Sri Lanka, an island nation of 20 million people, has just completed its first express highway, which, as Toll Roads News is quick to point out, is financed through a toll system.
The country lags behind its neighbors, writes Peter Samuel, because it has been stuck in a lengthy civil war. Aid organizations helped finance the 60-mile long Southern Expressway, and toll collection is designed to help the nation pay back the loans:
"Five to ten miles inland of the coast the new 'Southern Expressway" parallels an old mostly 2 lane road forming the main street of many coastal towns and villages. The interchanges of the new highway are designed to be magnets for new development - residential and commercial - as well as catering to traffic not needing to be on the coastal 2-laner.
Extensions are planned from Galle to the east, including to a new international airport. The next 30km, 18 mile is due for opening by end-2013."
FULL STORY: Sri Lanka gets first expressway, toll-financed
Tolling Gaining Traction for Highway Projects in Kansas
After the state broke ground on a tolled express lane project at the eastern edge of Kansas, near Kansas City, tolls are also under consideration in the nascent stages of a corridor study located at the southwest edge of the same region.
Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.
Houston Tollway Could Get Transit Options
Officials will assess multiple options for increasing capacity on a key route between downtown Houston and southwestern communities.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
How Transit Architecture Impacts Real and Perceived Safety
More than a third of Americans believe major transit systems are too unsafe to ride. The built environment can change that.
New York Passes Housing Package Focused on New Development and Adaptive Reuse
The FY 2025 budget includes a new tax incentive, funding for affordable housing on state land, and support for adaptive reuse and ADUs.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
