Infrastructure in the News: June 07, 2010

AASHTO Journal reported that applications for high-speed rail planning money exceed available funding and according to LansingState Journal the execution of Detroit bridge project might lead to thousands of new jobs in Michigan. Find out more in this Infrastructure in the News.

National News

Transport Politic: The Age of General-Fund Financing is Already Here, But It May Not Matter
A long tradition of using the Highway Trust Fund to sponsor transportation infrastructure in the United States was thrown out the window in 2008. But has anyone in Washington noticed?

AASHTO Journal: Applications for High-Speed Rail Planning Dollars Greatly Exceed Available Funding
The Federal Railroad Administration announced on Thursday that it has received 43 applications from 23 states totaling $137 million for FY 2010 Planning Grants. Four multi-state proposals were also submitted, totaling $49 million. Competition will be stiff for these grants, given that FRA's total funding for the planning grants in FY 2010 amounts to $50 million with an 80-20 match. Another eight applications from four states for $130 million were submitted for the remaining $65 million in FY 2009 funding, which requires a 50-50 match.

Water World: Senate Considers Bill to Remove Cap on Private Activity Bonds
Legislation has been introduced in the Senate to remove state volume caps on private activity bonds (PABs) for water and wastewater projects, a move that would allow greater private investment in water infrastructure. The Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act was filed by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Kit Bond (R-Mo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and John Kerry (D-Mass.). It was unclear when the Senate might act on the bill. The legislation is similar to a measure passed recently by the House of Representatives as part of the Small Business and Infrastructure Tax Act.

State News

AASHTO Journal: New Report Examines Gasoline Tax Proposals in Various States
A million highway and transit jobs are at risk of being lost in 2012 if Congress does not approve new revenue sources for the Highway Trust Fund, the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials' director of program finance and management told participants of a transportation revenue seminar Saturday at the AASHTO Spring Meeting.

Bloomberg: Mayors Beat World Leaders Promoting Cycle Paths
Los Angeles: city of freeways, smog, and -- bike lanes? That’s where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to take his town. In one of the less likely transformations in the global effort to cut carbon output, Los Angeles plans to spend $230 million on 1,700 miles of bicycle paths, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its June 7 issue.

LansingState Journal: Detroit bridge project means Mich. Jobs
Detroit-Windsor is the busiest commercial link between the United States and Canada. The movement of trucks across the border is vital for the two countries, whose trade with each other exceeds $1 billion per day. Michigan has an opportunity to join with Canada to build a second bridge between the two cities - and at no apparent cost to state taxpayers. The project, the Detroit River International Crossing, could create 10,000 construction jobs. But the Legislature has been slow to adopt this plan, in apparent obeisance to the economic interests of a single man.