AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
Once every four years, America’s civil engineers provide a comprehensive assessment of the nation’s major infrastructure categories in ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure (Report Card). Using a simple A to F school report card format, the Report Card provides a comprehensive assessment of current infrastructure conditions and needs, both assigning grades and making recommendations for how to raise the grades. An Advisory Council of ASCE members assigns the grades according to the following eight criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. Since 1998, the grades have been near failing, averaging only Ds, due to delayed maintenance and underinvestment across most categories.
Archive for the ‘Rail’ Category
2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013Thinking Big, Planning Smart: A Primer for Greater Washington’s Next Generation of Transit
Friday, March 15th, 2013COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH
Without Metro, it’s estimated our region would need approximately 710 lane-miles of additional highway lanes at a capital cost of $4.7 billion,1 causing severe impacts in terms of homes taken for highway expansion. Proximity to Metro is estimated to have sparked some $212 billion in regional real estate value2, and it’s played a key role in helping older suburbs stave off the inner- suburban decline seen in other cities around the U.S. It’s had a central role in the rebirth of Washington, D.C.
East Side Access Cost Overruns
Wednesday, March 13th, 2013METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is constructing one of the largest and most complex public works projects in the country, East Side Access (ESA). ESA will bring Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) service to the East Side of Manhattan for the first time, at Grand Central Terminal (GCT). The MTA expects ESA to spur numerous benefits for the region, including faster commutes, expanded transportation options and economic growth.
Public Transportation Ridership Report
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
The demand for public transportation rose last year as Americans took 10.5 billion trips, the second highest ridership since 1957, and 154 million more trips than the previous year, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This was the seventh year in a row that more than 10 billion trips were taken on public transportation systems nationwide.
Strengthening America’s Commitment to Passenger Rail
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
American passenger rail is in the midst of a renaissance. Ridership on Amtrak—the primary U.S. carrier—is now at record levels and growing fast. This research shows that the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas are primarily behind this trend, especially ten major metros responsible for nearly two-thirds of total ridership.
Raleigh, NC: Transit for a Better Wake County
Thursday, February 28th, 2013Transit for a Better Wake County from CAFT on Vimeo. The Capital Area Friends of Transit (CAFT) is a Wake County based alliance of over 40 local and state organizations, more than 100 civic leaders and thousands of citizens who support a plan for regional public transit in the Triangle. CAFT supports the Wake County […]
View this complete post...Guest on The Infra Blog: Joshua Schank, Eno Center for Transportation
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013Dr. Joshua L. Schank is the President & CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation. Topics include:
Sustainable Funding for Transportation
Engagement at the Federal Level
Politicians & Citizen Engagement
Money for Transportation
Obama’s $50 Billion Fix-It-First Program
Friday, February 22nd, 2013Innovation NewsBriefs
Vol. 24, No. 3
Reactions to President Obama’s $50 billion “Fix-It-First” infrastructure initiative continue to pour in. While the transportation industry and liberal advocacy groups publicly applaud the President, “insider reaction among the major transportation stakeholder groups amounts to profound disappointment on a private level,” wrote the influential Washington Letter on Transportation (WLT) in its latest issue.
San Francisco to New York City: The Sun Train
Thursday, February 21st, 201372 hour journey from San Francisco to New York by the American railroad. 2 Amtrak routes combine to make a very underrated experience. If you have the time, don’t fly.
View this complete post...Infrastructure Advocacy and Public Credibility
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013Innovation NewsBriefs
Vol. 24, No. 2
Last week, infrastructure was in the news again. President Obama, in his State of the Union address, proposed a $50 billion infrastructure initiative, $40 billion of which would be devoted to a “fix-it-first” program targeted at urgent improvements such as “structurally deficient” bridges. The following day, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing on “The Federal Role in America’s Infrastructure,” focusing on the importance of infrastructure for the U.S. economy and the federal role in its preservation and expansion.
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