It’s just before midnight in Urbana, Missouri. Typically this is a quiet hour in this rural town. But tonight is different. On the southern edge of Urbana, seven vehicles are stopped on Highway 65. Orange warning lights flash against the darkness. At the center of this scene is a monstrous 220,000-pound tractor-trailer. It’s carrying a […]

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, construction on the Interstate 74 Northern Beltway is ramping up. Workers are moving dirt, laying asphalt, and building roads and bridges. When completed, the I-74 urban loop will link central North Carolina and Virginia with Winston-Salem. The project could double economic growth in the area, according to one study. By itself, the interstate construction will create

Robots work in our factories. Robots vacuum our floors. If Dr. Genda Chen’s work is successful, robots might soon help us inspect and maintain bridges too. Chen is leading a research effort at Missouri University of Science and Technology to see how new technology can streamline and improve bridge inspections and maintenance. He envisions a future when flying drones with

It’s the year 2030 and you live in Liberty, Missouri. You’re also lucky because you have tickets to that evening’s Kansas City Royals game. How will you get there? If this scenario happened today, you’d likely drive your gas-powered vehicle to the stadium and pay $15 to park in the massive lots there. But with the changes happening in transportation

On some sections of Interstate 70 in Missouri, more than 13,000 trucks pass through each day, contributing to the interstate’s growing congestion issues. But what if there was some way to take a portion of those trucks off the interstate and use the rail system instead? That’s an idea being pursued by logistics expert and entrepreneur Jeff Schwartz, who has

Most people know how much their cell phone plans cost. Likewise, the cable bill is far from a mystery. But how much are you paying each month to maintain and improve Missouri’s transportation infrastructure? For the average driver, it turns out that’s around $30. Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, thinks it’s worth comparing that price to

It’s just before midnight in Urbana, Missouri. Typically this is a quiet hour in this rural town. But tonight is different. On the southern edge of Urbana, seven vehicles are stopped on Highway 65. Orange warning lights flash against the darkness. At the center of this scene is a monstrous 220,000-pound tractor-trailer. It’s carrying a white metal box roughly the