Infrastructure in the News: January 31, 2012

NATIONAL NEWS

Washington Post: House Republicans to unveil transportation bill
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/commuting/2012/01/30/gIQA8qWfdQ_stor...
House Republicans will present a long-awaited plan to fund the nation’s transportation system on Tuesday, a proposal that would shift more decision-making authority to state governments, dramatically reduce the time spent on environmental reviews and encourage private companies to expand the highway system by building toll roads. The bill also would require that people convicted of drunken driving use ignition interlock devices for a year, a rare move to impose federal will in an area of state jurisdiction.

Reuters: House Republicans want $260 billion for infrastructure
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/us-usa-congress-infrastructure...
House Republicans will propose legislation on Tuesday calling for $260 billion in spending on transportation infrastructure for up to five years, an election-year proposal touted as a job creator in a tough economy. Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica was due to formally introduce the measure and unveil details for funding road, bridge, and rail improvements at a news conference, his office said.

The Hill: Environmental group to lawmakers: 'Don't drill and drive'
http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/highways-bridges-and-road...
An environmental group is criticizing the House Republican plan to tie a new federal highway bill to increased offshore oil drilling. The New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said in a memo to reporters Monday that its message to lawmakers this week could be compressed to one sentence: "Don't drill and drive."

DC Streetsblog: This Is Not a Drill: Highway Lobby Trying to Push Transpo Bill Thru Congress
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/01/30/this-is-not-a-drill-highway-lobby-t...
For the 112th Congress, the path to passing a new transportation bill has been full of starts and stops, partisan politics and low expectations. While Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently said he doesn’t expect a multi-year bill to pass this Congress, livable streets advocates should still be on alert in the weeks ahead. Momentum is building behind bills in the House and Senate, and there are strong indications that the bills could advance quickly in the coming days.

Governing: Why Does Our Infrastructure Resemble a Third World Country’s?
http://www.governing.com/columns/eco-engines/gov-why-does-our-infrastruc...
Take a look around your community and I bet you’ll see pothole-filled roads, rusting bridges and decaying train stations. It is rare, rather than the rule, to see unblemished asphalt, gleaming railings and bright platforms. Yet we are, by all estimates, one of the richest societies in the world. What gives?

US Politics Daily: An Infrastructure Bank: Democrats and Republicans Both Like It. Why Won't They Create It And Put Millions of People to Work?
http://uspolitics.einnews.com/column/78189117/an-infrastructure-bank-dem...
Investors continue to plow hundreds of billions of dollars into U.S. treasury bonds, even though those bonds repay virtually nothing in interest. Why? Because in an uneasy world economy, U.S. treasuries are about the least risky place to park money. Shoe boxes under the bed aren’t an option for pension funds, sovereign funds and other organizations, governments and billionaires. Even while much of the world is obsessing about high levels of public and private debt, the fact is that trillions of dollars are loose in the world, anxious to find places to earn interest, dividends and profits.

Brookings: @ Brookings Podcast: Infrastructure Investment and Job Creation
http://www.brookings.edu/multimedia/video/2012/0127_at_brookings_podcast...
It’s self-evident that construction projects and infrastructure investments create jobs, but there’s a difference between building a “bridge to nowhere” and investing in the long-term growth and strength of the U.S. economy, says senior fellow Robert Puentes. The challenge is to invest in projects that provide real and lasting value.

STATE NEWS

Bloomberg: Cuomo Aims to Speed Tappan Zee Construction With ‘Design-Build’
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-31/cuomo-aims-to-speed-tappan-z...
A New York law approved last month may speed infrastructure projects such as a new $5.2 billion Tappan Zee Bridge, a priority of Governor Andrew Cuomo, by giving control of design and construction to one consortium. The Infrastructure Investment Act, passed by the Legislature in a special session with little fanfare, allows the departments of Transportation and Environmental Conservation as well as the Thruway Authority to contract with a single entity to design and build bridges, roads and dams.

Atlantic Cities: One Metro, Three Vastly Different Approaches to Public Transit
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/01/one-metro-three-vastly-...
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area is home to nearly 6.4 million residents, the fourth largest metro area in the country. But what makes the Metroplex especially interesting is the disparate ways its three principal cities handle transit. Dallas, the nation’s ninth largest city, operates the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART). DART levies a 1 percent sales tax in 13 member cities across four counties to operate five rail lines and around 140 bus lines. Those communities approved the tax via referendum - an example of metros practicing transportation self-help - and created the country’s largest light rail network.

Washington Post: Streetcars to return soon to the District
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/streetcars-to-return-soon-to-the-dis...
The clang of the trolley’s bell once was ingrained in the urban mosaic, sharper than a car horn, louder than the cry of boys hawking newspapers, distinct above the rumble of life in Washington. And then one day it was gone: Jan. 28, 1962 — 50 years ago today. Doug Trainer remembers the day well. “I was a little guy, and my dad took me down,” he said. “I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘Gosh, that’s a funny-looking sorta thing.’ ”