New Report: Roads Don’t Pay for Themselves

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the nation needs about $2.2 trillion in infrastructure repairs and upgrades merely to bring the existing infrastructure up to "good condition." The Washington Post asks: "Has America's rallying cry really gone from "We're No. 1" to "We're only $2.2 trillion away from good condition"? Find out in this week's installment of Infrastructure in the News.

National News

The Washington Post: America's other deficit
Infrastructure is the easiest place to start. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the nation needs about $2.2 trillion in infrastructure repairs and upgrades merely to bring the existing infrastructure up to "good condition." But has America's rallying cry really gone from "We're No. 1" to "We're only $2.2 trillion away from good condition"? How inspiring.

Infastructurist: New Report: Roads Don’t Pay for Themselves
Yesterday’s post on high-speed rail argued that bullet projects are held to a higher standard than road projects. The chief example of this disparity is that critics typically demand that fast trains pay for themselves, even though roads do not. This prompted one commenter to respond that, well, yes they do.

Discovery News: Federal Transportation May Skid Off the Road
Proposals are under consideration to change the way transportation is funded nationally, and the consequences are not very promising for transportation, or, for that matter, the federal budget. The reforms put forward by Republicans Bud Schuster and Don Young, and enacted by a Republican Congress, a dozen years ago guaranteed transportation trust fund spending levels. The rules change proposed by the new House GOP leadership would allow the guaranteed level to be lowered by the Appropriations Committee, thereby essentially putting the Transportation Trust Fund budget--still funded mainly by transportation taxes--into the same pot as other general expenditures.

Streetsblog Capitol Hill: Sen. Boxer: Working With Mica, Inhofe on a Long-Term Transportation Bill
Senator Barbara Boxer told reporters today that she had an “excellent”, “wonderful” meeting with Rep. John Mica (R-FL), the new chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She confirmed that they’re working on a “longer-term” transportation bill and have come up with many points of agreement. We’ll let you know more details about that meeting as we get them.

Streetsblog: DOT Pursues Pay-As-You-Drive Insurance, Which Could Cut Traffic
It could reduce driving statewide by more than eleven percent, put money in the pocket of two-thirds of the state’s motorists and put little to no strain on the government budget. That sounds-too-good-to-be-true idea is called pay-as-you-drive insurance, and the city DOT is looking into how it might work in New York.

News from the States

California High Speed Rail Blog: CHSRA to Peninsula: Pay For Your Own Tunnel (Or Trench)
Mike Rosenberg reports that CHSRA CEO Roelof van Ark has told Burlingame officials that if they want below-grade tracks, they’ll have to pay for it.

The Bond Buyer: N.J.'s Christie Offers $4.4B Bond Plan for Transportation
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced a plan Thursday to sell $4.4 billion of bonds over the next five years to help finance road, bridge and mass-transit projects throughout the state.

Transportation Nation: Why California Budget May Slam High Speed Rail
It’s only been a few days since Jerry Brown retook the California Governor’s office, but all signs suggest that he’s planning to put the state on a serious fiscal diet. Rumored to be among the casualties are local redevelopment agencies — groups that undertake projects like revitalizing downtowns and building affordable housing. California’s perennial budget deficit is projected to be more than $25 billion this year, and slashing redevelopment could cut a quarter of that.

The Daily Journal: High-speed rail head ditches Caltrain
Bob Doty, a man brought in to help save Caltrain from financial ruin by partnering with the California High-Speed Rail Authority, is moving to the private sector after heading the Peninsula Rail Program for two years.

Baltimore Sun: State making little progress with Smart Growth, study says
Thirteen years after Maryland embarked on a nationally recognized effort to promote Smart Growth, the state's laws and policies have had little discernible impact on sprawl or traffic congestion, a new study says, and farms and forests are still threatened by development.