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Traffic Reports and Road Conditions Across The USA

We monitor various state agencies and report on breaking news, project updates, events, surveys, policy, advisories, blogs, & more. We provide information for you to make good travel decisions before you get into your vehicle, and while you are traveling. Stay connected with HighwayNavigator for all the latest news and travel information, including up-to-the minute details on congestion, accidents, road/lane closures, construction projects and maintenance operations.

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8 dead after bus carrying farmworkers in Florida hit by truck, whose driver is charged with DUI-manslaughter

Eight people were dead and 40 others were hospitalized after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck and overturned early Tuesday in north central Florida, officials said.

The driver of the pickup, Bryan Maclean Howard, survived and was charged with eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter, said David Kerner, executive director of the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

"Our sympathies and prayers are with the families of the deceased," Kerner said in a statement. "Consistent with our duties, the Florida Highway Patrol will conduct both a thorough and exhaustive traffic crash and criminal investigation."

The deadly collision happened around 6:35 a.m. on a hilly and rain-slicked rural road about 80 miles north of Orlando, the highway patrol said.

The bus, a 2010 International, was heading west on State Road 40 when, "for unknown reasons," a 2001 Ford Ranger "traveled toward the centerline" and the vehicles sideswiped each other, Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Riordan told reporters.

The Mexican foreign secretary, Alicia Bárcena, said in a post on X late Tuesday that all eight of those killed were Mexican and all had temporary H-2A visa for agricultural workers. The Mexican consul in Orlando, Juan Sabines Guerrero, would assist the victims’ families, she said.

A GoFundMe page to raise money for the survivors, set up by the Farmworkers Association of Florida, has raised more than $32,000 so far.

Court records show that there are at least 23 previous criminal cases against Howard, including failure to wear a seatbelt, leaving the scene of a crash, possession of cannabis and careless driving.

The bus, which was carrying about 50 people, barreled off the roadway, went through a fence, struck a tree and overturned in a field, Riordan said.

Forty of the bus passengers were hospitalized, Riordan said. At least eight of them were critically injured, according to the Marion County Fire Rescue service, which had initially reported that 53 people had been injured.

Riordan warned there was a "high probability" that the death count could rise because many of the injured were "in very serious condition."

“At this point, we are conducting a massive traffic homicide investigation,” Riordan said.

The driver of the Ford pickup was also taken to the hospital with serious injuries, he said.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told reporters over 30 ambulances were at the scene and described the victims as “hard-working individuals.” He said the rain and the slick road conditions may have been factors in the crash.

Meanwhile, Dominique O’Connor of the Farmworker Association of Florida said it was trying to help local authorities aid the victims and their families, most of whom speak only Spanish and are not from the area.

"These workers are all here on H-2A work visas," O'Connor said.

The H-2A program allows certain U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs, O'Connor said.

In Orlando, the Mexican Consulate said on X that emergency telephone numbers are being made available for information about any Mexican people potentially involved in the crash or their family members.

The workers were headed to the family-owned Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando reported, citing the highway patrol. 

Cannon Farms announced on social media early Tuesday that it would be closed “out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.”

“Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident,” Cannon Farms said. “We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time.”

Calls to Cannon Farms went to a recorded message that said: "This is Cannon Farms. I just wanted to let everybody know that we are going to be closed due to a tragic accident. Please pray for the families of those involved and the losses of loved ones."

Olvera Trucking did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Ambulances took the injured to several local hospitals. And at the request of first responders, Marion County Public Schools used one of its buses to ferry some of the victims to hospitals.

AdventHealth Ocala said it was treating 16 patients: 12 in the main emergency department at AdventHealth Ocala and four at AdventHealth Timber Ridge ER, Dr. Rodrigo Torres, AdventHealth Ocala’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. 

Two HCA Florida Healthcare facilities in Ocala were also treating patients: seven in critical condition and two stable at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and one stable at HCA Florida West Marion Hospital. 

Breaking News Reporter

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

AAA Newsroom

Automotive, Travel, and Traffic Safety Information

Nearly 44 Million Travelers Leaving Town for Unofficial Start of Summer

Second highest memorial day holiday travel forecast since aaa began tracking in 2000.

WASHINGTON, DC (May 13, 2024) – AAA projects 43.8 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Memorial Day holiday travel period*. This year’s total number of travelers is a 4% increase over last year and comes close to matching 2005’s record of 44 million Memorial Day travelers.  

“We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “We’re projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019, which not only means we’re exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.”   

Road trips are expected to set a record. AAA projects 38.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the highest number for that holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000. The number of drivers this year is up 4% compared to last year and 1.9% higher than in 2019. Traveling by car is appealing for many people because of the convenience and flexibility it provides. AAA car rental partner Hertz says Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Boston and Las Vegas are the cities displaying the highest rental demand , with the busiest pick-up days projected to be Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24.  

This Memorial Day weekend drivers can expect similar gas prices as last year when the national average was roughly $3.57.  Pump prices rose this spring but have held somewhat steady in recent weeks. Prices may creep higher as the summer driving season gets underway. The wildcard remains the cost of oil, and unlike last year, there are now two wars – in the Middle East and Ukraine – that could roil the oil market.  

Airports are bracing for a spike in travelers. AAA expects 3.51 million air travelers this holiday weekend, an increase of 4.8% over last year and 9% jump compared to 2019. This will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005, when 3.64 million flew for the holiday as the travel industry finally rebounded post 9/11. This Memorial Day weekend, air ticket prices are comparable to last year. AAA booking data shows a 1% to 2% increase in prices for domestic flights. Several factors play into how much travelers pay for airfare, including destination, number of stops, and fare class. For example, passengers who book nonstop flights with seat selection and carry-on bags included will likely pay more than those who select basic economy with a layover.  

  Nearly two million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. AAA projects 1.9 million people will take these other modes of transportation, an increase of 5.6% compared to last year. “This category took the biggest hit during the pandemic with fewer people taking public transportation or not cruising at all,” Twidale said. “Now – five years later – we’re back to 2019 numbers. Travel demand has been soaring, and long holiday weekends create the perfect windows for getaways.”  

Best/Worst Times to Drive and Peak Congestion by Metro 

INRIX , a provider of transportation data and insights, says drivers leaving Thursday or Friday should hit the road early to avoid mixing with commuters. Travelers going back home on Sunday or Monday should avoid the afternoon hours when return trips will peak.   

“Travel times are expected to be up to 90% longer than normal. Travelers should stay up to date on traffic apps, 511 services, and local news stations to avoid sitting in traffic longer than necessary,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.  

Please note that the times listed below are for the time zone in which the metro is located.   

For example, Atlanta routes = ET and Los Angeles routes = PT

Source: INRIX   

Source: INRIX  

Top Destinations 

This Memorial Day weekend, travelers are seeking theme parks and entertainment venues in Orlando, New York, Las Vegas, and Southern California. Seattle, Anchorage, and Vancouver rank high because of the popularity of Alaska cruises this time of year. Florida beaches and cruise ports will also be packed. European cities dominate the international list. The top 10 domestic and international destinations below are based on AAA booking data.  

Travel Trends   

As travelers make plans for summer and beyond, AAA Travel has identified the following trends:  

• Bucket Lists : Travelers taking once-in-a-lifetime trips  
• Milestones : Families booking anniversary, retirement, and family reunion trips  
• Asia : More travelers interested in visiting Asia, especially Japan   
• Solo Trips : More people, especially women, interested in traveling by themselves  
• Luxury Vacations : More travelers seeking high-end cruises and tours  
• Trains : Many travelers interested in rail vacations across New England, Canada, and Europe  
• Adventure in Nature : Travelers booking trips to Antarctica, Africa, and South Pacific  

  Travel Agent Survey  

A recent survey of AAA travel agents highlights topics travelers are frequently discussing when booking trips:  

• Travel Insurance : 51 % of agents say more travelers are interested in protecting their trips  
• 77% of agents say ocean cruises  
• 70% of agents say all-inclusive vacations  
• 67% of agents say river cruises  

Holiday Travel Forecast Methodology   

In cooperation with AAA, S&P Global Market Intelligence (SPGMI) developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes. The economic variables used to forecast travel for the current holiday are leveraged from SPGMI’s proprietary databases. These data include macroeconomic drivers such as employment, output, household net worth, asset prices, including stock indices, interest rates, housing market indicators, and variables related to travel and tourism, including gasoline prices, airline travel, and hotel stays. AAA and SPGMI have quantified holiday travel volumes going back to 2000.   

Historical travel volume estimates come from DK SHIFFLET’s TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/Monitor SM . The PERFORMANCE/Monitor SM is a comprehensive study measuring the travel behavior of U.S. residents. DK SHIFFLET contacts over 50,000 U.S. households each month to obtain detailed travel data, resulting in the unique ability to estimate visitor volume and spending, identify trends, and forecast U.S. travel behavior, all after the trips have been taken.  

The travel forecast is reported in person-trips. In particular, AAA and SPGMI forecast the total U.S. holiday travel volume and expected mode of transportation. The travel forecast presented in this report was prepared the week of April 15, 2024.   

*Memorial Day Holiday Travel Period   

For this forecast, the Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 23 to Monday, May 27, 2024.   

AAA Travel Agent Survey Methodology 

AAA clubs distributed surveys to a random sample of their travel agents between March 18 and March 29, 2024 to understand recent traveler trends over the past 60 days. 186 AAA agent responses were collected from 13 AAA clubs (representing 97% of AAA membership overall as of February 2024).  

About AAA    

Started in 1902 by automotive enthusiasts who wanted to chart a path for better roads in America and advocate for safe mobility, AAA has transformed into one of North America’s largest membership organizations. Today, AAA provides roadside assistance, travel, discounts, financial and insurance services to enhance the life journey of 64 million members across North America, including 57 million in the United States. To learn more about all AAA has to offer or to become a member, visit AAA.com.   

About S&P Global   S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses, and individuals with the right data, expertise, and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges, and accelerate progress for the world. We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow today. For more information, visit  www.spglobal.com .   

About DKSA    

DK SHIFFLET boasts the industry’s most complete database on U.S. resident travel both in the U.S. and worldwide. Data is collected monthly from a U.S. representative sample, adding over 60,000 traveling households annually, and is used daily by leading travel organizations and their strategic planning groups. DK SHIFFLET is an MMGY Global company.   

About INRIX     

Founded in 2004, INRIX pioneered intelligent mobility solutions by transforming big data from connected devices and vehicles into mobility insights. This revolutionary approach enabled INRIX to become one of the leading providers of data and analytics into how people move. By empowering cities, businesses, and people with valuable insights, INRIX is helping to make the world smarter, safer, and greener. With partners and solutions spanning across the entire mobility ecosystem, INRIX is uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and transportation – whether it’s keeping road users safe, improving traffic signal timing to reduce delay and greenhouse gasses, optimizing last mile delivery, or helping uncover market insights. Learn more at INRIX.com.   

Statue of Lenin

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Red, yellow, green ... and white? Smarter vehicles could mean big changes for the traffic light

This undated photo provided by the University of Michigan College of Engineering shows vehicles as they drive through the Old Woodward Avenue and East Maple signalized intersection, which was retimed using the Optimized Signal as a Service (OSaaS), in Birmingham, Mich. Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago. (Jeremy Little/University of Michigan College of Engineering via AP)

This undated photo provided by University of Michigan College of Engineering shows Dr. Xingmin Wang, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, showing off a visualization of connected vehicle trajectory data insights which aid in the optimization of traffic signals. Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago. (Jeremy Little/University of Michigan College of Engineering via AP)

This undated photo provided by the University of Michigan College of Engineering shows Jim Lollar, Mcity test facility manager, as he works inside of a traffic control cabinet at the Mcity Test Facility, identical to ones found at signalized intersections across the country. Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago. (Jeremy Little/University of Michigan College of Engineering via AP)

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As cars and trucks get smarter and more connected, the humble lights that have controlled the flow of traffic for more than a century could also be on the cusp of a major transformation.

Researchers are exploring ways to use features in modern cars, such as GPS, to make traffic safer and more efficient. Eventually, the upgrades could do away entirely with the red, yellow and green lights of today, ceding control to driverless cars .

Henry Liu, a civil engineering professor who is leading a study through the University of Michigan, said the rollout of a new traffic signal system could be a lot closer than people realize.

“The pace of artificial intelligence progress is very fast, and I think it’s coming,” he said.

Traffic lights haven’t changed much in the U.S. over the years. Cleveland debuted what is considered the first “municipal traffic control system” in 1914, historian Megan Kate Nelson wrote for Smithsonian Magazine . Powered by the electricity from the city’s trolley line, engineer James Hodge’s invention featured two lights: red and green, the colors long used by railroads. A police officer sitting in a booth on the sidewalk had to flip a switch to change the signal.

A few years later, Detroit police officer William Potts is credited with adding the yellow light, though as a city employee he couldn’t patent it. By 1930, Nelson wrote, all major American cities and many smaller ones had at least one electrical traffic signal .

The advent of connected and automated vehicles, though, has presented a world of new possibilities for traffic signals.

Among those reimagining traffic flows is a team at North Carolina State University led by Ali Hajbabaie, an associate engineering professor. Rather than doing away with today’s traffic signals, Hajbabaie suggests adding a fourth light, perhaps a white one, to indicate when there are enough autonomous vehicles on the road to take charge and lead the way.

“When we get to the intersection, we stop if it’s red and we go if it’s green,” said Hajbabaie, whose team used model cars small enough to hold. “But if the white light is active, you just follow the vehicle in front of you.”

Although Hajbabaie’s research refers to a “white phase” and possibly even a white light, the specific color isn’t important, he said. Current lights could even suffice, say, by modifying them to flash red and green simultaneously to signal that driverless cars are in charge. The key would be making sure that it’s universally adopted like the current signals are.

Using such an approach would be years away, as it would require 40% to 50% of vehicles on the road to be self-driving in order to work, Hajbabaie acknowledged.

Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp pointed out that the self-driving car subsidiary of Google’s parent company launched a fully autonomous ride-sharing service in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, even without the addition of a fourth traffic light.

“While it is good at this early stage of AV development that people are thinking creatively about how to facilitate the safe deployment of safe AVs, policymakers and infrastructure owners should be careful about jumping too soon on AV-specific investments that may turn out to be premature or even unnecessary,” Karp said in an email to The Associated Press.

University of Michigan researchers have taken a different approach. They conducted a pilot program in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham using insights from the speed and location data found in General Motors vehicles to alter the timing of that city’s traffic lights. The researchers recently landed a U.S. Department of Transportation grant under the bipartisan infrastructure law to test how to make the changes in real time.

Because the Michigan research deals with vehicles that have drivers, not fully autonomous ones, it could be much closer to wider implementation than what Hajbabaie is seeking.

Liu, who has been leading the Michigan research, said even with as little as 6% of the vehicles on Birmingham’s streets connected to the GM system, they provide enough data to adjust the timing of the traffic lights to smooth the flow.

The 34 traffic signals in Birmingham were chosen because, like more than half of the signals nationwide, they’re set to a fixed-time schedule without any cameras or sensors to monitor congestion. Liu said although there are higher-tech solutions to monitoring traffic, they require cities to make complex and expensive upgrades.

“The beauty of this is you don’t have to do anything to the infrastructure,” Liu said. “The data is not coming from the infrastructure. It’s coming from the car companies.”

Danielle Deneau, director of traffic safety at the Road Commission in Oakland County, Michigan, said the initial data in Birmingham only adjusted the timing of green lights by a few seconds, but it was still enough to reduce congestion. Even bigger changes could be in store under the new grant-funded research, which would automate the traffic lights in a yet-to-be announced location in the county.

US opens probe into Alphabet's Waymo over 'unexpected behavior' of self-driving vehicles

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Australian jobless rate rises in April, erasing risk of rate hike

Australian employment rose by more than expected in April, data showed on Thursday, but the jobless rate still climbed to a three-month top as the growth in workforce outpaced job creation.

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Disruptions Loom as 17 Air Traffic Controllers Balk at Job Relocation

The F.A.A. is clashing with workers over efforts to relocate them from New York to Philadelphia. Senator Chuck Schumer has denounced the plan.

By Kate Kelly

Reporting from Washington and Westbury, N.Y.

By late July, 17 air traffic controllers will be expected to trade in their headsets, walk out of their aging workplace on Long Island and report to a new office in Philadelphia, part of a plan to address a long-running problem with recruiting enough controllers to manage the skies around New York.

Despite the hefty incentives they have been offered to go along, the workers — unwilling to uproot themselves and their families — are balking at the move, and some powerful members of Congress are helping them fight back.

In a blistering letter sent to the Federal Aviation Administration last week, a group of New York lawmakers, including Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat and the majority leader, demanded that the agency abandon plans to force the employees’ relocation this summer.

The move places undue hardship on those workers, legislators argued. The “forced reassignments” by the F.A.A., Mr. Schumer and his colleagues wrote, are “both confusing and outrageous.” The controllers say their family lives would be disrupted, citing new marriages, disabled children and elderly parents they care for.

The fact that the Senate’s most powerful legislator would complain so loudly about a tiny group of workers underscores the power of the controllers’ nerve center in Westbury, N.Y. — an intense workplace whose formidable responsibilities, high-stress environment and strong personalities inspired a magazine story and the 1999 movie “Pushing Tin.”

The anger of the controllers and their supporters is clashing with the desperate effort by the F.A.A. to find and train enough employees willing to tackle the demands of ensuring the smooth and safe flow of aircraft in and out of the New York airspace — its most complex, by all accounts.

The New York hub has for years struggled with chronic vacancies, placing its recent staffing levels at some of the lowest levels in the nation. The F.A.A. hopes that shifting some of the responsibility for the work out of New York to a more affordable place to live will make it easier over time to recruit more controllers, leading to higher levels of staffing and, with that, increased air safety and efficiency.

But the agency’s plan also risks losing some of its more experienced controllers who are resistant to moving, which, perversely, could add to the staffing problems.

The relocations, which are scheduled for July 28, are necessary “to improve efficiency and ensure safety in this region,” Bridgett Frey, an F.A.A. spokeswoman, said in a statement.

The group targeted for the move handles the airspace around Newark Liberty International Airport, which in the view of the F.A.A. can be done just as well from Philadelphia as from Long Island. That is because this group of controllers uses radar scopes, instead of guiding planes from a runway tower overlooking takeoffs and landings.

F.A.A. figures show that staffing gaps last year at the Long Island building affected 4 percent of the 541,136 takeoffs and landings that occurred at New York’s major airports last summer. The agency expects the summer flying season, which begins later this month, to be its busiest since 2010.

The air traffic controllers say they, too, are fighting with safety in mind. They say they need to be in the same room with their New York colleagues, as they are now, to communicate quickly with them in a crisis.

“This is an extremely stressful job,” said Joe Segretto, the controller who is president of the local chapter of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association representing the New York airspace hub. For controllers, he added, being forced by the F.A.A. to relocate away from spouses and children “is going to add a tremendous amount of pressure.”

As moving day draws closer, the fight looms larger. The F.A.A. already put in place a 10 percent reduction in flight volume in the New York area to cope with lower staffing levels at its New York Terminal Radar Approach Control building in Westbury, known internally as N90. But any further staffing issues could mean there simply are not enough controllers to manage the increased volume planned for summer, forcing delays.

The fate of this handful of employees in a work force of more than 14,000 has gotten the attention of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, even as his workload strains under the demands of tackling jetliner assembly problems at Boeing, investigating the cause of recent train derailments and leading the battle against what the Biden Administration says are “junk fees” charged by airlines.

“The complexity of N90 is more complex than many countries’ entire airspaces,” Mr. Buttigieg said in an interview with The New York Times in December.

Given the low staffing levels at N90, he added, “we know there needs to be more attention there.” Just 59 percent of available controller roles in the building are filled, according to March figures from the F.A.A.

Last June, the F.A.A. was chastised by the Transportation Department , its parent agency, for doing too little to address yearslong shortfalls in controller staffing. Days after those findings were published, United Airlines delayed and canceled flights that affected 150,000 passengers. Scott Kirby, United’s chief executive, blamed the F.A.A. for controller shortages that he said exacerbated a situation in which his pilots were already contending with bad weather in the New York area.

Controllers working at N90, which is housed in a squat, windowless building in suburban Long Island, are responsible for overseeing the early ascent and descent of hundreds of thousands of flights at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports each year — equating to at least 60 per hour in and out of Newark alone on a typical day or evening shift, according to F.A.A. data. N90 is second to Southern California’s airspace in size but is arguably a more critical cog in the overall system, affecting the punctuality and well-being of hundreds of thousands of passengers each day.

The F.A.A. has battled controller shortages nationwide since the pandemic, which forced pauses in training at both its Oklahoma City academy and on-site at air traffic control hubs around the United States. But N90’s low staffing has been particularly urgent.

The controllers’ jobs are so demanding and specialized that years of experience are customarily required to do them, including 18 to 24 months of hands-on training at N90 after working assignments at less-busy locations. Westbury’s short staffing in recent years has meant that some controllers have earned close to $400,000 a year because of extra pay, according to F.A.A. documents reviewed by The New York Times. At $183,000, the head of the F.A.A., Michael Whitaker, makes much less.

The agency over the years has tried a variety of strategies for filling the vacant jobs at N90, including offering raises and bonuses and using new recruitment tactics. (One hiring effort that targeted candidates with no relevant experience — referred to by some N90 controllers as “off-the-street” hires — was tried, controllers say, without much success.)

The washout rate has remained stubbornly high. Just 32 percent of N90 trainees achieved certification as fully qualified, according to F.A.A. statistics from March, a far lower rate than at comparable facilities. The Transportation Department’s report last year showed that N90 had the fewest supervisors of any Terminal Radar Approach Control, or Tracon, building in the nation, with only eight in place out of 30 authorized slots.

The F.A.A. has been working to relocate some of N90’s controllers to Philadelphia since at least 2020, only to be stymied by both the controllers’ union and New York legislators.

Its most recent effort to negotiate a move with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association began late last year. The two sides came to terms in March, according to documents reviewed by The Times, with a package that included an initial 15 percent incentive bonus and a $75,000 payout for those who moved to Philadelphia permanently. But, lacking an adequate number of volunteers to make the Philadelphia transfer work, the F.A.A. took a tougher stance about six weeks later, according to an April 29 memorandum that was reviewed by The Times: It notified more than a dozen N90 controllers that they would be involuntarily reassigned.

Under urging from the union, Representative Anthony D’Esposito, whose district includes N90, put together the May 7 letter demanding that the F.A.A. rescind its reassignments. In addition to Mr. Schumer, it was signed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and four other members of Congress from the region in and around Long Island. Three of them were Republicans, including Mr. D’Esposito.

“You have people who actually have strong, solid jobs, and they’re not moving because they want to — they’re moving because we’re telling them to,” Mr. D’Esposito said in an interview. “It’s not a good situation.”

Some controllers who do not move may be reassigned to new roles at N90. But getting a new role is dependent upon proving to the F.A.A. that a move would create undue hardship and would require training for a new post for a year or more.

The F.A.A., which spent $36 million to renovate and upgrade the Philadelphia Tracon building, has recently tried again to make the relocation attractive. In the April 29 memo in which it mandated the 17 staff moves, the agency raised to $100,000 its incentive bonuses for controllers who relocated to Philadelphia, either temporarily or permanently.

Yet Mr. Segretto, the union chapter president, and many of his members are unwavering.

“We are completely against it,” he said. “It’s forcing air traffic controllers to choose between their career and leave their families, or to resign from their job.”

Mark Walker contributed reporting from Washington.

Kate Kelly covers money, policy and influence for The Times. More about Kate Kelly

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Truck crash causes traffic delays for Adelaide-bound motorists on South Eastern Freeway

A truck driver has suffered serious injuries in a crash at the base of the South Eastern Freeway at the notorious intersection with Cross Road, which has since reopened after being closed for several hours.

Earlier today, police said the truck travelling inbound lost control and crashed into a wall at the intersection of Cross, Glen Osmond and Portrush roads at 3:50am on Wednesday.

The 65-year-old driver, from Millicent in the state's south-east, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The South Eastern Freeway remained open to traffic with speed restrictions, however Cross Road was closed to traffic between Glen Osmond Road and Fullarton Road while emergency services worked to clear the scene.

The road was opened to westbound traffic about 7:30am and reopened completely about 1:45pm.

"Investigations into the crash are continuing," police said.

Senior Constable Kate Dawson told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning that the driver crashed into a wall just west of The Gateway Fountain.

"We're getting Major Crash there to give us a hand. I've been told the major problem is this wall that [the truck] has crashed into on the northern side … might collapse throughout the morning.

"They can't remove the truck until the wall has been shored up."

Horrific history of crashes at the intersection

The intersection has a long history of incidents, including fatal crashes.

In January 2014, 41-year-old truck driver James Venning died when he slammed into the wall at the intersection.

John Posnakidis, 42, was killed in October 2010 by an out-of-control semi-trailer. He was waiting at a bus stop nearby for help, after the truck he had been driving experienced mechanical issues.

The deaths of both men were the subject of a coronial inquest, which recommended tougher penalties for drivers who do not use the available safety ramps and slower speed limits for heavy vehicles.

In August 2014, Thomas Spiess, 57 and Jacqueline Byrne, 41, were killed when a truck crashed through the intersection.

The truck driver, Darren Hicks, was seriously injured in the crash. He was originally charged over the crash, but the charges were later dropped in 2018.

His employer, waste truck company Cleanaway Operations, was convicted of eight counts of failing to comply with its health and safety duty. On appeal they were spared six of the convictions.

In July 2022, a Queensland truck driver allegedly caused a multi-vehicle crash at the bottom of the freeway.

Ross Phillip Hicks is scheduled to stand trial later this year after pleading not guilty to multiple charges including nine counts of causing harm by dangerous driving.

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