Transportation

"This service to Calgary and Boise allows us to connect to two fairly large metropolitan areas," said Mike Daigle, Glacier Park International Airport director. "We believe that GPI is strategically located between these two cities and makes a perfect connection or stopping point."

With three of the nation’s 10 biggest air carriers already in bankruptcy, the impact so far has been surprisingly light for travelers. Here is what to look for.

This weekend’s conference celebrates the remarkable boost modern public transit systems are giving to dozens of American cities. There is no longer any doubt that a powerful link exists between effective public transit and a region’s economy.

Special lane markings alert drivers to slow down and guide cyclists to a safer spot.

Vermont and Maine both have struggled with the deadly combination of increased traffic and a growing moose population. Moose pose a particular problem because they are slow, large and so tall that headlights often go under their legs, so their eyes don’t reflect light at night the same way that deer do.

When that happens, California’s newly implemented emissions standards, which are the toughest in the country, will be in effect along the entire West Coast.

Take a busy intersection with 50,000 cars and then shave delays for each car by just five seconds. Multiply that throughout a metropolitan area, and there will be huge savings in time, gas and, ultimately, driver frustration.

"It’s very difficult to predict," Russo said. "We do carry a fair number of people from Missoula who make connections to other flights (at Sea-Tac), and if we have to siphon some of those to Boeing Field … we can’t run a parallel operation. We can’t run a parallel schedule to two different places."

The flight was prompted by the strong interest from Delta customers to vacation in Big Sky and Yellowstone, Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly said from the company’s Atlanta headquarters.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will soon employ high-tech equipment that will charge drivers for the miles they travel rather than the amount of gasoline they consume. This is the first in a number of steps Oregon is considering to replace the gas tax as the primary revenue source for Oregon roads.