USDOT/FHWA General News & Press Releases

[Plutonic Panda]

Started this as thread for smaller news pieces that don't warrant their own thread for news related to United States Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration.

To start it off, there is a proposal to repeal an old law that ARTBA claims is restricting innovation:

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) urged the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) this week to repeal a rule adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1916.

The rule, with limited exceptions, prohibits state and local governments from using patented or proprietary products on highway and bridge projects that receive federal funding.

Repeal would drive innovation as well as spur the investment and the deployment of new technologies that advance safety, alleviate traffic congestion and improve highways, ARTBA said, and would allow states the flexibility to consider all products.

- read more here:  https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/11650-artba-urges-government-to-repeal-outdated-road-development-rule/

[hbelkins]

Started this as thread for smaller news pieces that don't warrant their own thread for news related to United States Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration.

To start it off, there is a proposal to repeal an old law that ARTBA claims is restricting innovation:

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) urged the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) this week to repeal a rule adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1916.

The rule, with limited exceptions, prohibits state and local governments from using patented or proprietary products on highway and bridge projects that receive federal funding.

Repeal would drive innovation as well as spur the investment and the deployment of new technologies that advance safety, alleviate traffic congestion and improve highways, ARTBA said, and would allow states the flexibility to consider all products.

- read more here:  https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/11650-artba-urges-government-to-repeal-outdated-road-development-rule/

Wasn't this an issue with some sort of pedestrian or crosswalk marker a few years ago? The approval was rescinded because it was a proprietary item, but was reinstated when the product became part of the public domain.

And then there's Clearview...

[vdeane]

It came up with the RRFBs.  The company that made them patented it, the approval was rescinded, and was restored later with a different flash pattern that is not patented.

IMO the "no patented/proprietary" devices rule should stay.  To let it go would be to allow monopolies with respect to the companies owning the IP to be derived from federal standards.

[Scott5114]

IMO the "no patented/proprietary" devices rule should stay.  To let it go would be to allow monopolies with respect to the companies owning the IP to be derived from federal standards.

Agreed. Patents on traffic control devices would shackle state highway departments into purchasing from a single supplier, robbing them of their ability to put contracts out to a low bidder. The result would be more taxpayer money spent when companies jack their prices up, knowing that they have a mandate from the MUTCD to print money.