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JEFFERSON CITY — An additional lane on Interstate 70 in O’Fallon, Mo., and a new roadway for a long-sought riverside development in St. Charles are on tap as part of an outlay of state and local transportation dollars announced Dec. 16.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation awarded $700,000 to Pittsburgh Intermodal Terminals Inc. to improve about 1 mile of freight rail track to bolster operations and generate jobs in Beaver County.

Ford Motor Co. is adding to its self-driving car testing operation in Austin, Texas, saying Dec. 11 it has secured two pieces of real estate that will be central to the project.

The backers of a new rail line to link Alaska to Canada and Lower 48 markets insist it would generate upward of $5 billion of freight revenue through the state.

The Georgia Ports Authority is on track to set yet another record with more than 4.6 million 20-foot equivalent container units.

The complexity of building a bullet train through Southern California’s urban maze is leading state officials to consider two major additions: a tunnel under the Burbank airport and a project that would help a freight railroad expand its switching yards in the Inland Empire.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced legislation Nov. 21 that would extend to Amtrak the ability to sue freight railroads if it believes that they are failing to give preference to passenger rail operating on their rail lines, as federal law requires.

While local and state officials stress the need for transportation infrastructure improvements, they also have concerns and questions about the governor’s plan for tolls.

Last week’s vote in Washington state to roll back car registration fees has scrambled transportation budgets. But Pacific Northwest rail advocates are undeterred in pursuing their vision of a bullet train connection among Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, Canada.