was published September 24, 2026; written comments are due October 26, 2026.
APWA Data Center Development Toolbox
APWA released a toolbox with seven steps for public works reviewing proposed data centers (water/power, transportation, stormwater, zoning, engagement, incentives, decommissioning).
USDOT America’s Great Corridors of Commerce RFI
USDOT Build America Bureau RFI on voluntary utility colocation in highway/rail ROW via Corridor Manager P3 model; up to five AGCC designations/year. Comments due Oct. 2, 2026.
FHWA August Redistribution: ~$7.5B obligation limitation due Sept. 25
FHWA redistributed just over $7.5B in Highway Trust Fund obligation limitation; states must obligate by Sept. 25.