"It's a major inconvenience to a lot of folks, " said Dennis Keaton, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation.

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Recognizing the utter failure, the California Department of Transportation and county governments have begun allowing solo drivers into diamond lanes during restricted hours .

FORBES: Diamond Lanes: Another Failed Energy / Environmental Policy

The biggest such change is to transfer day-to-day operations from the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), set up to oversee the project, to the California Department of Transportation.

ECONOMIST: High-speed trains

Witnesses said that they saw smoke coming from the back of the bus and that it was going very fast, said Michelle Profant, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation.

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The State of California, Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is responsible for the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of the California State Highway System, as well as that portion of the Interstate Highway System within the state's boundaries.

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Obama chose Republican Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois to head the Transportation Department and Rep. Hilda Solis of California for labor secretary.

NPR: Obama Adds To Cabinet; Warns Of Slow Recovery

Together with the San Jose Department of Transportation, the University of California Center for Information Technology Research in the Interests of Society (CITRIS), and two start-up apps, Waze and Roadify, they discovered technology is integral to the future of commuting.

FORBES: New Cities Foundation Says Connected Drivers Are Less Stressed

Car companies might then face three different sets of overlapping requirements, one administered by the Department of Transportation, one administered by the EPA, and still a third administered by California and 13 other states.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama: A New Consensus on Auto Emissions