Transportation Nation

(Detroit, MI - Jerome Vaughn, WDET)  Ford is recalling more than half a million Windstar minivans for possible axle problems.  The action affects vehicles in cold weather states.

The recall affects Ford Windstar minivans from the 1998 through 2003 model years.  About 463-thousand vehicles are affected in the U-S.  Another 113-thousand have been recalled in Canada.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says corrosion from road salt can weaken the rear axle in cold weather states.  The issue could lead to cracks and in some cases a complete fracture of the axle could occur increasing the risk of a crash.

Dealers will inspect the rear axle…and make necessary repairs at no costs to consumers.  Affected owners will be notified by Ford beginning next month.

(Denver, CO - Nathan Heffel, Transportation Nation)  With the wave of a yellow and orange flag, Mayor John Hickenlooper initiated the beginning of the end.  Denver's airport, which landed in the middle of the mountains 15 years ago, will no longer be only a long drive from downtown.

The flag wave was followed by a groundbreaking Thursday, as six earth movers began digging the path of a rail project, which will link Denver International Airport with downtown.

As we rode a shuttle bus for press and dignitaries out to the event, a fellow rider said, "I remember coming out here in the early 90’s for the groundbreaking ceremony for the airport.  I remember the tumbleweeds and the heat! It was so far from the city we wondered if the airport would even be viable.”

Fast forward 15 years: the airport, which many considered too big to sustain and too far from Denver to be practical (it's 24 miles from downtown), is now the ninth busiest airport in the world, with over 50 million passengers traveling through it a year.

Called the "$22 billion dollar economic engine of the Front Range" by Mayor Hickenlooper, the only way to get to DIA has been by car.   However, after years of planning, RTD is now building the $1 billion dollar East Corridor commuter rail line, which will link DIA to Denver’s Union Station, the hub of RTD’s FasTracks system. 

Boeing postpones Dreamliner delivery until 2011 (WSJ)

Washington Post: Pension "time bomb" is major obstacle for GM turnaround

UC Irvine report predicts high-speed rail line would create jobs and boost L.A.-Orange County economy (LA Times)

Speakers, petitions pack meeting against I-69 in Bloomington (Bloomington Herald-Times)

NJ light-rail station, yet to be opened, is vandalized (Jersey Journal)

(Detroit, MI - Jerome Vaughn, WDET)  Toyota is recalling more than a million vehicles because of engines that could stall.    The recall includes Toyota Matrix hatchbacks and Corolla sedans from the 2005 through 2008 model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the affected vehicles could have a defective engine control model.  A crack in the part could prevent the engine from starting properly.  In some cases the engine could stop running while the car is being driven increasing the possibility of a crash.

Toyota says there are three reports of accidents that might be connected to the issue.

Dealers will inspect the engine control modules and make repairs at no cost to consumers.  Affected owners will be notified about the recall next month.  A second notice will be sent out when parts for repairs become available.

The recall is the latest in a string of product safety issues for Toyota vehicles.  The automaker has recalled millions of vehicles in the past year…including the widely publicized action to resolve unexpected acceleration problems in several models.

(The Takeaway)  Why isn't there a better way to text while driving? That’s a question that Joel Johnson, editor at large of Gizmodo.com asked in a recent column.

So far, he’s received over 500 responses to his column, most of which suggest that people who text and drive should simply give it up, use the phone instead, or die behind the wheel because they deserve to. However, Johnson insists that, in a world where most people text and drive, his question is valid. If we can't stop it, why not make it safer?

What do you think? Should texting while driving be outlawed or be made safer?

Susan Kuchinskas also weighs in. A freelance journalist who writes about connected car technology for Scientific American and Telematics Update, she sees both the value and flaws in making texting safer.

17 million motorists may have driven while drunk in last 12 months, NHTSA says (Bloomberg)

American Airlines mechanics, employees turn down contract offer by nearly 2-1 ratio.  Management scratches head.  (Dallas Morning News)

Canada warns that 41,000 freight cars may have faulty parts, pose risk to North America (Dow Jones)

In the wake of 70-person brawl, DC Metro tightens security around school kids (WAMU News)

Dallas Morning News applauds transportation ideas of Democratic challenger Bill White in guv's race

New rules for transgender drivers in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Inquirer)

(Washington, DC - David Schultz, WAMU News)  Next year, the Army will relocate hundreds of thousands of its employees as a part of its Base Realignment and Closure - or BRAC - process. The idea behind the process is to close under-utilized facilities and moves its employees to areas that make more strategic - and economic - sense.

Closing military bases is always political poison, especially for the Congressmen whose districts contain those bases. So the Department of Defense got around this by submitting to Congress an enormous list of bases it wants to close. This way, rather than voting on each base closure one by one, the Congressman could cast a single up-or-down vote on the list - which it did back in 2005.

But, just so there wouldn't be any room for political maneuvering, the Department of Defense also inserted a hard deadline in the BRAC legislation. All the closures and relocations would have to be completed by September 2011. No exceptions.

Local politicians in Northern Virginia really wish that deadline hadn't been included.

No area in the country is more affected by the BRAC process than Washington D.C.'s Virginia suburbs.

Survivor of Chinese plane crash describes descent, malfunctioning exits on Embraer (LA Times)

Poor Visibility may have caused Alaska crash that killed former Sen. Stevens (WSJ)

China Railway in talks to build $30 Billion South African bullet-train (Bloomberg)

LA mayor backs law requiring motorists to give cyclists three feet on roads (Streets Blog)

Twin Cities asks: Are two tiers of bus service really fair?  (Star Tribune)

LA city officials debate parking regulations that will keep food trucks away from restaurants (KPCC)

NEW YORK (AP) - It could be days before trains are running at full service after a fire that forced passengers on the nation's largest commuter railroad to struggle for a second day with limited service into and out of New York, an official said Tuesday.
Unrelated power problems caused failures on Amtrak and NJ Transit trains into Penn Station, compounding the headaches from the fire Monday at a key Long Island Rail Road switching station built in the 1920s. Authorities believe a soaking rainstorm overnight Sunday might have caused the fire.
The LIRR anticipated about 60 percent of its 114 scheduled trains would be available for tonight's commute. About 100,000 riders typically leave New York each night on the railroad. Bus service is replacing some trips.
"They should have more up-to-date systems in place, but what are you going to do?" accountant Sophia Bentley said as she waited for a train in Farmingdale. "I'm going to get on the next one that gets here. Whenever I get one, I get one."

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Amtrak says service is suspended between New York City and Philadelphia because of low voltage problems that are also affecting regional commuter rail lines. Trains between Baltimore and Washington also are stopped.
The problems are derailing the ride to work for commuters for the second time in less than two weeks. In that case, a fallen tree knocked out power and rail signals.
NJ Transit says the problem is affecting Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct trains. Philadelphia's Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority says all its regional rail service is suspended.
Meanwhile, Long Island Rail Road commuters are facing significant delays after canceling 33 westbound morning trains because of a switching station fire Monday.

Biden tells Ohio auto workers industry will thrive‎ (AP)

Texas traffic fatalities down 11 percent in 2009‎ (Houston Chronicle)

One effort to halt CA high-speed rail over environmental, ridership concerns fails (San Mateo Daily News)

Rendell watch: Raise motor vehicle fees, tax oil profits for $1B road, bridge and transit fund (Philadelphia Inquirer)

(St. Paul, Minn. - MPR News)  More than 100 victims and their family members have reached a settlement agreement with an engineering contractor over the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in 2007.  MPR News is covering.

Ford Chairman says GM IPO won't affect who buys his company's stock (Detroit News)

Facing budget gaps, cities sell parking, airports, zoo (WSJ)

Pennsylvania legislators to consider hike in transit funding (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board: transit the only way we can grow

FAA launches new center for research on commercial rocket travel‎ (AP)

It will be one of the biggest global "initial" public offerings ever.  Something so exciting for the bankers and execs who worked on it that they called it  "Project Dawn."  It's also something that many stock market pros think is a political stunt in a market where investors aren't salivating for IPOs, timed to put shares on the market just as Democrats campaign for November votes.  "GM, from bankruptcy under to Bush to IPO under Obama!"

The IPO is also a way for the U.S. and Canadian governments, the United Auto Workers retiree trust fund and others sell their shares to the public.  So, your mission with one of the last warm weekends of August:

Cars are seen August 4, 2007 in the twisted wreckage of the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some debris still sits in a park just beond the dark bridge above. An agreement was reached today to move it. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

(St. Paul, MN - MPR News)  Debris from the Interstate 35W bridge collapse in 2007 will soon be moved to a storage site, Minnesota Department of Transportation officials said today.

Mangled steel from the bridge had been placed on parkland along the Mississippi River as the National Transportation Safety Board investigated the collapse. The debris was also considered evidence in several lawsuits stemming from the collapse, so MnDOT was instructed not to remove it.

But Minneapolis residents and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board complained last year that the seven-acre park had been closed too long. The board sued, saying it was losing parking revenue because the park was closed.

MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said Friday that the department has come to an agreement with the park board and with victims of the bridge collapse who have a lawsuit pending against a contractor hired to inspect the bridge.  Moving the steel is expected to start in a couple weeks and will take some time, Gutknecht said.

"It has to be cut so it will fit on flatbed trucks," he said.  But he said MnDOT is happy to move it.  "We are really glad to be able to get that park open again. We know it's been a trial for the city and residents of the city," he said.  More from MPR News.

(Houston, TX - Wendy Siegle, KUHF)  Commuting by light rail can be tough for travelers with baggage. Bicycles, strollers, wheelchairs, and other large items aren't usually popular in confined spaces. In Houston, the Metropolitan Transit Authority recently removed a number of seats from its trains on a trial basis in an effort to make the ride a bit more comfortable for everyone. The agency is keeping the new on-board arrangement for thirty days to see if the extra space will please customers, and perhaps increase ridership in the process.  What do Texans think about the extra elbow room?

Feds propose record penalty of $25 million against American Airlines for maintenance lapses (WSJ)

Hijacking threat that grounded plane in SFO was bogus (SF Chronicle)

Will PA legislators listen to Gov. Rendell, and his call for taxes to support roads, bridges?  Answers may come Monday.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Homeland Security simulates gas attack in Boston's subway tunnels (AP)

Fourteen-inch "fatigue" crack caused hole to open in Southwest flight, NTSB says (Dallas Morning News)

$32.7 million budget surplus in Virginia will go to transportation.  (Washington Post)

(Houston, TX - Wendy Siegle, KUHF)  Metro, the Metropolitan Transit Agency here released the results of an external review today. Metro has already been cleared of any wrong doing in the recent document shredding scandal, but the transit agency still ordered the review in an effort to boost its public image and restore public trust. The review found positive change in the new board, but also highlighted some areas in need of improvement. In response to one recommendation, the agency is considering whether to take minutes of its committee meetings in order to ensure better transparency.  More.

(Jackie Yamanaka, Yellowstone Public Radio)  Yellowstone National Park may seem crowded with tourists in their cars, pick-ups and recreational vehicles. They fill the roads and destination parking lots, like Old Faithful. But park officials say the roads and developed areas take up only 1% of the entire park which remains an intact ecosystem full of grizzlies, wolves, bison, elk and other flora and fauna.

"These are scenic drives. They are not transit opportunities," says Eleanor Clark, Yellowstone's chief of comprehensive planning.