Category: Travel
Train project would derail needed road improvements
A recent proposal to restart the Amtrak rail connecting New Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile will not fix commuters’ woes. Instead, the proposed plan that would restore the route that existed between these cities before Hurricane Katrina would only make commuting worse for the residents of these three states. The commuters of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama […]
Abbott ends inspections that clogged commercial traffic at U.S.-Mexico border for more than a week
Gov. Greg Abbott reached a fourth and final deal — this one with Tamaulipas’ governor on Friday — to end state troopers’ increased inspections of commercial vehicles at international bridges that gridlocked commercial traffic throughout the Texas-Mexico border for more than a week. The latest deal should bring trade back to normal after Abbott-ordered enhanced […]
Restaurants may take too big a bite out of tourism dollars
A report on Oklahoma’s state parks indicates a contract between the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (ORTD) and a restaurant management company may be eating away at taxpayer dollars. The report from the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) showed significant growth in expenditures for the state park lodge restaurants through a contract with restaurant vendor Swadley’s. […]
SDOT pilot program gives seniors, disabled $20 transit, Uber, taxi vouchers
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced a pilot program called “Ride Now” that will give applicants over the age of 65 and individuals with disabilities six free $20 vouchers a month access to rides through various services. The services that will accept these vouchers are Yellow Cab, Uber, Lyft, or transit stations like bus […]
Delays, closures and chaos mount at Texas-Mexico border crossings from new state inspections
Joel Estebane’s commercial truck had already been inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after crossing the bridge that connects Ciudad Juárez and El Paso on Tuesday afternoon — then he had to wait another hour in another line where Texas state troopers were questioning commercial drivers. Estebane, who was on his way to […]
International trade halted at Texas border crossings as truckers protest Greg Abbott’s new inspections
Commercial traffic at a key South Texas border crossing has stopped after Mexican truckers on Monday blocked north- and southbound lanes on the Mexico side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in protest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles — historically a job done by the federal government. […]
Greg Abbott’s call for more vehicle inspections at the border is causing delays and supply chain issues, locals say
Commercial vehicles trying to enter the United States to deliver products from Mexico have been backed up for hours at Texas ports of entry following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive on Wednesday that state troopers increase inspections. “This continues to add disruption to our supply chain,” said Ermilo Richer, the owner of a 100-year-old logistics company […]
Texas border officials worry that Greg Abbott’s order to increase vehicle inspections will hurt local economies
A day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced that his plan to conduct “enhanced safety inspections” of commercial vehicles crossing into Texas could “dramatically slow” traffic across the border, local officials and business groups are still trying to gauge the potential impact on their economy, which depends on trade with Mexico. “That’s one of the things […]
Oklahoma DOT introducing new Route 66 pavement markings
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is offering cities and counties new markers to help guide travelers who want to get their kicks on Route 66. ODOT is partnering with local governments in producing 21-feet by 8-feet black and white pavement markings along the famous route. Cities and counties that participate will pay for the […]
More residents believe tourism causes overcrowding in Montana
More Montana residents believe tourism has caused overcrowding, an annual survey by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITTR) found. A majority of the respondents across the state – 56% – agreed about the overcrowding. That level is 33% higher than 2020, and 75% more than in 2019, according to the report titled, “Montana Residents: Attitudes Towards […]