Infrastructure in the News: July 18, 2012

NATIONAL NEWS

For Construction Pros: Is A Federal Infrastructure Bank For Toll Roads Possible?
http://www.forconstructionpros.com/news/10743505/is-a-federal-infrastructure-bank-for-toll-roads-possible
The report says an average of $50 billion is spent highway, transit and passenger rail on the federal level while an average of $150 billion is spent at the state and local level. An infrastructure bank would allow federal government officials to decide which local projects should receive a taxpayer-subsidized loan or load guarantee, according to thenewspaper.com. Since the loans would be repaid from a dedicated revenue stream, the article says the proposed infrastructure bank would likely only be used to provide profit for companies that construct and operate toll roads.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign: Tracking State Transportation Dollars
http://www.trackstatedollars.org/
How are states spending their transportation dollars? Select a project type or project types using the map filters and see how each state compares. (In some cases, selecting multiple project types may make category percentages exceed 100%.) Scroll over a state to learn more about its transportation priorities. All percentages are rounded. Ways of funding transportation projects vary across the 50 states. For example, in addition to federal funds, states may utilize public authorities, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure banks as means to develop and maintain roads, bridges, and transit.

Transportation Issues Daily: Rural Public Transportation, Latest in Best Practices and Research
http://www.transportationissuesdaily.com/rural-public-transportation-latest-in-best-practices-and-research/
The latest in best practices and research in rural public and intercity bus transportation will be the subject of the 20th National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation this October. The focus is “Connecting Communities: Sharing Solutions,” and will be of particular interest to rural transit and human service transit providers, tribal transit managers, planners, state agency staff, intercity bus operators, consultants, researchers and trainers.

KPMG: Infrastructure 100
http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Pages/Infrastructure-100.aspx
Presenting the Infrastructure 100 - report on the most exciting infrastructure projects from around the world, as selected by independent judging panels due to their scale, complexity, innovation and impact on society. Of those 100 projects – all shortlisted for their scale, complexity, innovation and impact on society – 10 have been highlighted by the independent judging panels as notable projects in different infrastructure sectors.

STATE NEWS

Chicago Tribune: CTA to spend $205 million to modernize bus and rail repair facilities
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cta-garage-0718-20120718,0,7781402.story
The CTA made a case Tuesday for spending millions on modernizing facilities that the riding public never sees: bus garages and rail-car sheds where repair crews do their work. Pointing to recent instances of buses falling off broken hoists and antiquated maintenance equipment that is unsafe, inefficient and expensive to operate, CTA President Forrest Claypool said the $205 million in spending through 2015 to improve the behind-the-scenes facilities will lead to major improvements in transit service that customers will notice and appreciate.

Huffington Post: LaHood: Detroit Bus System Woes, Other Public Transit Problems Concern Obama Administration
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/lahood-detroit-bus-ddot-authority-michigan_n_1679823.html
The Obama administration is pushing for more federal assistance to help cover operating costs for Detroit's public bus system, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. But he's also calling on Michigan's legislature to establish a regional transportation authority in Southeast Michigan that could bring greater stability to the region's motley and disconnected public transit agencies.

Star-Ledger: Transportation group: N.J. emphasizing lanes over trains
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/transportation_group_nj_emphas.html
The lanes-before-trains mantra has continued in New Jersey, as more money is shifted from transit projects to highway expansion, according to an analysis by a regional transportation policy watchdog group. While New Jersey still devotes 31 percent of its transportation budget to transit spending — well above the 19.8 percent national average — that number is way down from the nearly 50 percent spent on transit in 2004, representatives of Tri-State Transportation Campaign said.

Las Cruces Sun-News (NM): Let's roll! $3.6 million transit center project begins in Las Cruces
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_21096606/lets-roll-3-6-million-transit-center-project
Maybe good things do come to those who wait. About 12 years after efforts began to create an intermodal transit center in downtown Las Cruces, city officials gathered Tuesday with state and federal representatives to break ground on the long-awaited $3.6 million facility. Hardly before the dust settles on the ceremonial turning of shovels, full-fledged construction of the facility gets under way Wednesday. G Sandoval Construction of Las Cruces is the general contractor .

Salt Lake City Tribune: Crews bracing Echo Dam for quakes
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54497009-78/dam-crews-downstream-echo.html.csp
Echo Dam is 82 years old, and it’s getting a makeover — a $50 million seismic nip and tuck. Studies beginning in 1998 revealed that the 158-foot-high earthen dam along the Weber River in northeastern Summit County is sitting atop a "liquefaction" zone, where soils can become unstable during an earthquake, said Curtis Pledger, Provo area manager for the federal Bureau of Reclamation.