STA Newsletter
Issue # May - June 2021
A bi-monthly online journal providing news and background about activities undertaken by STA with a view to improving the methods, technologies and standards associated to transportation infrastructures.
Registration for new online STA Certified Courses is open
STA launches 3 new virtual Courses, taking place in September and October 2021.
The Courses take place 100% online and are tailored to be completed in 7.5 hours - spread out over one work week. They are led by STA members and renowned experts in their field, both from academia and the industry.
Click on the links below to find out more about each Course’s content and programme:
STA Certified Course on Sustainable Road Pavements (13/09-17/09/2021)
STA Certified Course on Transport Infrastructure Financing (20/09-24/09/2021)
STA Certified Course on Roadside Safety (04/10-08/10/2021)
SCALE-UP Project launched
Following the Project’s kick-off meeting, STA launched a dedicated website.
During a kick-off meeting, which lasted 3 days and included all SCALE-UP partners, STA took the opportunity as Work Package Leader to present WP9 and present a coherent dissemination & communication strategy.
The Project involves three important European Urban Nodes: Madrid (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium) and Turku (Finland). The goal of the Project is to test different mobility solutions and create strategies to upscale them reliably with replicable action steps for other Urban Nodes of any size.
“Already a 1% increase in infrastructure assets boosts gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.05% to 0.25% in the long term.”
NEWS OF INTEREST
European Commission welcomes the adoption of €373 billion Cohesion policy legislative package 2021-2027
The legislative procedure enters into force of the Cohesion legislation on 1 July. The package comprises the following Regulations:
Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) for shared management funds;
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) Regulation;
European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Regulation;
Interregional Regulation for European territorial cooperation.
A difficult way back for post-pandemic public transport infrastructure financing
Passenger number have dropped dramatically during the pandemic and are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Spending on infrastructure development and maintenance however have not ceased. The way forward seems to lie in innovative funding models, which are less reliant on passengers and more resiliant public transport systems.
Using recycled face masks in hot mix asphalt to pave the roads of tomorrow
Researchers are currently exploring the possiblity of using the polymer fibers in recycled masks in hot mix asphalt. This may support the asphalt in resisting rutting during the first few years after the road has been paved.