The Ohio and Kentucky Sections of ITE held a joint meeting on March 10 at 3:00 PM in Cincinnati.   Dr. Adam Kirk with the Kentucky Transportation Center gave a presentation on the use of Flashing Yellow Arrows in Kentucky, followed by John Brigham and Dave Thurston from WSP I Parsons Brinckerhoff who presented on the Cincinnati Streetcar Project. 

Adam Kirk sharing about flashing yellow arrows.

John Brigham presenting on the Cincinnati Streetcar.

30 members and students from Ohio and Kentucky attended the meeting.  The original plan to walk along the streetcar line and see the work that has been done was unfortunately cancelled due to poor weather.  The group still spent some time after meeting socializing and networking at a restaurant inside the building that didn't require going outside and getting wet to get to!

Today is day 56 of 60 in the current Legislative Session and there is still much to be done. T he operating budget for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Two-Year Road Plan have yet to be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee.  While these bills are still going through the legislative process, the Senate took steps important to everyone in the transportation community: they passed HB 309, legislation enabling Public Private Partnerships in the state of Kentucky.

Rep. Leslie Combs Chairs the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation. "I know very well what P3 could mean for our highway system," she said. "We can no longer rely on the federal government for major projects, and there are limits on what we can do at the state level without putting pressure on other projects. By partnering with the private sector, we will have another opportunity to move forward like other states are already doing. It's a win for everyone involved."

Another transportation-related feature of HB309 is a provision that prohibits the authorization of tolls for any project involving the interstate highway system connecting Kentucky to Ohio, an apparent reference to Cincinnati's Brent Spence Bridge project. While there was some discussion before the final vote, the bill passed by a 29-9 vote in the Senate. The majority of the Senate felt that the measure was beneficial and a good way to provide an alternative funding mechanism for projects in Kentucky.

Each year the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety recognizes members of the safety community who have made significant outstanding lifetime contributions to the field. An award is given for each of the 4 E's of safety: Enforcement, Education, Engineering & Emergency Response. KYSITE is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2016 Award for Excellence in Engineering is our own Eric Green. Please join us in congratulating Eric on this prestigious and well-deserved award.