Washington State Department of Transportation

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT) was established in 1905. The agency, led by a Secretary and overseen by the Governor, is a Washington governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of the state's transportation infrastructure. WSDOT is responsible for more than 20,000 lane-miles of roadway, nearly 3,000 vehicular bridges and 524 other structures. This infrastructure includes rail lines, state highways, state ferries (considered part of the highway system) and state airports

History

WSDOT was originally founded as the Washington State Highway Board and the Washington State Highways Department on March 13, 1905, when then-governor Albert Mead signed a bill that gave $110,000 USD to fund new roads that linked the state. The State Highway Board was managed by State Treasurer, State Auditor, and Highway Commissioner Joseph M. Snow and the Board first met on April 17, 1905 to plan the 12 original state roads. The first state highway districts, each managed by a District Engineer, were established in 1918. During this period, the construction of highways began.

Utah Department of Transportation

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is an agency of the state government of Utah, United States; it is usually referred to by its initials UDOT (pronounced "you-dot"). UDOT is charged with maintaining the more than 6,000 miles (9,700 km) of roadway that constitute the network of state highways in Utah. The agency is headquartered in the Calvin L. Rampton state office complex in Taylorsville, Utah.

The Executive Director is Carlos Braceras and the Deputy Director is Shane Marshall. Project priorities are set forth by the independent Utah Transportation Commission, which coordinates directly with the UDOT's executive director.

Structure

UDOT maintains over 6,000 miles (9,700 km) of highways. The department strategic goals include preserve infrastructure, optimize mobility, zero fatalities and strengthen the economy. While the agency has maintenance stations throughout the state, for organizational purposes they are grouped into four regions.

References

Ministry of Transportation (Indonesia)

The Ministry of Transportation (Indonesian: Kementerian Perhubungan), formerly Department of Transportation or Departemen Perhubungan, is a government ministry responsible for the governance and regulation of transport in Indonesia. The Ministry is located in Jakarta.

List of Minister

Louisiana

Louisiana (ⁱ/luːˌiːziˈænə/ or ⁱ/ˌluːziˈænə/; French: État de Louisiane, [lwizjan]; Louisiana Creole: Léta de la Lwizyàn) is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Louisiana is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are the local government's equivalent to counties. The largest parish by population is East Baton Rouge Parish, and the largest by land area is Plaquemines. Louisiana is bordered by Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, Texas to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south.

Much of the state's lands were formed from sediment washed down the Mississippi River, leaving enormous deltas and vast areas of coastal marsh and swamp. These contain a rich southern biota; typical examples include birds such as ibis and egrets. There are also many species of tree frogs, and fish such as sturgeon and paddlefish. In more elevated areas, fire is a natural process in the landscape, and has produced extensive areas of longleaf pine forest and wet savannas. These support an exceptionally large number of plant species, including many species of orchids and carnivorous plants.

Louisiana (shipwreck)

The Louisiana was a steamboat that sank in Lake Michigan off the coast of Washington, Door County, Wisconsin, United States, during the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. In 1992 the shipwreck site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The Louisiana was constructed in Marine City, Michigan in 1887, while her engine was built at the Dry Dock Complex in Detroit, Michigan.

On November 2, 1913, the Louisiana departed from Lorain, Ohio to deliver a load of coal to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After completing her stop in Milwaukee, the Louisiana made way for Escanaba, Michigan to pick up a load of iron ore. In the early morning hours of November 8, the ship passed through Porte des Morts. Upon reaching the strait, she was greeted by a severe snowstorm. The captain attempted to take refuge at Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin, but the heavy seas and howling wind proved too strong for the ship's anchors to hold her in place, and she was run aground.

Despite the situation on board the Louisiana, the crew opted to remain aboard the vessel rather than taking the one small lifeboat they had out to the raging seas. However, a fire broke out in the cargo hold later in the morning and the crew members were left with no choice. A rescue ship had been deployed from Plum Island, but the breaking waves were too powerful for the ship to be able to reach the crew. In the end, the crew was able to make it to shore.

CenterPoint Energy Plaza

CenterPoint Energy Plaza (formerly Houston Industries Plaza) is a 741 feet (226 m) tall building in downtown Houston. The original building, finished in 1974, stood at 651 feet (198 m), but a 90-foot (27 m) extension was added as part of a 1996 renovation. Designed by Richard Keating, this renovation dramatically changed the building, the Houston Skyline and the downtown. Keating was also the designer of the nearby Wells Fargo Tower. It has the headquarters of CenterPoint Energy.

Historically the building housed the headquarters of Houston Industries (HI) and subsidiary Houston Lighting & Power (HL&P). In 1999 Houston Industries changed its name to Reliant Energy. When Reliant Energy moved out of the building and moved into the new Reliant Energy Plaza in 2003, the company left over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m²) of space vacant.

Around 1995 the building owners added a circle-shaped canopy that is five stories tall. Clifford Pugh of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "It was meant to resemble a lantern, but at night the lit open space looks more like a hovering spaceship."