Major infrastructure projects face ballooning costs, putting basic maintenance and safety upgrade projects on the back burner.

Discussions about transportation in the Washington state legislative session will likely be dominated by the vast cost overruns on many of the state’s planned transportation megaprojects.
Across the country, infrastructure and construction projects are ballooning in cost due to inflation and increases in material and labor costs, and Washington is no different. Yet lawmakers have made no indication that they plan to take any major highway projects off the table, writes Ryan Packer in The Urbanist. “With highway megaprojects and culverts eating up a larger and larger share of the state transportation budget due to cost overruns, the state’s maintenance budget is also set to suffer the consequences.” As Packer explains, Complete Streets upgrades are required as a component of any major maintenance project—and could fall by the wayside.
According to Packer, Governor Jay Inslee’s proposed budget is focused on the state’s ferry system. “Inslee’s budget would invest millions in adding vessel crew and dispatch staff, increase staff development programs at Washington State Ferries, and would double the budget that the state has in place to recruit ferry staff from out-of-state.” The proposal also allocates $30.9 million for the Washington State Patrol.
FULL STORY: Highway Cost Overruns Dominate State Transportation Budget Discussions

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market Leans Into Pedestrian Infrastructure
After decades of debate, the market is testing a car ban in one of its busiest areas and adding walking links to the surrounding neighborhood.

The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?
In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions