John Hennessy III,
P.E.
2017 was, by many accounts, a turbulent year. Infrastructure was no exception.
Whether due to new political paradigms, unprecedented natural disasters or new funding opportunities, American infrastructure faced a wide range of challenges throughout the year. Here, we recount some of the key infra topics that shaped discussion–and action–in 2017.
View this complete post...Public officials in states that have been cash-strapped for the last number of years have already exhausted internal creativity and innovation. There are just so many ways to do “more with less” and most say they have no new ideas left. In states that enacted fee and tax increases, the total net result was only $9.9 billion in additional revenue. Now lawmakers and budget gurus must explore alternative funding options. That’s because some projects and budget items simply cannot be overlooked, decreased or eliminated.
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We looked at 100 cities on a global basis and not one US city made it into the top 20. The highest ranking city was New York City, and they came in at number 23. Probably the biggest challenge that all of the US cities face is the continued dependency on passenger-car travel. We don’t have nearly as well developed metro systems or transit systems for sharing or using alternative means–whether it’s walking or bicycles or other methods of getting around. That’s the big challenge for the US cities, is to look at how they go about diversifying their transportation options.
View this complete post...The House bill eliminates Private Activity Bonds (PABs) and Low-income Tax Credits, which are critical to the construction of housing developments. Both bills call for eliminating advanced refinancing bonds. These tax-exempt bonds allow cities to refinance debt. Without advance refinancing bonds, many large projects at the state and local levels of government will be immediately jeopardized. Additionally, the tax reform bill, unless changed, increases the federal deficit and that will trigger $150 billion in automatic cuts to vital transportation and infrastructure investments.
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REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION (RPA) The following is an excerpt of The Fourth Regional Plan: Making the Region Work for All of Us Most of the public institutions that govern the region were established in a different era. Because of this legacy, the region’s 782 municipalities are responsible for critical decisions about land use, property taxes, […]
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Developing nations aren’t the only ones with poor infrastructure. Across the U.S., examples of citizens, government officials and the press criticizing the condition of their roads and bridges, airports, schools or other infrastructure are easy to find. This should come as no surprise, says Scott Pattison, CEO of the U.S. National Governors Association (NGA), “because as a nation, we are critically underinvesting in our infrastructure.”
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Infrastructure has become a popular topic, fueled by a widely held perception among the general public and many elected officials that the nation’s infrastructure is crumbling as a consequence of age and underinvestment. In fact, not all transportation and water infrastructure in the United States is falling apart—far from it. While highway, bridge, and water system maintenance backlogs exist in many places, the data do not support a picture of precipitous decline in total national spending or in the condition of the assets. Rather, the U.S. infrastructure story is far more nuanced and challenging.
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Over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that America’s infrastructure requires a significant upgrade. Roads, highways, bridges and tunnels have decayed and deteriorated—sometimes to the point of catastrophic failure. Yet, with tax dollars limited and funding for projects largely declining, finding a way out of the mess has been extraordinarily difficult.
“It has put the spotlight on public-private partnerships,” states Lee Weintraub, chair of public-private partnerships and vice chair of construction, law and litigation at Becker & Poliakoff.
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Newly elected AASHTO President John Schroer has worn many hats in his 65 years. He’s run a commercial real estate business, served as the mayor of Franklin, Tennessee and in 2011, he was appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation where he’s responsible for more than 3,400 employees. In Sept. 2017 the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials—Board Directors elected Schroer AASHTO president. In this Presidential Profile video Schroer explains why ensuring sustainable Federal funding for transportation is one of his top priorities. President Schroer also says he will work closely with the Trump administration and help State DOTs to prepare for the fast emerging technologies that are changing transportation as we know it.
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TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA Public dollars devoted to making capital improvements to public transportation systems support thousands of manufacturing jobs, in communities small and large, in nearly every state across the country. The supply chain for public transportation is as deep as it is wide, touching every corner of the country and employing thousands of Americans […]
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