roadways news stories on Newser

Stimulus Shortchanges Cities

Kevin Spak — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:43:40 CDT

Two-thirds of the country lives in big cities, but less than half of the federal stimulus’ transportation money is going to fix their often crumbling roads, the New York Times reports. States were allowed to decide for themselves how stimulus money was spent, and state lawmakers have a long history...

Korea Roadway Recharges Cars

Harry Kimball — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:31:01 CDT

South Korean scientists are working on road technology that allows electric vehicles to continually recharge while driving, Reuters reports. Inductive charging, used with watertight electric toothbrushes, requires no contact between power source and appliance. For vehicles, electric strips would be embedded in the road at intervals, and a magnetic field...

Icy Roads? Beet Juice Just the Right Tonic

Harry Kimball — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:46:00 CDT

Road workers in the Chicago area are shaking up their winter ice-busting cocktail with an odd new mixer: beet juice. Sanitation officials are pleased with the combination, which reduces the necessary rock salt (harmful to plants and water supplies) by up to 30% and is effective at temperatures far lower...

Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds

Jonas Oransky — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:17:00 CST

More American truckers are carrying illegally heavy loads, looking to offset diminished manpower and skyrocketing fuel prices—and light fines encourage cheating, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With road damage at issue following August's Minnesota bridge collapse, 30% of trucks are reportedly overloaded—and each of the 8 million tractor-trailers...

California Ranked Worst for Traffic

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:03:18 CDT

California ranks No.1 in the US for interstate traffic jams, says a new study which focused on congestion around big cities. With traffic snarled on 83.3% of its urban roadways, the Golden State edged out runners-up Minnesota and New Jersey. Surprisingly, New York—gridlock central—only came in...