ReportWire

Tag: Transportation

  • Criminal case against Boeing over deadly 737 Max crashes dismissed by judge

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    In a written decision issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor approved the federal government’s request to dismiss its case against Boeing as part of a deal that requires the aircraft maker to pay or invest an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for the crash victims’ families, and internal safety and quality measures.

    What You Need To Know

    • A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a criminal conspiracy charge against Boeing related to two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people

    • U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor approved the federal government’s request on Thursday

    • The deal requires Boeing to pay or invest an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families, and internal safety measures

    • The ruling follows a September hearing where victims’ relatives urged the judge to appoint a special prosecutor

    The ruling came after an emotional hearing in early September when relatives of some of the victims urged O’Connor to reject the deal and instead appoint a special prosecutor to take over the case.

    All passengers and crew members died when the planes went down off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019. Prosecutors had alleged that Boeing deceived government regulators about a flight-control system that was later implicated in the fatal flights.

    The long-running case has taken many twists and turns since the Justice Department first charged the American aerospace company in January 2021 with defrauding the U.S. government, including a failed deal that would have required Boeing to plead guilty. That plea agreement fell through after O’Connor did not approve it.

    Airlines began flying the Max in 2017. After the Ethiopia crash, the planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months while the company redesigned the flight-control software.

    The Justice Department had said it believed the latest agreement served the public interest more effectively than taking the case to trial and risking a jury verdict that might spare the company further punishment. It also said the families of 110 crash victims either support resolving the case before it reaches trial or did not oppose the deal.

    Meanwhile, more than a dozen relatives spoke at the Sept. 3 hearing, some of whom traveled to Texas from as far as Europe and Africa. They are among nearly 100 families who opposed the agreement.

    Catherine Berthet, who traveled from France, had asked the judge to send the case to trial.

    “Do not allow Boeing to buy its freedom,” she said. Her daughter, Camille Geoffroy, died when a 737 Max crashed shortly after takeoff from Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

    The yearslong case centers around a software system that Boeing developed for the 737 Max, which began flying in 2017.

    In both of the deadly crashes, that software pitched the nose of the plane down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor, and pilots flying for Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines were unable to regain control. After the Ethiopia crash, the planes were grounded worldwide for 20 months.

    Investigators found that Boeing did not inform key Federal Aviation Administration personnel about changes it had made to the software before regulators set pilot training requirements for the Max and certified the airliner for flight.

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    Associated Press

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  • Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to buy downtown bus terminal, plan shocked local alderman

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    Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration plans to buy and rehabilitate Chicago’s downtown bus station, a Johnson spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.

    Johnson’s team champions the plan to take over and fix up the terminal as a needed bid to save the low-cost transportation method’s viability in the city. But the $50 million move came as a surprise to Ald. Bill Conway, whose ward includes the location.

    “I think that trying to do it in the dead of night shows, really shows the lack of collaboration that this administration continues to show,” Conway said.

    Conway, 34th, said he first learned of the planned purchase Monday while reviewing a list of planned tax increment financing expenditures for his ward.

    According to the report he showed the Tribune at City Hall Wednesday evening, Johnson’s administration plans to use $35 million next year and another $15 million in 2027 to purchase and rehabilitate the building.

    Johnson spokesperson Cassio Mendoza said Wednesday the city expects to spend just north of $19 million to purchase the property, with the rest of the funds expected to go to refurbishment. The city will assess whether the site has structural problems or only needs cosmetic work done, he said.

    Tax increment financing district proceeds are held separately from the city’s coffers, and the booming districts in and around downtown usually raise the most money as property values in those areas rise rapidly. Progressives have long derided as mayoral slush funds the so-called “TIFs” that pull in property tax revenue that would otherwise go to the city, schools, county and parks.

    The facility is currently owned by Twenty Lake Holdings, the real estate division of private equity firm Alden Global Capital. Alden also owns the Chicago Tribune through its Media News Group subsidiary.

    Twenty Lake did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

    The station’s future — and the future of intercity buses in Chicago — have hung in limbo since August 2024, when the long-term lease for Flix, the company that owns Greyhound, ended at the building. The company has been on a month-to-month lease ever since.

    Flix did not answer questions about the reported sale plans.

    With the terminal’s future uncertain, fears have lingered that Chicago could become the largest city in the Northern Hemisphere without an intercity bus terminal.

    Mendoza called Greyhound “the most economical form of intercity transport.” Many of the people who use the buses are low-income, disabled and unemployed, he said.

    “The Johnson administration made the decision to purchase the station using TIF dollars to ensure it will continue to serve as a transportation hub,” Mendoza said.

    People wait in the Greyhound bus station in the Near West Side neighborhood on April 17, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

    He wrote that the purchase is in the “initial phase” and said additional bus lines are expected to eventually come to the terminal. The alternative to purchasing would have been bus riders being picked up curbside, Mendoza said.

    “We have seen that this method has been dysfunctional in other cities, which has already led some cities to reverse course,” he said, adding the practice would be nonviable in Chicago’s harsh winters.

    Conway said he does not yet have a position on the measure, which he said will require approval in the City Council. He said he does not yet have enough information and has largely learned about developments in the plan through the media, which he argued raises red flags.

    “I am concerned that here we are for a second year in a row where this mayor is raising fines and fees on the working people of this city and finds it appropriate to give $20 million to a private equity firm,” Conway said.

    “$30 million to rehab a station that’s already in existence, at a time when the city’s in financial straits, seems like a lot,” he added. “But I haven’t seen what the plan is yet, so I don’t want to totally prejudge it.”

    Conway added that Johnson is “sorely mistaken” if the mayor believes he can spend $50 million “of taxpayer money” without first getting City Council approval.

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    Jake Sheridan, Talia Soglin

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  • Pedestrian hit by RTD train at Peoria Station in Aurora

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    An Aurora pedestrian was struck by a train Wednesday morning after trespassing on the tracks as the A-Line approached, according to the Regional Transportation District.

    The unidentified victim was a “trespasser” because the Peoria Station crossing areas were closed to pedestrians for the incoming train at the time of the incident, RTD spokesperson Tara Broghammer said.

    “When an individual enters railroad property anywhere other than a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing, or when either crossing is closed, it is illegal and considered trespassing,” Broghammer said in an email to The Denver Post.

    Broghammer said the victim was hit just after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, and paramedics took the person to a hospital with unknown injuries at 7:50 a.m. At that time, the pedestrian was still alive.

    No one on the A-Line commuter rail train was injured, and buses temporarily replaced the train between the Central Park and 40th & Airport Boulevard stations while police investigated, Broghammer said.

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  • FAA Plan to Cut Flights Might Not Be an Utter Nightmare

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    The US Federal Aviation Administration plans to cut 10 percent of flights in 40 high-traffic airports on Friday morning if Congress fails to reopen the federal government by then, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy and FAA chief Bryan Bedford said Wednesday.

    The announcement came days after the US agency said it faced widespread shortages of air traffic controllers in half of the country’s 30 busiest airports and hours-long security lines caused by absences of Transportation Security Administration agents. Federal workers have now gone 35 days without a paycheck amid the longest government shutdown in US history.

    Which flights might be canceled, and where, “is data-based,” Duffy said Wednesday. “This is based on, where is the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure?”

    When passengers fly, “they are going to make it to their destinations safely, because we’ve done our work,” Duffy said.

    The FAA did not immediately respond to WIRED’s questions, and it’s unclear whether the flight cut will affect only commercial airlines or cargo and private flights as well. A 10 percent reduction in scheduled commercial flights at 40 airports could lead to some 4,000 to 5,000 canceled flights per day.

    For airlines and travelers, a sudden cut in flights will likely lead to some serious logistical headaches. Duffy earlier this week warned of air travel “mass chaos” should the shutdown drag on.

    But airlines have some experience responding to sudden flight reductions due to staffing issues, says Michael McCormick, a former FAA official who now heads the Air Traffic Management program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

    In the spring of 2023, during another period of air traffic controller shortages, the FAA allowed airlines to reduce their capacities in New York–area airports. (Such reductions usually force airlines to forfeit the right to a takeoff or landing; the FAA temporarily nixed that penalty.) In response, airline schedulers were able to quickly “up-gauge,” compensating for the reduced number of flights by replacing small aircraft with larger ones. That way, cutting flights didn’t necessarily reduce the number of passengers flying overall.

    Should the FAA follow through on Friday, airlines will likely be able to pull off a similar up-gauging process, says McCormick. While flights will be canceled and passengers moved around, this could mean that plenty are still able to get to their destinations. The move might actually give airlines more time to prepare.

    “Under the current state, it’s unpredictable which airports are going to be impacted tomorrow,” he says. “This restores some predictability.”

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    Aarian Marshall

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  • Training and competition flights collided in fatal August crash at northern Colorado airport

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    A training flight and a pilot engaged in an “aerobatic competition” crashed in August at northern Colorado’s Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, killing one pilot and injuring three others, according to federal investigators.

    The two planes — a Cessna 172 and an Extra Flugzeugbau EA300, each carrying a pilot and a safety pilot — were trying to land on the same runway at the airport when they crashed and caught fire at about 10:40 a.m. on Aug. 31, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

    Federal investigators said the Cessna pilot was conducting flight instrument training at the airport with a safety pilot aboard, and he made multiple radio calls to alert the airport to his arrival.

    He heard two other airplanes in the traffic pattern, and that one had already landed, as he continued to approach, according to the report.

    The Extra 300 pilot was one of several competing at the airport that day, investigators said. He also made several radio calls stating his plan to land on runway 14, where the crash happened, after completing his flight sequence.

    According to the report, the Extra 300 pilot heard another competitor would be landing before him, but didn’t hear any other planes in the traffic pattern. The Extra 300 pilot told investigators that the Cessna appeared below him on final approach, with no time to maneuver or avoid the collision.

    The crashed planes came to a stop next to each other, off the edge of the runway, federal investigators said. A line of wreckage and debris extended roughly 500 feet from the planes, including separated wings and propellers.

    Both people in the Cessna exited the plane with minor injuries, according to NTSB. The Extra 300 pilot sustained serious injuries but was able to get out of his aircraft. Federal officials said a post-crash fire prevented him from saving the safety pilot still trapped inside.

    The safety pilot, 35-year-old Kristen Morris of Denver, died from her injuries, according to the International Aerobatic Club, which was hosting the competition that day.

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  • Runaway semi crashes over edge of Colorado mountain pass, killing New York driver

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    A New York man driving a semitrailer in southern Colorado died Monday after crashing over the edge of a mountain pass, according to the state patrol.

    A man was killed Nov. 3, 2025, after the semitruck he was driving on U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs went over the side, throwing him from the cab. (Courtesy of Colorado State Patrol)

    The man, 23, was driving south on a section of U.S. 160 near Pagosa Springs known as Wolf Creek Pass when he hit the barrier wall on the right side of the highway and bounced off, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol.

    He then swerved through the guardrail on the highway’s left side, rolling the semitrailer down the mountain, investigators said in the release.

    Both the trailer and the cab were destroyed in the crash, which happened at about 8:20 a.m. Monday, according to the agency.

    The man was driving at an “excessive speed” with smoke coming from the brakes before the crash, state patrol officials said. He failed to take the runaway truck ramp about 1 1/2 miles before the crash site.

    Investigators could not immediately find the driver amid the “large debris scene” that spread from the highway down the mountain because his body was ejected from the vehicle in the crash, state patrol officials said. The man, who has not been publicly identified, was later found dead.

    The semitrailer split open during the initial crash on the highway, spilling its cargo of canned drinks across the pass before rolling down the mountain, according to investigators.

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  • Delays hamper BART riders after maintenance and police activity

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    OAKLAND — BART passengers were experiencing delays Sunday due to maintenance operations and police activity that hampered trips on sections of the Bay Area transit system.

    In one occurrence, a 10-minute delay had occurred Sunday morning at the Coliseum station in Oakland in the direction of Daly City due to police activity. It wasn’t disclosed which law enforcement agency was involved. By 9:30 a.m., that delay had ended.

    BART also reported Sunday morning that a 10-minute delay was underway on the San Francisco line in the direction of Berryessa in San Jose, Antioch, and Millbrae due to overnight track maintenance. By 10 a.m., that advisory had ended.

    In recent months, BART passengers have suffered through mammoth delays and systemwide shutdowns that snarled the regional transit system.

    In May, a fire near the San Leandro station disrupted service on the lines to the Berryessa (San Jose), Dublin and Lake Merritt (Oakland) stations.

    In September, the entire BART system shut down due to a computer failure that halted service through the Transbay Tube for several hours.

    In October, an equipment problem on the track in the Transbay Tube snarled trips through the underwater connection between Oakland and San Francisco for three hours during the morning commute.

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    George Avalos

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  • Semi-truck of soda spills out in Chelan County, WA

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    CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. – It was a messy morning on Chelan County roads as slick roads led to a rollover crash along State Route 97. Traffic was diverted to SR-150 to SR-97A as clean up crews worked to reopen lanes.

    The semi-truck was hauling a shipment of soda on Saturday morning when it slid and crashed on its side. Both lanes were blocked and shut down as troopers with the Washington State Patrol arrived on scene. 

    Chelan County semi crash on Nov. 1, 2025.

    Southbound traffic was diverted Saturday morning in Chelan County after a semi-truck rollover crash

    Law enforcement officials in the area are advising motorists to look for alternate routes if they are traveling in the area on Nov. 1. 

    Overturned semi-truck in Chelan County

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    Ramsey.Pfeffinger@fox.com (Ramsey Pfeffinger)

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  • Work on WA’s Vantage Bridge paused for the season

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    VANTAGE, Wash. – Work on I-90 along central Washington’s Vantage Bridge has paused for the season, after months of lane closures and construction work.

    Since last spring, crews have been working to repair the aging bridge deck, and the project has been ongoing since 2024. During that time, the speed limit was reduced, lanes were closed, and space was limited while trailers, equipment and trucks were parked on the bridge.

    Contractors wrapped up work for the season on Friday, ahead of the typical freezing central Washington weather expected this winter.

    What’s next:

    All lanes of the bridge are now back open, and the nine-foot width restrictions have been removed. Traffic officials note the 55 mph speed limit remains in effect, as well as some rough transitions between the old and new sections of the bridge deck.

    Work is scheduled to resume next spring.

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    The Source: Information in this story comes from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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    Connor.Sarles@fox.com (Connor Sarles)

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  • Vehicle collisions with wildlife spike 16% in Colorado after fall time change

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    LITTLETON – For deer,  the fall time change Sunday morning means trouble: a 16% spike in collisions with vehicles over the following week, despite years of safety campaigns and the construction of 75 special crossings along highways.

    Drivers in Colorado collided with at least 54,189 wild animals over the past 15 years, according to newly compiled Colorado Department of Transportation records. That’s far fewer than in many other states, such as Michigan, where vehicle-life collisions often number more than 50,000 in one year.

    The carnage — especially this time of year — increasingly occurs where animals face the most people along the heavily populated Front Range, beyond the mountainous western half of the state that holds much of the remaining prime habitat, state records show.

    State leaders and wildlife advocates gathered on Thursday near one of the crossings along the high-speed C-470 beltway in southwest metro Denver to launch a safety campaign.

    “We’ve made wildlife crossings a priority in our rural areas, and also increasingly in urban areas,” CDOT Director Shoshana Lew said. “We cannot put underpasses and overpasses everywhere. Particularly at this time of year, we urge everyone to be careful of wildlife.”

    Lew credited the crossings with containing collision numbers that could be much higher in Colorado, given the traffic and the prevalence of deer and other wild animals. Most of the state’s highway construction projects, such as the work on Interstate 25 north of Colorado Springs that includes a large wildlife bridge, will factor in wildlife safety needs, Lew said.

    The risk of collisions spikes this time of year due to deer and elk migrating to lower elevations, bringing more animals across highways. The end of daylight saving time also plays a role as more drivers navigate roads during the relatively low-visibility hours before and after sunset, when deer often move about.

    In Colorado, the 54,189 vehicle-animal collisions that CDOT recorded from 2010 through 2024 caused the deaths of 48 vehicle occupants and more than 5,000 injuries. The animals breakdown: 82% deer, 11% elk, 2% bears.

    Ten counties where vehicles hit the most animals during that period included five along the Front Range — Douglas, Jefferson, El Paso, Larimer, and Pueblo — with a combined total of 12,791 collisions, state records show. That compares with 11,068 in the other five counties in western Colorado — La Plata, Montezuma, Garfield, Moffat, and Chaffee.

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  • Air traffic controller shortages lead to broader US flight delays as shutdown nears one-month mark

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    Continued staffing shortages in air traffic control facilities around the country were again causing delays at airports on Friday as the government shutdown neared the one-month mark.U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers would start to see more flights delayed or canceled as the nation’s controllers continue to work without pay during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1.“Every day there’s going to be more challenges,” Duffy told reporters Thursday outside the White House after a closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance and aviation industry leaders to talk about the shutdown’s impact on U.S. travel.The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing shortages were causing flight delays Friday at a number of airports, including in Boston, New York City, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, and Newark, New Jersey. Airports in Boston, Nashville, and New York City were experiencing delays averaging two hours or longer.Staffing shortages can happen at regional control centers overseeing multiple airports, as well as in airport towers, but they don’t always result in flight disruptions.Aviation analytics firm Cirium says flight data showed a “broader slowdown” Thursday across the U.S. aviation system for the first time since the shutdown began, suggesting staffing-related disruptions may be spreading.On Thursday, many major U.S. airports reported below-average on-time performance, with fewer flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times, according to Cirium. The data does not distinguish between the different causes of delays, such as staffing shortages or bad weather.Staffing-related delays at Orlando’s airport on Thursday, for example, averaged nearly four and a half hours for some time, according to the FAA.Most controllers are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage, and other expenses unless controllers call out.Duffy said controllers are also struggling to get to work because they can’t afford to fill up their cars with gas. Controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.“For this nation’s air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full month’s pay or more is simply not sustainable,” Nick Daniels, president of NATCA, said Friday in a statement.Last weekend, a shortage of controllers led to the FAA issuing a brief ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. Flights were held at their originating airports for about two hours Sunday until the FAA lifted the ground stop.Some U.S. airports have stepped in to provide food donations and other support for federal aviation employees working without pay, including controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents.Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

    Continued staffing shortages in air traffic control facilities around the country were again causing delays at airports on Friday as the government shutdown neared the one-month mark.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers would start to see more flights delayed or canceled as the nation’s controllers continue to work without pay during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1.

    “Every day there’s going to be more challenges,” Duffy told reporters Thursday outside the White House after a closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance and aviation industry leaders to talk about the shutdown’s impact on U.S. travel.

    The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing shortages were causing flight delays Friday at a number of airports, including in Boston, New York City, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, and Newark, New Jersey. Airports in Boston, Nashville, and New York City were experiencing delays averaging two hours or longer.

    Staffing shortages can happen at regional control centers overseeing multiple airports, as well as in airport towers, but they don’t always result in flight disruptions.

    Aviation analytics firm Cirium says flight data showed a “broader slowdown” Thursday across the U.S. aviation system for the first time since the shutdown began, suggesting staffing-related disruptions may be spreading.

    On Thursday, many major U.S. airports reported below-average on-time performance, with fewer flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times, according to Cirium. The data does not distinguish between the different causes of delays, such as staffing shortages or bad weather.

    Staffing-related delays at Orlando’s airport on Thursday, for example, averaged nearly four and a half hours for some time, according to the FAA.

    Most controllers are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage, and other expenses unless controllers call out.

    Duffy said controllers are also struggling to get to work because they can’t afford to fill up their cars with gas. Controllers missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.

    “For this nation’s air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full month’s pay or more is simply not sustainable,” Nick Daniels, president of NATCA, said Friday in a statement.

    Last weekend, a shortage of controllers led to the FAA issuing a brief ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. Flights were held at their originating airports for about two hours Sunday until the FAA lifted the ground stop.

    Some U.S. airports have stepped in to provide food donations and other support for federal aviation employees working without pay, including controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents.

    Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

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  • Air Traffic Controllers Just Missed Their First Paycheck—Here’s What it Means for Travel

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    Air traffic controllers missed their first paychecks Tuesday amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. One controller, Zac Ploch, is speaking out. 

    With 10 years of experience, Ploch has spent the last three years working at Denver International Airport. He told FOX31 he worked nearly 60 hours last week, but yesterday his paycheck showed zeros. Expenses are stacking up for federal workers, he says.

    “Mortgage statements, credit card bills, light bills, gas in my car, or electric in some people’s cars, just to get to and from work, to be able to get to their job that doesn’t wait, that doesn’t take an ‘IOU,’” Ploch says. 

    The Federal Aviation Administration was already nearly three thousand controllers short before the shutdown, as a reported 35% of FAA trainees fail to complete the 3-month course. Now, the program is facing another challenge: future air traffic controllers currently undergoing training are having second thoughts. 

    “I’m getting word now from Oklahoma city where I have young air traffic controller students who are now telling me, ‘what the hell am I doing? Why am I going to take this job?’” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told NPR last week. “They’re thinking about leaving the academy, smart young men and women, because they don’t want to work for a system that won’t pay them.” 

    The training academy is able to operate with funding through the end of November, meaning trainees are still getting paid, says National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Nick Daniels. But as soon as they graduate, the pay is uncertain. 

    “[A]ir traffic controllers don’t start or stop government shutdowns—politicians do,” Daniels said in a statement. “Yet right now, the people who keep our skies safe and our nation moving are doing their job without a paycheck.” 

    Controllers handed out leaflets across 22 airports this week to educate travelers about the impact of the shutdown. For now, they continue to work up to six days a week, 10 hours a day, without compensation. 

    In a Tuesday press conference, Duffy said that while air travel will remain safe, it may not be on time if airports can’t keep enough air traffic controllers working.

    “If we have issues, we will slow it down, we will stop it, and so I don’t want anyone to think it’s not safe, it’s just that you may not be traveling on the schedule you anticipated,” Duffy said.

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    Ava Levinson

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  • Multi-car crash blocks several lanes of eastbound I-90 on Mercer Island, WA

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    MERCER ISLAND, Wash. – Firefighters are at the scene of a multi-car crash on eastbound I-90 on Mercer Island Wednesday morning. 

    The crash happened at about 6 a.m. near the eastbound off-ramp to Island Crest Way.

    As of 6:30 a.m., the crash scene was blocking all mainline lanes. 

    The Seattle Fire Department reported the crash involved five cars and one person was trapped in a car. 

    Crews extricated the person out of the vehicle, and fire officials said the person was stable. 

    The Washington State Department of Transportation said drivers should expect delays in the area. 

    This is a developing story and will be updated. 

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    The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Fire Department and the Washington State Department of Transportation. 

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    FOX.13.Seattle.Digital.Team@fox.com (FOX 13 Seattle Digital Team)

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  • Bike, pedestrian improvements celebrated at North Berkeley BART Station

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    BERKELEY — Significant bicycle and pedestrian improvements have been completed at the North Berkeley BART Station, paving the way for better connections for hundreds of future neighborhood residents.

    Berkeley councilmembers, electeds from neighboring cities, city staff and community members gathered Monday to celebrate the completion of the North Berkeley Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Project.

    As part of the project, a section of the Ohlone Greenway, a 5.3-mile bike and pedestrian path, was widened between Acton and Virginia streets. Also added were separate two-way cycle tracks leading to BART entrances from Acton and Sacramento streets and two new bike lockers in the plaza, among other improvements.

    The project was funded partly by the transportation agency’s Safe Routes to BART grant program which is supported by BART Measure RR funds, a tax measure approved by voters in 2016. An additional $3.4 million in grants were awarded to the project through the state’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program.

    “As Senator, I am proud that the state supports sustainable transportation projects,” State Sen. Jesse Arreguín, D-Oakland, said in a statement. Arreguín also noted his support for similar projects when he served as Berkeley mayor.

    About 61% of all trips made to the North Berkeley BART Station are done by walking or biking, according to the agency’s 2015 Station Profile Study. The improvements are meant to support those already walking and biking to the station while making those modes of transportation more appealing to others.

    BART Director Barnali Ghosh said he’s “thrilled” to see the project complete.

    “These improvements make it safer and easier for people to walk, bike, and connect to BART. Delivering these community benefits years before the first North Berkeley TOD building opens reflects BART’s strong and lasting commitment to North Berkeley,” Ghosh said in a statement.

    The project is part of a larger overhaul of the North Berkeley BART Station property. Working with the city and a team of housing developers, the transportation agency plans to welcome nearly 750 new homes on about 5.5 acres of land currently being used for station parking.

    North Berkeley Housing Partners, the development team, is made up of three affordable housing nonprofits – BRIDGE Housing, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation and Insight Housing – and one market-rate housing developer, AvalonBay Communities.

    The new homes will be spread across five buildings that will be developed in phases. Construction was expected to begin in either 2025 or 2026. Half of the new units will be listed as affordable to people making up to 80% of the area median income. That’s about $127,000 annually for a family of four living in Alameda County, according to the state’s 2025 income limits.

    Bound by Delaware, Sacramento, Virginia and Acton streets, the project site will also feature about 60,000 square feet of open space, a diagonal connection to the Ohlone Greenway that cuts through the center of the site and ground floor retail and childcare.

    “The North Berkeley access improvements are just the beginning,” Mayor Adena Ishii said in a statement. “With more than 700 homes approved at North Berkeley BART and a similar number planned at Ashby, we’re showing that Berkeley can build more housing while making it easier for everyone to move safely and sustainably through our community.”

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    Sierra Lopez

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  • Bullfrog Road overpass repairs to bring nighttime I-90 closures in WA

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    CLE ELUM, Wash. – Westbound I-90 near Cle Elum will face periodic nighttime closures once crews begin replacing part of an overpass damaged by a semi-truck, officials said.

    damaged bridge photo

    The Bullfrog Road overpass was struck by an over-height semi on Tuesday night, Oct. 21. Contractor crews hired by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) worked for 22 hours straight to remove the damaged portion of the overpass and reopen westbound I-90.

    When will I-90 near Cle Elum close for Bullfrog Road overpass repairs?

    According to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office, the westbound lanes will remain open until WSDOT replaces the overpass, which will require full closures on a limited basis. Officials said most of the work is expected to happen overnight, with daytime closures possible if necessary. 

    What they’re saying:

    “Thank you to the WSDOT crews and contractors who moved quickly to reopen westbound I-90,” Governor Ferguson said. “Our work to repair the damage is just beginning. The loss of this overpass severely impacts the Cle Elum, Roslyn and Suncadia areas. We will work as quickly as possible to replace this vital connection for the community.”

    How long will Bullfrog Road overpass repairs take?

    Timeline:

    An updated timeline for the repair is expected by December, according to Ferguson’s office. WSDOT engineers are designing the new section of the overpass and developing a plan to allow rapid construction.

    About 17,000 vehicles travel this section of I-90 each day, and about 1,500 cross the overpass daily. Travelers will learn more about potential impacts once design plans are finalized in December.

    truck hit overpass photo

    What to expect during I-90 overpass construction near Cle Elum?

    When construction begins, drivers can expect full closures on westbound I-90, with traffic detoured over the on- and off-ramps.

    How is WA paying for I-90 overpass repairs?

    Ferguson’s emergency proclamation allows the state to seek federal reimbursement for repair costs. The Federal Highway Administration is expected to continue supporting the project despite the ongoing federal government shutdown. 

    WSDOT also plans to seek reimbursement from the truck operator or other responsible parties. The Washington State Patrol stopped the driver, and its Commercial Vehicle Services Division is investigating.

    The Source: Information in this story comes from a press release by Governor Bob Ferguson’s Office.

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    Jim.Jensen@fox.com (Jim Jensen)

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  • Quiet Supersonic X-59 Jet Soars Over California in Unofficial First Test Flight

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    PALMDALE, California (Reuters) -NASA’s X-59 supersonic-but-quiet jet airplane soared over the Southern California desert on Tuesday in the first test flight of an experimental aircraft designed to break the sound barrier without all the noise.

    The sleek aircraft, measuring just under 100 feet (30 meters) from nose to tail, took off about an hour after sunrise from a runway at Plant 42 of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, about 60 miles (100 km) north of Los Angeles.

    After a steep climb over sod fields just east of the runway, the plane was seen banking to the north on a trajectory toward Edwards Air Force Base, about a dozen miles away, where it was expected to land. It was accompanied by a NASA chase plane.

    The single-engine X-59 appeared to fly at subsonic speeds, as was expected for its initial test flight.

    A crowd of about 200 aerospace workers and their families watched the takeoff from a safe distance parked along a nearby highway.

    A Lockheed Martin spokesperson, Candis Roussel, told Reuters in a brief email statement that the “X-59 successfully completed its first flight this morning” and hailed it as a “significant aviation milestone.” She said the company would provide details later.

    The X-59, a one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft, is built to reach a cruising speed of 925 mph (1,490 kph), or Mach 1.4, at an altitude of 55,000 feet (16,764 meters), more than twice as high and roughly 60% faster than typical airliners fly.

    The plane’s unique shape is designed to greatly reduce the explosive-like sonic boom normally produced when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, lowering the volume to a muffled “sonic thump” no louder than slamming a car door.

    Perfection of such low-decibel flight technology could make supersonic aircraft more conducive to commercial aviation service, especially over populated areas.

    The supersonic Concorde aircraft began scheduled transatlantic flights with British Airways and Air France in 1976. But the plane was retired in 2003 due to high operating costs, limited seating and sluggish passenger numbers following a fatal crash in July 2000 and the September 11 attacks in 2001.

    In press materials posted online last month, NASA said the X-59’s first flight would be a “lower-altitude loop at about 240 mph (386 kph) to check system integration, kicking off a phase of flight testing focused on verifying the aircraft’s airworthiness and safety.”

    During subsequent test flights, the X-59 will travel higher and faster, eventually exceeding the speed of sound – approximately 761 mph (1,225 kph) at sea level.

    The California Manufacturers & Technology Association earlier this month named the X-59 as 2025’s “Coolest Thing Made in California” in its annual statewide technology contest.  

    (Reporting by David Swanson in Palmdale, California; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Howard Goller)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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    Reuters

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  • Carvana Survived Its Stock Crashing—Twice—by Following This 1 Simple Rule

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    Going to a car dealer to purchase new wheels is generally considered to be unpleasant and stressful. “It’s not the most beloved consumer experience,” Ernie Garcia, Carvana’s founder and CEO, said last week at the Inc. 5000 Conference in Phoenix. 

    That dealership pain point is where Garcia saw an opportunity to do things differently—to create a purchase process that involves “way less pressure” and doesn’t involve a customer stepping into “the back room for three hours.” 

    But along the way to providing an alternative more customer-friendly process, Carvana—which sells cars through an app and the web (no wheeling and dealing salesman needed)—hit some serious potholes. 

    Founded in 2012, with its first car sale in 2013, it went public in 2017. “We were horrible at raising money,” Garcia reflected, as to why it went public when it did. “We couldn’t raise money in Silicon Valley and we couldn’t get press to save our lives.” Garcia was joined on stage by Ryan Keeton, the company’s co-founder and chief brand officer, and they both spoke with Alex Roy, who founded the transportation-focused website the Autonocast and is also a co-founder and general partner at New Industry VC.  

    Looking back, Garcia said that he wasn’t aware of how much work the future held. “Like all entrepreneurs, we probably had no idea how much work that was going to be,” he said. “I think not knowing is like the best possible thing, because it causes you to jump, and then you’re kind of in too deep to do anything else. And I think that’s probably why our story has been such a roller coaster.” 

    As for that roller coaster: The company’s IPO in 2017 was lackluster. As CNBC reported at the time, the shares fell around 14 percent at first. It was “one of the worst IPOs in history, bless your hearts,” Roy commented. 

    Roy then explained that the company’s sales boomed during the pandemic, and its share price improved. It hit a high point in August 2021 of around $370, but then later that year and into 2022, the share price flatlined down to around $4. By the end of that year, sales had slowed down and the company had accumulated $3.7 billion in losses. Today, the price has recovered to over $300, but the company still has reported “substantial indebtedness” as of the end of last year.

    Despite Carvana’s rocky public offering, savvy technology and branding have helped the company bridge the gap between the customer and the vehicles they’re considering. A visit to the dealer lets someone kick a vehicle’s tires and inspect it for dings, but you can’t really do that online. To solve that, Carvana introduced a way to show customers comprehensive views of the exterior and interior of the cars. Fire up the app today, and you can virtually spin a vehicle around to see what it looks like from all angles outside, and do something similar for the interior, too. Creating the system to make all that possible demanded a serious investment. 

    “It was a significant amount of money to build these photo booths to capture these cars,” Keeton said, noting that they had to “create technology that stitches it all together so people can spin it around.” 

    “And because we’re introducing transparency, let’s do imperfections,” Keeton added. “Let’s actually show the things that aren’t necessarily perfect.” 

    The company is also known for its car vending machines—eye-catching towers full of cars that can distribute a vehicle to a customer after they feed in a coin, a bit like buying a supersized Coke. He said that if you ask people what they know about Carvana, “they know about the vending machines.” It may feel like a gimmick, he said, but it’s been a good way to acquire customers. 

    Ultimately, Keeton noted that figuring what to prioritize has helped the company; that involved having the “harder conversations” surrounding Carvana’s objectives.

    Garcia agreed. “‘Do the fewest number of things that you have to do to deliver a great customer experience’ is the best advice we can give,” he said, speaking to the audience of founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders in attendance at the Inc. 5000 Conference. 

    “Because if you’re in this room,” he added, “you’re an entrepreneur, you’re dumb, you jump and you probably are going to keep wanting to jump at more things. That’s probably who you are inside. And I think that that is like the separation point. You keep jumping at more and more things, you’re going to just take on too much and you’re gonna fall on your face. Learning how to figure out what to jump at, and what not to jump at, I think is the hardest thing there is.” 

    Watch the full panel below or at this link. 

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    Rob Verger

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  • Fatal crash shuts down multiple lanes of northbound I-25 in Lone Tree

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    Two lanes of northbound Interstate 25 were closed Tuesday morning in Lone Tree for a fatal crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

    As of 7:30 a.m., the lanes were closed at exit 192 for RidgeGate Parkway, causing roughly six miles of standstill traffic on the highway, according to CDOT. Cameras in the area showed traffic stretching back more than two exits, past Castle Pines and Happy Canyon Road.

    The single-car crash killed one person, Lone Tree spokesperson Melissa Gallegos said. The RidgeGate off-ramp is also closed for the police investigation.

    Additional information about the crash, including the cause, was not immediately available on Tuesday.

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    Lauren Penington

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  • Snow prompts I-70 closure near Silverthorne

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    Snow forced the closure of Interstate 70 between Silverthorne and Loveland Pass on Monday night.

    The highway was closed in both directions between exit 205, near Silverthorne, and exit 216, near Loveland Pass for safety concerns, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Images taken near the Eisenhower Tunnel show snowy roads and heavy traffic.

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    Seth Klamann

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  • Aurora water main break shuts down Alameda Avenue for repairs

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    Part of westbound Alameda Avenue in Aurora was shut down Monday morning for repairs after a water main break, according to city officials.

    The closure of westbound Alameda Avenue at Moline Street started at 7 a.m. Monday and is scheduled to last between 24 and 48 hours, according to Aurora Water.

    Drivers should use alternate routes and expect delays in the area, Aurora Water officials said.

    This is a developing story and may be updated.

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    Lauren Penington

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