Marking the beginning of an intensive pre-election campaign, President Obama unveiled what he called “a bold new vision to renew and expand America’s investment in transportation infrastructure”…The plan would: (1) abolish modal “silos” by combining roads, transit, railways, airport development and the air traffic control system (NextGen) in a single consolidated transportation infrastructure investment plan; (2) integrate high-speed rail (HSR) into the surface transportation program thus ensuring a sustained commitment to a national HSR program over the next six years; (3) establish an Infrastructure Bank to fund investments of national and regional significance; (4) streamline the surface transportation program by consolidating the many different programs and use analytical measures of performance to identify and prioritize investments of critical importance to the nation’s economy.
View this complete Infra Blog post...The Infra Blog
Congratulations to FRA on a Sensible Decision
Thursday, August 26th, 2010Two months ago we reported on the railroad industry’s reaction to the FRA’s directive setting forth the terms of the so-called “Stakeholder Agreements.” Those are the agreements between state authorities and Class I railroads that will govern the shared-use freight-passenger rail service in rail corridors receiving federal aid under the Administration’s high-speed rail (HSR) program. The FRA directive stunned and angered railroad executives by what they regarded as unreasonable demands, and burdensome requirements…We are happy to report that reason and good sense have prevailed. In a press conference on August 20, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo announced that the agency has withdrawn the controversial directive.
View this complete Infra Blog post...NY/NJ/CT/MD train problems force more infrastructure discussion on The Brian Lehrer Show
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
According to InfrastructureUSA’s Steve Anderson, “We need a new pair of shoes and we’ve got to put the money in. We’ve got to recognize what our priorities are, and we have to demand that those people who we have entrusted with the management of these assets come up with plans that we will then agree to fund.”
View this complete Infra Blog post...Lacking New Revenue, Will the Focus Shift to Spending Restraint?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010“Building America’s Future” (BAF), one of the more effective coalitions in the crowded field of public policy advocacy, held another of its forums aimed at rekindling interest in and drumming up support for increased infrastructure spending…”We have to wake up the American people to the challenge and make sure that the general public understands the urgency of action,” one speaker remarked. “We should reach out to the elected officials to make sure the nation’s infrastructure is a top priority in the next Congress,” another participant echoed. “Energizing and mobilizing public opinion should be our priority,” added a third panelist, “let us use this conference as the spark to light the fire.”
View this complete Infra Blog post...Join the Fight for High-Speed Rail
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
The American High-Speed Rail Alliance has launched Action for American High-Speed Rail, a grassroots advocacy center with the goal of unifying “all advocacy efforts that promote a comprehensive national high speed rail network.”
View this complete Infra Blog post...Three Modes in Three Days
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
From AUTOPIA, a WIRED Blog
Written by Jason Kambitsis
Case study of a commute: how cycling, riding a bus, and driving to work stack up in Pittsburgh, PA
Guest on The Infra Blog: Kate Slevin, AICP, Executive Director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
Kate Slevin is an activist and urban planner who joined the Tri-State Transportation Campaign in 2002 as the organization’s spokesperson, moving to the position of associate director in 2003 and executive director in 2007. Under Kate’s direction, TSTC has increased its operating budget by 30%, catalyzed transportation reform in Connecticut, developed new programs to empower local communities in Newark, and helped pass legislation in New York State that led to $2 billion in new funding for public transportation. She is the editor of the acclaimed Mobilizing the Region blog which tracks regional transportation news and opinion.
View this complete Infra Blog post...Two Promising New Proposals For Solving the Fiscal Shortfall
Monday, August 9th, 2010Both proposals stem from a conclusion that the obstacles standing in the way of enacting a new multi-year federal surface transportation program are of a long-term nature and will not be overcome any time soon. These obstacles include the inability of Congress to come up with a meaningful way to pay for the program; the increasingly shaky and uncertain status of the Highway Trust Fund; the pressure for deficit reduction in the fiscal and budgetary actions of the next Congress, especially in the likely event of a Republican takeover; and a low priority given to the reauthorization by the Obama White House (see our NewsBrief of July 16, “New Political Realities May Sidetrack the Transportation Reauthorization”).
View this complete Infra Blog post...Gov. Ed Rendell: Rebuild our Infrastructure
Thursday, August 5th, 2010PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
By Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Most schools are out for a summer break after final grades were toted home in students’ backpacks throughout the country. Around the same time, America got its infrastructure report card — and the results aren’t good.
Imagine sitting around the kitchen table reviewing Junior’s grades. His last report card shows a cumulative average of D. As a family, parent, teacher or community, wouldn’t we do all we could to try to help this student improve? Of course we would.
It’s the same with the state of the country’s infrastructure. Consider some of these “grades,” as reported in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent infrastructure report card: transit, D; energy, D+; dams, D; bridges, C; aviation, D; drinking water, D-; hazardous waste, D; schools, D; and wastewater, D-.
I’d say this defines our infrastructure situation as one in crisis.
View this complete Infra Blog post...    |
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