The $400 million committed to the I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector will create dedicated truck lanes to alleviate congestion on the interchange and around Ybor City. It also will serve as a hurricane evacuation route.

Bentley Systems has launched software tools to help workers share information and model projects related to highway construction funded through the federal stimulus package. The computer programs include overlay tools that link existing survey data with new models and design specifications, helping to make projects more efficient.

The federal government presented a $577 million blueprint last week that calls for increasing the number of lanes into San Diego to 30 from 24 and equipping each lane with two inspection booths instead of one. Six existing lanes into Tijuana will be moved slightly to the west.

As part of its continuing effort to improve safety on the nation’s roads and bridges, the U.S. Department of Transportation has released a comprehensive update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The manual sets the standards for road safety throughout the country. “Safety is this department’s top priority,” says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These new and updated standards will help make our nation’s roads and bridges safer for drivers, construction workers and pedestrians alike.”

Nearly a year after a broken pipe flooded River Road in Bethesda and stranded motorists — with hopes to prevent similar incidents and save roads in the future — the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has unveiled a black foam sphere called a "Smart Ball" that contains electronics that can detect the hissing sound from leaks. The water authority plans to inspect 77 miles of concrete water mains for leaks by 2013.