Water Infrastructure and High-speed Rail

A call went out on northjersey.com to improve water structure, and states are moving ahead with high-speed rail projects. More on this follows in this Infrastructure in the News segment.

National News

NPR: States Move Ahead With High-Speed Rail Projects
There have been some political bumps lately for the Obama administration's plan for a national high-speed-rail system. Two incoming Republican governors, John Kasich in Ohio and Scott Walker in Wisconsin, said they would reject their share of federal high-speed-rail money.

The State Journal-Register: New transportation bill tops LaHood's wish list for 2011
"The biggest thing next year is to get the transportation bill passed,” LaHood said Friday, speaking to reporters after the official opening of the Ray & Kathy LaHood Center for Cerebral Palsy in Peoria.

Bloomberg: Build America Bonds to See 'Reincarnation', Mica says
Representative John Mica, who becomes House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman in January, said he plans to introduce a "reincarnation" of the Build America Bond program, set to expire Dec. 31.

The Trucker: UMTRI's instrumental tractor measure impact on bridges
University of Michigan Transportation Research engineers Scott Bogard and Mark Gilbert recently drove UMTRI’s instrumented tractor across the Interstate 275 northbound bridge over Telegraph Road in Monroe County on Nov. 15 in a series of tests measuring the effects of heavy trucks on bridges.

North Jersey: Deane: Improve our water infrastructure
WE ALL KNOW that access to clean water is essential for community development — for that reason it is difficult to believe that in so many communities the infrastructure that delivers clean water to our homes, workplaces and schools is in a state of disrepair.

The Transport Politic: Streetcar Projects Advance Nationwide Thanks to Local Initiative
The decision reinforced the commonly heard argument that the federal government is encouraging a form of transportation that is not fully accepted by people on the ground. It is certainly true that Fort Worth was far from prepared to accept the grant from Washington when it was first distributed, as the city had yet to specify a route or identify a definite local funding source.

Associated Press: Gov puts first $150 million in infrastructure bank
Gov. Bob McDonnell is using money left over from last year's budget to create a transportation bank to help finance stalled local projects.

State News

Fresno Bee: $616 will extend Valley high-speed rail route
California High-Speed Rail Authority planners want to see a $616 million windfall -- once destined for Ohio and Wisconsin -- used to extend the initial track construction south from Corcoran.

BikePortland: Constitutional amendment would expand state transportation funds beyond highways
State Representative Jules Bailey (D-Portland) will support a bill in the 2011 legislative session that would amend the Oregon Constitution to make it easier to spend state revenue on transportation projects outside of the highway right-of-way. If the bill is passed by the legislature, it would be sent out to voters for final passage (or not) in the November 2011 general election.