Infrastructure in the News: March 5, 2012

NATIONAL NEWS

Politico: GOP tries to revive highway bill
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73553.html
House Republicans are meeting in a “special” session Wednesday to discuss how to move forward on Speaker John Boehner’s highway bill — the centerpiece of his jobs agenda, which has floundered in recent days. The meetings are reminiscent of countless other legislative skirmishes this year, when the GOP had scheduled additional meetings in the basement of the Capitol to discuss how to move forward.

DC Streetsblog: How the House and Senate Transportation Bills Changed Overnight
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/03/02/how-the-house-and-senate-transporta...
Senator Harry Reid took a lot of business into his own hands yesterday, unveiling his updated version of the Senate’s “two year” bill (it’s really only ever been 18 months), and incorporating the Cardin-Cochran amendment that grants metro areas greater control over bike-ped spending. Why now? A couple of potential roadblocks fell and Reid probably saw an opportunity. First, the Senate voted down Roy Blunt’s contraception amendment.

Transportation Issues Daily: Why You Should Support House Transportation Bill, Even if You Hate It
http://www.transportationissuesdaily.com/why-you-should-support-house-tr...
We don’t yet know what the new version of the House transportation bill will look like.  We’re pretty sure the transit funding provisions will be modified to the liking of transit supporters.  And it’s likely the funding levels will be reduced – perhaps to levels that stakeholders will dislike strongly. Here’s why everyone should support the bill regardless.

Press Release: Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $17 Million for Rail Line Relocation Projects Across the U.S.
http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/latest-national/31324-transportation-...
March 2, 2012. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that twelve cities and states will share $16.9 million to relocate, replace, and improve segments of railroad track under the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s Rail Line Relocation and Improvement competitive grant program. The FRA received more than $67 million in state and local government requests for these funds, which will be used to enhance safety, livability, and economic development in American communities.

STATE NEWS

Tampa Bay Online: Tampa's income, infrastructure keep lid on growth
http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/mar/04/tampas-income-infrast...
The gateway to downtown Tampa overlooks a 40-acre urban renewal project and a vacant plot where a light-rail and high-speed rail station would have been built if voters, and then the governor, had not turned the projects down. The nearby Channelside retail, restaurant and entertainment complex remains mired in management difficulties, while a much-maligned streetcar that rambles alongside it provides the region's only alternative to car and bus travel.

Fast Lane: Sherman Minton Bridge reopens early:  A story of leadership and hard-working Americans
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2012/03/sherman-minton-bridge-reopens.html
One community that appreciates the value of a good bridge is the area surrounding Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana.  Since last September, area residents have endured the shutdown of the Sherman Minton Bridge, a major artery spanning the Ohio River to connect the two towns. Now, thanks to the dedication of hard-working men and women, supported by the leadership of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, that bridge has reopened for use.

Crain’s Chicago Business: How to make Rahm's infrastructure bank really work
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120302/BLOGS02/120309949/how-to...
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his crew at World Business Chicago deserve some praise for Thursday's proposal to form a Chicago infrastructure bank — the first of its type anywhere in America. At a time when Springfield is even more cash-strapped than Washington, anything that would help the city attract private money and fund physical work on schools and transit lines, energy efficiency and roads is a good thing.

Next STL: St. Louis Set to Study Removal of Elevated I-70
http://www.nextstl.com/transportation/st-louis-set-to-study-removal-of-e...
Removing an Interstate highway is necessarily a long and deliberate process, but events have quickly conspired in St. Louis to push the proposed conversion of 1-mile of I-70 separating the city from its historic riverfront and iconic Arch from urbanist dream to planning possibility. Friday, the city's development corporation released its "Request for Proposals for Downtown Multimodal Access Study". The bland-titled 22-page document contains the most significant step forward in the effort convert the Interstate to an urban boulevard: