#fhwa

Cecilia Nowell at The Guardian:

A US district judge has blocked the Trump administration from withholding funds previously awarded to 14 states for electric vehicle charger infrastructure. Seattle-based judge Tana Lin, who was appointed to the bench by Joe Biden in 2021, granted a partial injunction to the states that filed suit against Trump’s Department of Transportation. She ruled that the states’ lawsuit – led by attorneys general in California, Colorado and Washington – would likely succeed. Her ruling did not apply to the District of Columbia, Minnesota and Vermont, which she found did not provide evidence that they would suffer immediate harm. The injunction will go into effect on 1 July, unless the Trump administration files an appeal blocking it. In February, the Trump administration ordered states not to spend $5bn in funds allocated under the Biden administration as part of the national electric vehicle infrastructure (Nevi) program. The program provided up to 80% of eligible project costs to deploy electric vehicle charges. Currently, 16 states have at least one operational EV station, according to EV States Clearinghouse. “The new leadership of the Department of Transportation … has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the Nevi formula program,” Emily Biondi, associate administrator for planning, environment and realty at the transportation department’s Federal Highway Administration, wrote in a memo.

“As result of the rescission of the Nevi formula program guidance, the FHWA is also immediately suspending the approval of all state electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plans for all fiscal years. Therefore, effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the Nevi formula program until the updated final Nevi formula program guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved,” she added. In May, the Government Accountability Office found that the Trump administration violated the law when it withheld the funding. The administration “must continue to carry out the statutory requirements of the program”, it said.

Federal Highway Administration regulations establish comprehensive standards for bridge safety assessment nationwide. FHWA inspection requirements mandate specific protocols, documentation formats, and quality assurance procedures that ensure consistent evaluation across all jurisdictions. Understanding FHWA inspection obligations is fundamental for agencies responsible for public infrastructure safety.

The National Bridge Inspection Standards form the regulatory foundation of FHWA inspection programs. These guidelines specify assessment frequencies, inspector qualifications, and reporting formats that agencies must follow. Compliance with FHWA inspection standards is mandatory for agencies receiving federal transportation funding, making adherence essential for financial planning.

Routine FHWA inspection requirements mandate assessments at intervals not exceeding twenty-four months for most structures. Certain bridges require more frequent evaluation based on condition or structural characteristics. Meeting these FHWA inspection schedules demands organized planning and sufficient qualified personnel to complete assessments on time.

Inspector qualification standards within FHWA inspection regulations specify education requirements, training protocols, and certification maintenance. Personnel conducting FHWA inspection activities must complete approved training programs and demonstrate competency in structural evaluation techniques. These qualification requirements ensure consistent assessment quality across different agencies and regions.

Complex structures require enhanced FHWA inspection procedures beyond routine assessment protocols. Fracture-critical members, underwater components, and movable bridge mechanisms demand specialized evaluation techniques. AssetIntel's platform incorporates these detailed FHWA inspection requirements into customized workflows based on structure characteristics.

Quality assurance represents a critical component of FHWA inspection programs that agencies must implement systematically. Federal standards require supervisory reviews on percentages of completed inspections annually. These quality control activities validate that FHWA inspection procedures meet regulatory expectations and maintain data reliability.

Documentation standards specified in FHWA inspection regulations require specific data formats and element-level condition states. Reports must contain sufficient detail to support condition ratings and inform maintenance decisions. AssetIntel's software validates FHWA inspection documentation automatically during data entry, preventing format errors before submission.

Underwater FHWA inspection requirements present unique compliance challenges due to specialized equipment needs and safety considerations. These assessments must occur at intervals based on scour vulnerability, demanding coordination with diving contractors and favorable water conditions. Meeting underwater FHWA inspection obligations requires careful planning and adequate budget allocation.

Load rating requirements within FHWA inspection regulations ensure posted weight limits reflect current structural capacity. When condition changes affect load-carrying capability, agencies must update ratings promptly. These FHWA inspection responsibilities protect public safety by preventing overweight vehicles from using compromised structures.

Special emphasis on scour-critical bridges within FHWA inspection programs requires enhanced monitoring protocols. These vulnerable structures demand plan-of-action inspections following high-water events. Maintaining detailed documentation for scour-critical bridges ensures FHWA inspection compliance while managing catastrophic failure risks.

Reporting timelines specified in FHWA inspection standards require submission of completed assessments within ninety days of field work completion. Meeting these deadlines prevents compliance violations that could jeopardize federal funding eligibility. AssetIntel's workflow automation tracks FHWA inspection reporting timelines, sending reminders that prevent late submissions.

Technology acceptance within FHWA inspection protocols continues evolving as new assessment methods emerge. Drone inspections and robotic devices provide innovative evaluation capabilities while maintaining FHWA inspection compliance through proper documentation and validation procedures.

The financial implications of FHWA inspection compliance extend beyond direct assessment costs. Violations can result in federal funding withholding that devastates agency budgets. Maintaining consistent FHWA inspection adherence protects eligibility for infrastructure investments that agencies depend on for capital programs.

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The use of popular commercial drone technology across the United States’ federally funded infrastructure projects is set to face a sweeping ban later this month, following strict mandates issued under new security legislation. Effective from December 22, 2025, federal funds can no longer be used for the procurement or operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) manufactured by specific foreign…

MUTCD Monday is an unscheduled weekly post where I review a (usually) nonstandard road sign that I'm (usually) criticizing.

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or MUTCD, "defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices [road signs and stuff] on all streets, highways, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and site roadways open to public travel".[1] It's The Bible for US road signs, markings, and lights.

This week, I have no ideas. Doesn't matter. No one gives a shit about these anyway. So I'll throw together a few disjointed ideas and other garbage and call it a day.

1. R3-8 NO PARKING (symbol) sign confusion

Old editions of the MUTCD and Standard Highway Signs (SHS) publications show the R3-8 NO PARKING (symbol) sign with a black border (Left). This includes the updated 2024 edition of the SHS publication. However, the 2023 11th edition MUTCD shows it with a red border (Right), like all the other parking restriction signs. Who's correct?

2. Roads named after Martin Luther King Jr.

Many, MANY places across the United States have named roads after Martin Luther King Jr. However, his name is long, so different places have come up with different ways to represent it on street name signs.

Hamilton, Ohio, for example, does it a few different ways.

(Top Left) Splitting "Martin" and "Luther" into two different lines, but keeping "King Jr." normal.

(Top Right) Doing that but referring to his father by leaving the "Jr." off.

(Bottom Left) Abbreviating it to "M. L. K.", and once again referring to his father.

(Bottom Right) Spelling out the whole thing in tiny letters. There's also an example of this where they leave off the "Jr."

In Covington, Kentucky (Left), they abbreviate "Martin Luther", but keep "King". Columbus, Ohio (Right), does this with appropriate spacing so it looks less weird.

Baltimore, Maryland (Left), splits his name into two lines. Cleveland, Ohio (Right), splits his name into three lines, along with a little graphic.

Several other places just narrow the font and hope for the best. Also, side note, it's very inconsistent on whether abbreviated things get a period after them. Some places also put a comma before "Jr."

3. Community wayfinding sign arrows

Community wayfinding guide signs are signs for giving direction to local attractions or points of interest. They are more lenient with rules, allowing custom colors (as long as they aren't the ones used on more important signs), different fonts, pictographs, and mildly different shapes.

However, it specifically says arrows must conform to the standard set earlier. These arrows are the standard ones used on road signs.

But for some reason, virtually everyone uses their own arrows. Shown below are examples from Miami Beach, FL (fun fact: Miami Beach got specific approval from the FHWA to use Futura font on their community wayfinding signs), Columbus, OH, Cleveland, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Indianapolis, IN, and Albany, NY.

They ALL have incorrect arrows. Nearly identical incorrect arrows, in fact. In my 10+ minutes of searching, I only found one example, Akron, OH, of community wayfinding signs with correct arrows.

I don't even care that that's probably not the correct parking symbol. They got the arrow right, which is already leagues ahead of everyone else. They also used Highway Gothic font, a slightly boring but definitely good-looking and proven choice.

That is one point to Akron, OH, against the rest of the world's 20 million points (joking, from my little stroll on street view, it actually looks pretty decent).

MUTCD Monday is an unscheduled weekly post where I review a (usually) nonstandard road sign that I'm (usually) criticizing.

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, or MUTCD, "defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices [road signs and stuff] on all streets, highways, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and site roadways open to public travel".[1]

This week, I'm insulting California because it's easy to do. Specifically, I will be reviewing the CA MUTCD, California's version of the MUTCD.

California has this weird thing where, instead of creating a new MUTCD or an official-looking supplement, they took the federal MUTCD, crossed out parts they don't like, and add in new stuff in blue Arial text.

I'd also like to note that this is based on the 2009 MUTCD, not the 11th Edition 2023 MUTCD.

L: There's no way you're seeing these at highway speeds.

R: Who hurt you, California? What are these signs? Frankly, they look like shit.

L: Why? Please just say "TRUCKS USE THIS LANE" or something like a normal person.

R: Hey, I saw a sign similar to this in the Road Guy Rob video that turned me into a road sign autistic! What the hell does "KINGPIN TO REAR AXLE" mean?

There is so much I could say about the parking signs, but I'm not going to.

L: You know what? I don't hate this.

R: I hate this.

L: Am I the only one who thinks the circle looks weird? It looks weirdly squarish.

R: What does this even say? The text is so small and zooming in only makes it more pixelated.

L: I feel like the center Type 3 Object Marker is a weirdly specific thing to remove. They replace it with basically the right and left ones stitched together to make a double-width sign.

R: California still cuts out the black on the US Route shield because they're special and think they're so cool and still live in the 1930s and god damn the state shield looks strange without the "CALIFORNIA" text.

ok im bored