Fix It First

A two-lane highway cuts through a small canyon. The photo is taken from the perspective of a vehicle on the road.

Rhode Island Funding Highway Expansion Despite Poor Road Conditions

In a Strong Towns article passionately argued by Charles Marohn, Rhode Island’s penchant for building new highway capacity while the rest of the state’s roads crumble is compared to Emperor Nero.

August 16, 2022 - Strong Towns

Colorado Interstate

Reconciling Highway Investments With Climate Plans

The Colorado Department of Transportation has plans to expand highways, but it also has a mandate to reduce emissions from the state's transportation systems. Is it possible to do both?

May 19, 2021 - Colorado Public Radio

Highway Construction

Highway Boondoggles Continue as the Pandemic Stresses Budgets at Every Level of Government

U.S. PIRG has released the latest edition of the Highway Boondoggles report, the sixth edition of the report published since 2014.

December 10, 2020 - U.S. Pirg

Interstate 77

Local Opposition to Ohio DOT's I-77 Widening Plans Near Akron

The Ohio Department of Transportation wants to add lanes to Interstate 77 outside Akron to reduce congestion. Some local officials think the project will connect the region to the East Coast; others think the money would be better spent locally.

September 30, 2020 - Cleveland.com

Highway

Too Many Roads for Financial Sustainability

Overpaving roads is like overeating ice cream, according to this Strong Towns article.

July 30, 2019 - Strong Towns

Road Maintenance

The Study of Maintenance

A highly recommended long-read, published by Places Journal, lays the groundwork for the study of maintenance and care.

December 10, 2018 - Places Journal

Washington State Department of Transportation

A Progressive Voice from the Washington Department of Transportation

Roger Millar, secretary of the Washington Department of Transportation, critiqued the status quo of statewide approaches to transportation planning and investment.

July 27, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

BART Board of Directors Votes Down Livermore Extension

A controversial vote sets a "fix it first" agenda for regional transit planning—the implications of this decision could potentially reach far beyond the scope of this single project.

May 26, 2018 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Cleveland i-80

Long-Term Transportation Planning Underway in Northeast Ohio

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency is in the community outreach phase of a long-term transportation planning effort. The plan is expected to be complete by the end of 2016 and ready for board approval early in 2017.

June 7, 2016 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

#NoNewRoads Campaign Wants to Spend Less, Get More

Strong Towns, the same organization that runs the #BlackFridayParking campaign every year, is back with another social media campaign meant to raise awareness about the effects of car dependence.

January 26, 2016 - Strong Towns

New Jersey DOT Head: 'The Days of System Expansion Are Long Over'

The acting head of the New Jersey Department of Transportation spoke of the realities of transportation investment in the current era of funding uncertainty.

November 11, 2015 - NJ.com

Northeast Ohio Regional Planning Efforts to 'Fix It First' in Urban Areas

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) has committed to a drastic shift in its transportation planning paradigms.

September 15, 2015 - Green City Blue Lake

Missouri

Missouri Shows How Not to Expand Highways, Though Unintentionally

The Missouri Department of Transportation will adhere strictly to a "fix it" (as opposed to "fix-it-first") policy for the next five years, because there are no funds for roadway expansion.

July 9, 2015 - KRCG

Increase Gas Tax—Fund Highway Expansions

While some states are cutting back on transportation expenditures as funds run short, Iowa is not one of them, having passed a 10-cent gas tax increase that took effect March 1. New highway expansions are funded in addition to "fix it first."

June 14, 2015 - The Gazette

Wind farm and greenhouse gas farm, together

Op-ed: "Fix-It-First" is California's New Infrastructure Policy

In this San Francisco Chronicle Open Forum, Brian Kelly, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, makes the case that maintenance as well as capital costs be included when financing new infrastructure projects.

March 8, 2015 - San Francisco Chronicle

Post Peak Driving, America Needs a Road (Construction) Diet

Though it may be too soon to say for sure, it looks like the United States has reached peak driving. So shouldn’t we cut back on new road construction?

March 3, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

D.C. Metro's Plan to Relieve Congestion: Focus on Existing Network

In what might be viewed as a transit version of "fix-it-first", Metro will focus on alleviating congestion within the existing system rather than pursue costly regional expansions. Plans for ten new stations and a new tunnel are being considered.

December 21, 2013 - The Washington Post

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