While the photos of the flooded towns in New England captivated our attention, it is the devastation to the roads and bridges that has become the priority in the rebuilding effort - as they must be repaired or replaced to allow relief and rebuilding.
Roads and bridges are to rural New England what transit is to New York City - they provide the backbone for all the towns and hamlets that were hard-hit by Hurricane Irene. To complicate matters, Vermont's Agency of Transportation must rebuild, repair, or replace the damaged road infrastructure before winter's snow and frost arrives - in about two and half months, as the ground freezes, thus making construction very difficult.
"Of all the challenges facing Vermont as it tries to recover from the floods caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene, there may be none more daunting - or vital to solve - than repairing and reopening the hundreds of roads and dozens of bridges that the storm knocked out. In many spots, the roads must be fixed before equipment can be brought in to repair everything from homes and businesses to the power grid, railroad tracks and water and wastewater systems."
"Faced with so much devastation, state officials are taking a triage approach. The first order of business was restoring access to 13 towns that were isolated when the roads and bridges were washed out. They did this by building what state officials call "goat paths," pouring gravel and sand and storm debris onto washed-out roads, and flattening them until they were strong enough for emergency vehicles to get over them."
FULL STORY: Battered Vermont Looks First to Its Roads
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
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Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
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Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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