With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.
Is “Fix It First” at the heart of your transportation department’s strategy? In the first of a series of blog posts titled ‘Rethinking Authorization,’ Transportation for America argues that the federal government should direct transportation funding in ways that prioritize maintenance and repair over new roadways and capacity-expanding projects.
A new approach is urgently needed—one that makes fixing existing infrastructure a prerequisite before building anything new. How are we going to do that?
T4A’s proposal “focuses on the changes required to prioritize existing maintenance needs before building new things: require grantees of federal funding to maintain their infrastructure by setting targets for improving road and bridge conditions, and then hold them accountable for doing so.” They also call for assisting states that fail to hit their targets by directing funds to repair projects only.
T4A suggests that all states should set progressive targets for improving their roadways and bridges, including those that are not currently under federal oversight, create more transparency in their processes, and enact incentives for prioritizing repair and maintenance. To do this, T4A recommends changing federal matching rates to 80 percent for repair and maintenance projects and only 50 percent for capacity-expanding projects. “If you can’t improve the condition of your existing infrastructure, you should not be building more.”
FULL STORY: How to make repair the rule, not the exception
Portland Transportation Bureau Faces ‘Existential’ Cuts
PBOT’s director says the agency’s impending budget shortfall could imperil even basic transportation and infrastructure services.
LA County Receives Reconnecting Communities Grants
Seven grant awards totaling $162 million will be used for planning, capital projects, and regional partnerships to reduce environmental harm and improve access in disadvantaged communities.
Federal Government Awards Over $1 Billion to Nine ‘Mega’ Projects
The funding comes from a discretionary grant program aimed at supporting infrastructure projects too massive or complex for traditional funding mechanisms.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)