Streetsblog Capitol Hill wrote about the approved GOP budget proposal for 2012 and Stamford Advocate reported that Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy stressed in a speech the need to fight government spending cuts. Find out more in this Infrastructure in the News.
National News
Transport Politic: After a Compromise, Where Does the Public Sector Head?
The transportation industry — and specifically mass transit — has over the past few decades been one of the primary domains of public sector intervention, both in the United States and abroad. With the demands of a modern citizenry requiring investments in improved mobility, governments have made ensuring the well-being of their roads, railways, and airports one of their primary raisons d’être after measures designed to guarantee social welfare and national defense.
The Atlantic: Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go? A Long Story in 5 Quick Graphs
Here are five ways to look at our tax receipt and the way our tax dollars are used to define our national values. In the gallery below, I've also included a handful of images that dive deeply into the question, How Much Money Do We Fork Over? and How Is the Money Spent?
The Hill: President Obama can't have it both ways
Transportation infrastructure has been labeled a priority by the Obama Administration. The President’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget called for $50 billion in infrastructure investment in addition to funding for traditional highway, rail and aviation programs.
Streetsblog Capitol Hill: "Path to Prosperity" or "Road to Ruin"? Either Way, the House Says Yes
By a vote of 235 to 193, the House approved the GOP budget proposal for 2012, which cuts $6.2 trillion more from the budget over 10 years than President Obama’s proposal. A big portion of that bite comes out of transportation. Compared to Obama’s plan, it spends $633 less for transportation.
Streetsblog Capitol Hill: Senate Introduces a Narrower Bill for Wider Sidewalks
Like everyone else, Safe Routes to School advocates are scaling back. Last year, a bill introduced in the Senate asked for $600 million to enhance pedestrian and bike safety near schools. “We were working in a pretty different environment,” said Margo Pedroso, deputy director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
McClatchy: Dynamic cities despite challenges key to nation's future
Vibrant, dynamic cities hold mankind’s best hope for the future despite chronic problems with housing, transportation and crumbling services, some big names in public policy told a national gathering of land-use journalists. “Cities have never had more intensity, more magnetism,” said Adrian Fentry former mayor of Washington D.C., on Friday at Harvard University.
Infrastructurist: Americans (Mostly) Prefer Smart Growth to Sprawl
The National Association of Realtors released its 2011 Community Preference Survey earlier this month. The most telling survey question, illustrated above, provided characteristics of two communities and asked respondents which community they preferred. Community A was defined by single-family homes and a reliance on car transportation; Community B had a variety of residential options near public transportation, and businesses within walking distance.
National Journal: Fixing a Leaky Roof (or a Pothole)
Last week, the Organization for International Investment launched an infrastructure campaign touting the economic benefits of strengthening America's infrastructure and warning subtly that the lack of attention to airports, bridges, and electrical grids is bordering on a crisis that will change how global companies view the United States.
New York Times: After Storms, a Path of Death and Damage
In North Carolina, where the storm killed at least 23 people and put hundreds in the hospital, federal and local emergency workers were fanning out to the areas hardest hit and residents were scrambling to figure out how to help their neighbors or, for the dozens who lost their homes, how to start over.
Slate: Beijing's Empty Bullet Trains
Despite the rhetoric of the new Five-Year Plan—which, like the previous one, aims to increase the share of consumption in GDP—the path of least resistance is the status quo. The new plan's details reveal continued reliance on investment, including public housing, to support growth, rather than faster currency appreciation, substantial fiscal transfers to households, taxation and/or privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), liberalization of the household registration (hukou) system, or an easing of financial repression.
Autoevolution: Study Predicts 138 Million Electric Motorcycles and Scooters On the Road by 2017
As zero-emission vehicles are growing in popularity, Pike Research decided to closely investigate the future evolution in sales of such machines and came up with a report that states that the number of electric motorcycles and scooters on the road will increase from 17 million in 2011 to 138 million by 2017.
State News
USC Sustainability in Transportation: Transportation Symposium to Spotlight California's Sustainability Leadership by Showcasing High-Speed Rail
Transportation, developer, and construction industry innovators will descend upon Los Angeles April 21 to lead the USC Sustainability in Transportation Symposium. In addition to addressing aviation, ports and highways, the 17th Annual University of Southern California Symposium will delve into issues including parking and traffic to encourage greener transportation in California.
Transportation Nation: Connecticut Governor Blasts Infrastructure Cuts, Says "This is Not a Time to be Timid"
Anna Sale, It's a Free Country) In a political climate with a chorus for cutting, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is underscoring that he’s going a different way.
Stamford Advocate: Malloy stresses long-term Connecticut goals in N.Y. speech
Planners, politicians and business leaders nationwide need to fight government spending cuts that will diminish the United States' stature and economic competitiveness, while also highlighting transportation infrastructure and education investments as top priorities despite debt crises
Miami News: Rick Scott Had His Facts Wrong When He Trashed High-Speed Rail
Perhaps Rick Scott's biggest action during his first 100 days in office was the killing of Florida's federally funded high-speed rail project. It would have revolutionized our transit system and had an effect on the economy like no other project in recent Florida history. So, you would have hoped he had all his facts in order when he made the decision.
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Metro Atlanta requests a transit future
For the first time, there’s a wish list that reflects metro Atlanta thinking as a region when it comes to transportation. Local governments had until March 30 to submit their wish lists. The Atlanta Regional Commission put them together in one batch of 436 projects, and handed the list over to the state transportation planning director for his review. In summer, a regional group will choose the final projects.
Transportation Nation: Should Cities Sell Off Parking Meters and Garages to Make Money?
So far, only Chicago (a few years back) and Indianapolis (beginning this spring) have completed deals to lease out their parking meters to private companies. Chicago got more than a billion dollars in cash up front, but the deal was widely criticized after the private company, Morgan Stanley, immediately raised rates.
Mainebiz: Rail crossing: What will it take for Maine to build a passenger train to L-A and beyond?
Quinn, the executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which runs the Downeaster, is asking for $59 million to improve rail lines between Portland and Boston. The fixes would shave a mere 10 minutes from the two hours and 25 minutes the trip takes now. But those few minutes could draw 53,000 new riders a year and bring in an additional $750,000 of revenue, Quinn estimates.
Citybizlist Baltimore: On Transportation Funding, General Assembly 'Kicks the Can' Down a Pot Hole Filled Road
Some noteworthy progress was made to strengthen the business climate in Maryland, including a significant expansion of state initiatives for bioscience and technology industry growth and a $15 million increase in economic development assistance funding to help stimulate business growth.
Baltimore Sun: Missed opportunity for transit-oriented development in Maryland
Maryland is on the verge of missing a golden opportunity this year to promote transit-oriented development and pedestrian-friendly communities. By seeking to establish State Rail Station Overlay Districts, House Bill 948 would have been in keeping with the state's traditions of progressive government and bold experimentation in civic improvement.
Boston Globe: State plans to remove many rails in tunnels
A Massachusetts Department of Transportation report released yesterday, more than a year overdue, called for the removal of thousands of feet of the railings and the covering of other sections with a chain-link fence to protect motorists and motorcyclists. The cost and timing of the work are uncertain.
Detroit Free Press: SkyTran offers Detroit new idea for mass transit
Detroit was once a place where people with new ideas came to make them happen, especially ideas that involved transportation. Not anymore, it seems, based on the lack of response to overtures to the city from Jerry Sanders, chairman and CEO of SkyTran. SkyTran would love to make Detroit the site for its first large-scale project, an overhead mass-transit system that no less an outfit than NASA has said can "revolutionize personal transportation."
Minnesota Post: Transportation money not invested is money lost
As the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton wrestle with a $5 billion projected budget shortfall for state government over the next two years, it's time to emphasize why building and maintaining basic public infrastructure, mainly for transportation, shouldn't be on the chopping block.
Columbia Business Times: Nixon should rescind billion-dollar rail bid, focus on road woes
While watching our state’s highways crumble and hearing the widespread calls for budget cutbacks, Gov. Jay Nixon has come up with a pothole of a plan. The governor has applied for nearly a billion dollars in federal funds for various dubious passenger rail projects.
National Resource Defense Council: EPA Region 7: "we were just kidding about that sustainability stuff"
In defiance of the environmental values it supposedly stands for, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is moving its regional headquarters from a walkable, transit-rich, downtown Kansas City (Kansas) neighborhood to one of the worst examples of suburban sprawl it could have possibly found, some 20 miles from downtown. The result could nearly triple transportation carbon emissions associated with the facility.
North Jersey: N.J. considers allowing trucks on entire parkway
State transportation officials are investigating whether to allow big commercial trucks to travel the Garden State Parkway north of exit 105, a section that they currently are banned from using.
Democrat and Chronicle: High-speed rail still has appeal in New York
In 2011, we find ourselves facing similar challenges: inadequate infrastructure, a tough economy and unemployed Americans. This time, New York's path to a renewed economy is high-speed rail.
Wall Street Journal: City, Others to Work on Transit-Hub Development
New York City will work with several other local governments to revitalize areas around underdeveloped transit hubs, officials announced Thursday.
Politics on the Hudson: Senator Seeks Private-Public Partnerships For Road Projects
In the ongoing debate over whether the state should expand its public-private partnerships, Senate Transportation Committee chairman Charles Fuschillo, R-Nassau County, said today that he’s introducing legislation to allow the state to more easily enter into private deals to fund infrastructure projects.
The Journal News: Federal funds would help, but won't bring bullet trains
The "high-speed rail" projects that Gov. Andrew Cuomo hopes to support with $517 million he's asked for from the feds won't really bring high-speed rail.
News Observer: DOT to review Durham's rail crossings
City and state authorities as well as some private citizens are lobbying for high-speed passenger trains and commuter traffic on the railroad line through Durham
Streetsblog Capitol Hill: John Kasich's Sad War on Transit (and Cities)
His first notable action as governor was to return $400 million in federal dollars for passenger rail between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. But as we all know, he wasn't the only governor to take the opportunity to make a political statement at his constituents’ expense.
Transportation Construction Coalition and Americans for Transportation Mobility: Poor Road Conditions Cost Ohioans Billions, Prompting New Business Push For Federal Highway and Transit
Releasing a new report that finds poor road conditions cost Ohio motorists and businesses billions annually, a broad business coalition launched a statewide push for new federal transportation investments and legislation. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Contractors Association, Transportation Construction Coalition and Americans for Transportation Mobility, said during Columbus and Cincinnati-area news conferences that Congress should pass the long-delayed federal highway and transit bill that funds most road, bridge and transit improvements in the U.S.
Tulsa World: Transportation officials blast federal agencies
Oklahoma Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley on Thursday accused one federal agency of running amok by dismissing engineering judgment and another of pushing an agenda that would leave Tulsa and other areas on the so-called dirty-air list.
The Times-Tribune: Chairman of I-81 group calls for national transportation policy
Mr. Rovegno, who heads a six-state group that is trying to improve transportation along the 900-mile length of the Interstate 81 corridor, told members of the Focus 81 Committee on Friday that money is being wasted because the United States lacks a national transportation policy.
WIS News 10: 1-526 expansion hits road block, could face legal issues
Interstate 526 expansion plans may have come to the end of the road. The Charleston County Council voted not to support plans to extend the roadway from West Ashley through Johns Island and eventually into James Island.
Global Times: Houston mayor's post-Recession plans: direct China flights, high-speed rail
Houston, the fourth largest US city, is looking at moving its 2 million residents faster and farther, including high-speed rail, keeping NASA in town and providing direct flights to and from China, the city's Mayor Annise Parker said Friday.
Dallas Business Journal: Federal loan for Bush Turnpike approved
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday that his agency and the North Texas Tollway Authority have agreed on a $418.4 million stimulus loan that will help pay for an extension of the President George Bush Turnpike.
KUHF: Tougher Penalties for Vehicle Break-Ins
With 90 break-ins reported to Houston police every day, vehicle burglaries are the most common crime in the Bayou City. There was a time when it was a serious crime.
The State Column: Sen. Bernie Sanders Calls Budget Deal Robin Hood in Reverse
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will vote against a bill that cuts more than $38 billion from programs that help working families without calling for shared sacrifice by the wealthiest Americans.
Daily Press: VDOT freight study offers ways to ease bottlenecks
State Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton said in a statement that nearly $2 trillion worth of freight moves annually through Virginia and recommended infrastructure improvements would enhance the transport of goods and produce that contribute significantly to jobs and the state economy.
Burlington Free Press: Vermont Senate panel recommends $536 million for transportation projects
The Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously Friday to recommend a $536 million spending plan for roads, bridges and other forms of travel that varies little from the Shumlin administration's proposal and the version passed by the House.
Trucking Info: Trucking Groups Oppose DC Parking Tax
The American Trucking Associations and three other groups filed comments with the District of Columbia against proposed regulations that would impose a parking tax on the operators of commercial vehicles loading or unloading in the city.
Transportation Nation: Metro Committee Approves Contract, Despite Ethics Questions
Metro is moving forward with a $200 million contract extension for the company that operates its MetroAccess transit service for people with disabilities — despite some questions about whether the contractor may have engaged in unethical lobbyin
The Charleston Gazette: House budget cuts jobs, risk roads, Rahall says
Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., believes budget legislation the House of Representatives passed on Friday will eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs and hurt the nation's roads and infrastructure.
Journal Times: Walker for rail...just not KRM
Not long after rejecting federal rail money for a Milwaukee to Madison high-speed rail line, Gov. Scott Walker now wants federal rail money for what will eventually be a high-speed rail line from Chicago to Milwaukee. Yes, that is a contradiction. No matter how many assertions are made about how different the two cases are, it is a contradiction.