FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION
In 2008, after multiple accidents and urging from safety advocates and experts, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Congress mandated that railroads implement Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by December 31, 2015. A majority of railroads will not meet this statutory deadline.
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Status of Positive Train Control Implementation
Wednesday, August 26th, 2015Everyone Walks: Understanding & Addressing Pedestrian Safety
Monday, August 24th, 2015![Family on crosswalk](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pedestrian1.jpg)
GOVERNORS HIGHWAY SAFETY ASSOCIATION
EVERYONE IS A PEDESTRIAN. WHETHER YOU DRIVE A CAR, RIDE a bicycle or take a bus to school, work, shop or play, your journey always begins and ends on foot. While we continue to ponder the age old question, What came first, the chicken or the egg?, when it comes to mobility there is no doubt our feet preceded the wheel.
Wind Technologies Market Report
Friday, August 21st, 2015![Figure 1. Annual and cumulative growth in U.S. wind power capacity](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/windcapacity.jpg)
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Annual wind power capacity additions in the United States rebounded in 2014, and continued growth through 2016 is anticipated. Recent and projected near-term growth is supported by the industry’s primary federal incentive—the production tax credit (PTC)—which is available for projects that began construction by the end of 2014. Wind additions are also being driven by recent improvements in the cost and performance of wind power technologies, which have resulted in the lowest power sales prices ever seen in the U.S. wind sector.
The Benefits of Transit in the United States
Thursday, August 20th, 2015![Figure 2. Average Benefit-Cost Ratios by Urbanized Area Population Using Only Congestion Savings Benefits](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/transit-benefits.jpg)
MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
This white paper documents the findings from a review of available research literature on the benefits and costs of transit systems in the United States. The primary goals of this research were to 1) identify benefit-cost (b-c) ratio estimates for U.S. transit systems, and 2) identify the main categories of monetized benefits that derive from transit services in the U.S.
Insufficient Freight: Ground Transportation & The Grain Industry
Monday, August 17th, 2015![FIGURE 1: Transportation Costs Eat Into Farm Revenue](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/freightandfarm1.jpg)
AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
Unfortunately, the agriculture industry is uniquely dependent on efficient rail freight systems in the hotspots most affected by congestion. Some North Dakota grain elevators, for instance, entirely rely on rail shipment to keep business flowing. Rail congestion in 2014 stopped service to them for weeks and months at a time – a total collapse in the system that supports their livelihood. Ultimately, family farmers bore the costs of scarce rail service. The USDA estimates grain and oilseed producers throughout the Upper Midwest may have received $570 million less for the crops they marketed in 2014 than they could have earned in a normal freight environment.
Bumpy Roads Ahead: America’s Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015![Major Urban Areas: Road Condition Rankings](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/roadrankings.jpg)
TRIP
In this report, TRIP examines the condition of the nation’s major urban roads, including pavement condition data for America’s most populous urban areas, recent trends in travel, the latest developments in repairing roads and building them to last longer, and the funding levels needed to adequately address America’s deteriorated roadways.
Interactive Report: ASCE Gamechangers
Friday, August 7th, 2015![ASCE Gamechangers](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/gamechangers-top.jpg)
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS (ASCE)
#GameChangers is a compilation of the best and brightest innovations changing the infrastructure sector…We have surveyed engineers and public officials across the country to identify key game changers across the major infrastructure sectors – how we deliver drinking water, treat wastewater, build roads and bridges, design transit systems, generate and distribute energy, and move goods to market. We’re at a critical moment in deciding how, and if, we will further invest in our infrastructure. Imagine what more we can do if we seize the opportunity to replicate these engineering innovations.
The Highway Bill: A Realistic Appraisal of its Year-End Prospects
Tuesday, August 4th, 2015Innovation Newsbriefs
Vol. 26, No. 7
Congress has approved and the President has signed a three-month extension of the federal highway program through October 29 —but with enough funding ($8 billion) to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through December. When the lawmakers reconvene in September, attention will shift to the bigger struggle over how to craft and pay for a long term highway bill.
The Drive to Revive America’s Ailing Infrastructure
Monday, August 3rd, 2015![](https://infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/the-drive-to-revive-americas-ail-300x300.jpg)
CASE sponsored ARTBA’s annual National Workshop for State & Local Transportation Advocates in Washington DC. ARTBA EVP/COO Bill Toohey discusses the importance of both federal and state/local funding in securing the investment that our nation’s road, bridges and transportation systems need.
View this complete post...Low-Carbon Electricity Pathways for the U.S. and the South
Monday, August 3rd, 2015![Figure 1. The Proposed Emissions Rate Reduction Targets](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/emissionsratereductions.jpg)
GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
Power plants are one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in the U.S., accounting for nearly 39% of annual CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels (EIA, 2014, Table A.18). On June 2, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed state-specific limits on CO2 emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units (EGUs) as part of its Clean Power Plan (CPP).
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