Infrastructure

How Far Can $1.3 Billion Take Amtrak?

March 19, 2009 - Judy Chang

Big Tunnels, Transit in the Works in New York

Even as service is being cut, enormous transit projects are coming online in New York and New Jersey, including a new $9 billion tunnel into Manhattan.

March 14, 2009 - USA Today

Protecting California's Coastal Development Will Cost Billions

Computer modeling predicts sea levels rising 55 inches by 2100, and a recent report from California's interagency Climate Action Team is calling for a radical reorganization of the state's coastal development and infrastructure to avoid disaster.

March 13, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

The Future of Vancouver Transit, Post-Olympics

In anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics, transportation planners in Vancouver are plotting permanent expansions to the city's public transit system. Demand will be high during the games, but many wonder what will happen after.

March 13, 2009 - The Tyee

Neighborhood Councils Get Sophisticated

San Pedro, CA is the scene of a battle between developers and locals, and local neighborhood councils are using increasingly sophisticated organizing tools to bring residents to the table.

March 12, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

Rich Waste, Poor Waste

This piece from The Economist looks at human-caused waste, how different economies generate it differently, and how they deal with it.

March 12, 2009 - The Economist

Obama Rejects Gas Tax, VMT Fee

Ray LaHood rejected raising the gas tax, then President Obama rejected a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. What's left is "out-of-the-box" ideas like tolling and public-private-partnerships.

March 11, 2009 - The Wall Street Journal

Detroit's Bike Path Connection

This piece from Metropolis looks at a rail line that was converted into a bike trail in Detroit, and how it has become a well-used neighborhood connector.

March 11, 2009 - Metropolis

Road Funding: Doing More With Less

Roads and bridges are crumbling in America. The Highway Trust Fund is broke and new revenue other than stimulus funds are unlikely, so some state transportation officials are applying innovative methods to spread the road funding they have secured.

March 10, 2009 - Parade

Will Politics Harm Allocation Of $8 Billion In HSR Funds?

The $8 billion in stimulus funds allocated to high speed rail marks a turning point in a road-airport dominated U.S. transportation network, but the politics of allocating the funds may prevent results needed to showcase HSR.

March 10, 2009 - Washington Post

Planned SF Transit Terminal May Be Obsolete By 2030

Designs for the new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco may not be able to handle the amount of passengers expected by 2030, according to transportation officials. Some are calling for a redesign of the plans, set to begin construction next year.

March 10, 2009 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cities Begin To Rethink Parking Policies

Three years after the publication of The High Cost of Free Parking, Prof. Don Shoup's work has begun to take hold across the country. Cities from San Francisco to Washington, DC, are starting to curb traffic and recognize the true cost of parking.

March 9, 2009 - InTransition Magazine

Experts Question $8 Billion HSR Stimulus Investment

No one expects the $8 billion to build any one single high-speed-rail system in the U.S. But the U.S., with its vast distances and low gas prices, is not Europe or Asia, and some question whether the investment will produce any substantial results.

March 6, 2009 - The Boston Globe

Taking a Closer Look at the Slum

Slums have garnered some positive attention lately, from academics (Teddy Cruz) to royalty (Prince Charles). This article looks at just what it is we can learn from them, as well as the challenges that face legitimizing the world's shantytowns.

March 5, 2009 - The Boston Globe

A Model For Public Works, But A Bad One

The Highway Act of 1956 that resulted in the construction of America's Interstate Highway system has gathered a lot of praise recently as a model economy-boosting public works project. But based on the problems it's caused, that praise should stop.

March 5, 2009 - Financial Times

How States are Divvying Up the Transportation Money

This article provides a general breakdown of how state governments plan to use the first installment of transportation spending money from the stimulus. The leeway states have in how to spend has sparked debates among legislators.

March 5, 2009 - The New York Times

'No Small Plans'? Burnham Never Said It

That's just one of the interesting tidbits in this celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Plan of Chicago and Daniel Burnham in The New Yorker.

March 4, 2009 - The New Yorker

Congestion Control Demanded for New 12-Lane Bridge

The mayors of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington have come to an agreement about the size of a new bridge that will connect the two cities -- but on the condition that a bistate commission be set up to control congestion through tolling.

March 4, 2009 - The Oregonian

Don't Fear the VMT Fee

The Christian Science Monitor editorializes in support of the VMT fee replacing the gas tax just as the latest federal transportation financing commission report recommends, as Oregon Governor Kulongoski hopes to do, and as some will do in Europe.

March 4, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Shovels Are In Motion, Says Obama

The President and V.P. addressed the Department of Transportation today, stating that the new investment in infrastructure "will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of next year, most of them in the private sector."

March 3, 2009 - WhiteHouse.gov

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