Government

President Obama’s 2014 budget contains a one-time boost of $27 billion for “critical highway infrastructure” and cross-border roads to augment the $41 billion Congress has already authorized for highways next year.

At any given daylight moment, about 660,000 automobile drivers are using a cellphone or manipulating an electronic device, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

President Obama on Wednesday called for transportation budget increases of 5.5% in 2014 and 25% in 2015, though the president was criticized by the trucking industry for not providing adequate detail on how the increases would be funded.

The Kansas legislature has passed a measure initiated by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) that puts the secretary of transportation in charge of operations at the Kansas Turnpike, although the bill stipulates that turnpike toll revenue cannot be shifted to the Department of Transportation.

Volvo AB’s $900 million joint venture with China’s Dongfeng Motor Group Co. is on track to begin operations early next year, Volvo CEO Olof Persson said, according to Chinese press reports.

The Vermont Senate’s efforts to minimize an increase in the state’s gasoline tax could raise the diesel tax there by as much as 4 cents over the next two years, the Rutland (Vt.) Herald reported.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will miss an October deadline set by Congress to mandate electronic logging devices in all trucks, according to Administrator Anne Ferro.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is using new authority Congress granted it under last year’s transportation law to crack down on errant trucking firms and to reinforce safety regulations.

President Obama is expected to unveil a budget Wednesday that contains billions of dollars in new infrastructure funding as he steps up pressure on Congress to invest in the nation’s roads, bridges, ports and public transit.