Ryan Holeywell and Daniel Lippman evaluate the country's five biggest on-going infrastructure projects, and the five biggest ones in jeopardy. See if your region's project made the cut.
According to Holeywell and Lippman, the five largest infrastructure projects that are happening include the $6.2 billion Dulles Transit Extension, which will provide direct rail access between downtown D.C. and Dulles airport, and the $2.5 billion Crescent Corridor Expansion, which will upgrade the freight rail network that runs through 13 states and connects New Orleans to New Jersey.
Among the projects in limbo are the $3.5 billion Columbia River Crossing, which would replace the existing Columbia River bridge connecting Portland to the suburb of Vancouver, Washington, and the $7.8 billion Denver FasTracks project, which would culminate in 122 new miles of commuter and light rail and 18 miles of bus rapid transit service across the Denver area.
Read the full story: The 5 Biggest U.S. Infrastructure Projects Plus 5 at Risk
Opinion: Columbia River Crossing Just Another Highway Expansion
Billed as a "bridge replacement," the latest iteration of the Columbia River Crossing project is a costly expansion that will impose new tolls and cost upwards of $5 billion, according to an article by Joe Cortright.
B Line Commuter Rail Extension Gets a Green Light in Colorado
The Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation District has given a preliminary green light to accelerate planning work on the B Line extension from Denver to Boulder and Longmont.
Political Pressure Reinvigorates B Line Extension Plans in Colorado
The CEO of the Regional Transportation District speculated recently about whether a planned extension of the B Line to Boulder was necessary or desirable. The governor doesn't think the speculation was necessary or desirable.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
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.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority