The Infra Blog

More Setbacks for California’s Embattled High Speed Rail Project

Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

Innovation Newsbriefs
Vol. 24, No. 17
The Sacramento Court’s November 25 decision denying the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) access to Proposition 1A bond funds (see our column of November 26) was the first in a series of setbacks suffered by the high speed rail project in recent days. The project was dealt another serious blow on November 26, when two influential members of Congress, Jeff Denham (R-CA), Chairman of the Railroads Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Tom Latham (R-IA), Chairman of the House Transportation Appropriation Subcommittee requested the General Accountability Office (GAO) to review the federal grant agreements with the Authority in light of the Court’s rulings.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Annise D. Parker, Mayor of Houston

Tuesday, December 17th, 2013
Annise D. Parker, Mayor of Houston

Mayor Parker is Houston’s 61st mayor and one of only two women to hold the City’s highest elected office. As the City’s chief executive officer, she is responsible for all aspects of the general management of the City and for enforcement of all laws and ordinances…In addition to her duties as mayor, Parker is a member of President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Advisory Council and on the boards of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium and Houston Galveston Area Council.

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Infra Week: 12-6-2013

Friday, December 6th, 2013
Jefferson Station CTA

CTA Blue Line Rehab
Hudson Line Trains Resume After Metro-North Derailment
New B44 bus will take you there…faster!
Folsom Buffered Bike Lane Goes Green
Amazon is not alone: UPS, Google also testing delivery drones

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Today’s New York Times Editorial on Rail Safety

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

If Congress had done its job decades ago, human failure could have been taken out of the equation on Sunday. The engineer, William Rockefeller, could have been passed out or having a heart attack, and the train would not have derailed. Four passengers would be alive; the rest unhurt.

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A Major Setback for California’s High Speed Train

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Innovation Newsbriefs
Vol. 24, No. 16
The future of the California High Speed Rail project hangs in a precarious balance as a result of two rulings handed down by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny on November 25. “The Judge’s ruling will prevent the [California High-Speed Rail] Authority from spending bond measure funds for construction until the funding plan is brought into compliance,” said Michael Brady co- lead attorney on the case…The Authority’s Chairman, Dan Richard, tried to cast the Court decision in a more positive light. “The judge did not invalidate the bonds as approved by the voters,” he said. “Like all transformative projects, we understand that there will be many challenges that will be addressed as we go forward in building the nation’s first high-speed rail system.”

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Infra Week: 11-25-2013

Friday, November 29th, 2013
Unity3D Visualization – Marmoset Street

Neighborhood got you down? Design your own
Pennsylvania’s $2.3 Billion Transportation Bill
Recovery Act Rail Project Completed Early and Under Budget
U.S. Immigrants Drive Less Than Natives
Has the U.S. Passed Peak Gasoline?

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San Diego Investing $200 Million in Regional Bike Network

Thursday, November 28th, 2013
The San Diego region is investing $200 million in bicycle facilities. Image: oyonabike!.wordpress.com

Our hometown Seattle will soon be eclipsed by another city (a more conservative one!) when it comes to bicycle infrastructure. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) recently approved a $200 million, ten-year plan to build out 77 miles of new bikeways. Many of the 42 projects are focused on completing two bike corridors that have been on the drawing board for years, the 44-mile Coastal Rail Trail and the 21-mile Inland Rail Trail…It’s another example of a region taking charge of its transportation future, and not waiting for Congress to fund its needs.

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Des Moines Riverwalk Construction Curbs Flooding, Looks Great

Tuesday, November 26th, 2013
iowa-riverwalk

The Principal Riverwalk, completed in January 2013, united the east and west sides of downtown. Built on the western banks of the Des Moines River in the heart of the city, the Riverwalk anchors four of downtown’s major attractions, including the Botanical Center, the Court Avenue District, the Science Center of Iowa and the Iowa Events Center. Its 1.2-mile loop serves as a hub for the city’s bike trails connecting nearly 300 miles of trails throughout Central Iowa.

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Financing Transportation Infrastructure the Traditional Way

Thursday, November 21st, 2013

Innovation Newsbriefs
Vol. 24, No. 15
…a transition from federal funding to public and private financing of new transportation infrastructure is already well underway —and it is likely to continue and grow given persistent deficits and pressures to reduce federal discretionary spending. Automatic sequester cuts which are to rise from $84 billion in 2013 to $109 billion in 2014, could place ever tighter constraints on government’s ability to increase spending for infrastructure in the years ahead.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr. President, National Academy of Engineering

Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr. President, National Academy of Engineering

“We don’t address the problems when we have them if we can delay addressing them. Any of the big infrastructure projects, or many of them, come following a crisis….The idea of not serving infrastructure needs is endemic in our society.”

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