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Archive for the ‘National’ Category

2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015
Exhibit 1. Major Findings of the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard (471 U.S. Urban Areas)

TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
The national congestion recession is over. Urban areas of all sizes are experiencing the challenges seen in the early 2000s – population, jobs and therefore congestion are increasing. The U.S. economy has regained nearly all of the 9 million jobs lost during the recession and the total congestion problem is larger than the pre-recession levels.

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Dynamic Scoring and Infrastructure Spending

Friday, August 28th, 2015
Figure 1: Federal Capital Spending Lags Real GDP

MCGRAW HILL FINANCIAL
GLOBAL INSTITUTE
We review recent trends in federal infrastructure spending and the policy case for dynamic scoring of revenue and spending legislation. The use of dynamic scoring depends upon the magnitudes of near‐term impacts on economy‐wide spending and the long‐run impacts on productivity. We conclude that federal infrastructure investment should be dynamically scored…A simple example suggests that $100 billion in new infrastructure spending could generate an extra $62.5 to $165.5 billion in national output over the next twenty years, based on a range of scenarios. Assuming a 20 percent effective tax rate, this $100 billion infrastructure investment would generate a 20‐year revenue offset ranging from $12.5 to $33.1 billion.

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Scenario Planning for Freight Transportation Infrastructure Investment

Thursday, August 27th, 2015
Figure 7. Stress Map of the United States from participants’ sample form (back)

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
The future rarely moves in predictable, incremental ways. Often seemingly small changes in technology, demographics, regulations, economics, or a myriad of other factors have dramatic and unintended impacts on how any organization (public or private) plans and operates. These nonlinear impacts are very difficult to predict using traditional forecasting methods and techniques since they, by definition, do not follow any historical patterns.

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Status of Positive Train Control Implementation

Wednesday, August 26th, 2015

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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Everyone Walks: Understanding & Addressing Pedestrian Safety

Monday, August 24th, 2015
Family on crosswalk

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.

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Wind Technologies Market Report

Friday, August 21st, 2015
Figure 1. Annual and cumulative growth in U.S. wind power capacity

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.

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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

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.

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Insufficient Freight: Ground Transportation & The Grain Industry

Monday, August 17th, 2015
FIGURE 1: Transportation Costs Eat Into Farm Revenue

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.

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Bumpy Roads Ahead: America’s Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads Smoother

Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
Major Urban Areas: Road Condition Rankings

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.

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Interactive Report: ASCE Gamechangers

Friday, August 7th, 2015
ASCE Gamechangers

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.

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