Fixing The 1,000 Mile Pothole

State governors are risking their political capital on mega-fix-it projects at the statewide level, from the "Trans-Texas Corridor" to a $222 billion California infrastructure improvement plan.

1 minute read

January 19, 2006, 10:00 AM PST

By David Gest


In addition to Texas and California, in states like New York, Virginia and Idaho, "governors -- and in some cases the candidates vying to replace them -- are pushing multibillion-dollar solutions to chronic highway traffic and other big infrastructure problems."

"These mega-proposals from state leaders reflect many economic and political currents, including bigger revenue projections from an improving economy in many states, unexpected congressional largesse in last year's $300-billion highway bill, and polling that indicates voters are fed up with traffic.

But they also represent a clear gamble on a sort of fix-the-potholes theory of campaigning, in which many state leaders seem willing to risk the big-spender tag for the big-fixer mantle."

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 in The Los Angeles Times

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

A crowd of people cheering for an unseen performer.

‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds

Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.

45 minutes ago - Chicago Sun Times

Construction in Hawaii, with cranes in front of a lush mountain.

California, Hawaii, Rhode Island approve housing propositions

Hawaii and Rhode Island each approved their sole proposition, while California approved two of its three.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

An Amtrak train pulls into a station in chicago.

Officials claim feds 'rushed' Amtrak environmental review

Amtrak plans to move their Chicago maintenance facility from an industrial area to a residential one.

2 hours ago - Block Club Chicago

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.