Infrastructure in the News: January 2, 2012

NATIONAL NEWS

New York Times: Editorial: As Good as It Gets?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/as-good-as-it-gets-for-the-economy.html?_r=1

The way to revive sustainable growth is with more government aid to help create jobs, support demand and prevent foreclosures. As things stand now, however, Washington will provide less help, not more, in 2012. Republican lawmakers refuse to acknowledge that government cutbacks at a time of economic weakness will only make the economy weaker. And too many Democrats, who should know better, have for too long been reluctant to challenge them.

Atlantic Cities: 2011's Biggest Transportation Failures

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/12/2011s-biggest-transportation-failures/809/ 

No one likes a car crash, but when one does occur, very few of us have the strength to look away. Likewise, while it would be great if every city transportation project and program in the United States ran smoothly, many inevitably do not. Here's a rubber-necked review of ten of the worst urban transportation failures to take place in American cities this past year.

Atlantic Cities: How to Pay for America's Infrastructure

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/01/solution-americas-infrastructure-woes/845/ 

America's transportation infrastructure is in desperate need of an update, and most politicians would agree that more funding should be dedicated the nation’s highways and mass transit systems. Yet there is little consensus about where to find those new funds and Democrats and Republicans disagree stridently over whether Washington should increase its role. One potentially fertile place for compromise may be in the form of state infrastructure banks, which have gained support from both the left and right in recent months. These public agencies, provided some government funds, would be designed to encourage significant private investment. And they would do so with little interference from the national government.

DC Streetsblog: Streetsies 2011: The Final Installment

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/12/30/streetsies-2011-the-final-installment/

We’ve spent the last couple days looking back at some of the bests and worsts of 2011. A brief recap: The hit to transit budgets was the low point of the year, with the high point being the willingness of voters to tax themselves to restore some funding. Capitol Hill’s paralysis in the face of urgent infrastructure needs was a double-edged sword, given some of the really bad proposals out there. We booed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. James Inhofe, the lawmakers that killed President’s Obama’s high-speed rail plans, the city of Dallas, and the jury that convicted Raquel Nelson of “vehicular homicide” when she wasn’t even behind the wheel of a car.

STATE NEWS

Grand Forks Herald: Conrad deFiebre, St. Paul, column: Minnesota can and should borrow and build

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/225418/group/homepage/

In the current economic environment of a lagging jobs recovery, historically cheap borrowing and chronic infrastructure maintenance deficits, it’s time for frugal Minnesota to stick with the job of building what Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels called “the backbone to which men and women of enterprise can attach their investments.”

Poughkeepsie Journal: Advocates urge Cuomo to flesh out state infrastructure plan

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20111231/NEWS12/312310015/Advocates-urge-Cuomo-flesh-out-state-infrastructure-plan?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CPoughkeepsieJournal.com

A December deal that revamped New York’s tax code included a promise: The state would set aside $1 billion to start dealing with its myriad infrastructure woes. Specific details, however, have been harder to come by. The Dec. 6 announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said he and legislative leaders agreed to appropriate $700 million in state capital funds, with an additional $300 million coming from the Port Authority for New York City projects. An additional $1 billion, according to the announcement, would come from “pension funds and private investment.”

Sun News (SC): I-73 plans finding several bumps in the road to Myrtle Beach

http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/12/31/2575686/i-73-plans-finding-several-bumps.html#storylink=cpy

In the 20 years since Congress designated Interstate 73, it seems that nothing has happened. There is still not one inch of the road to ride on in South Carolina.“I would have certainly hoped this thing would have been completed many years ago,” said Robin Tallon, who represented Horry County and the Pee Dee in the U.S. House of Representatives when the new road was conceived. “It’s been strange. I have really scratched my head, and I don’t know what the problem is.”

Virginian Pilot: It's going to be a busy new year for Chesapeake

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/12/its-going-be-busy-new-year-chesapeake

This month, the city is likely to know whether it needs to search for a new city manager and whether the state will grant funding for a major road expansion - all the while facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. Now that 2012 has hit, Chesapeake will be looking at a list of important news developments on the horizon.