Support for InfrastructureUSA.org
has been provided by these organizations and individuals:

John Hennessy III,
P.E.

Archive for the ‘Policy’ Category

View the newest posts »

Repair Priorities: Transportation spending strategies to save taxpayer dollars and improve roads

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
Routine preservation vs. deferred repairs

SMART GROWTH AMERICA & TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE
By underfunding repair and allowing roads to fall out of good condition, state leaders are choosing the most expensive type of repair possible, as rehabilitating a road that has completely deteriorated is substantially more expensive than keeping that road in good condition in the first place…Adding further urgency to these budget concerns is that with every dollar spent on new construction, states add to a road system they are already failing to adequately maintain. As a result, states face a large and growing financial burden.

View this complete post...

Tags: , ,
Posted in Biking, Funding, Highway, Infra Views, National, Policy, Roads, Tax

Comments Off on Repair Priorities: Transportation spending strategies to save taxpayer dollars and improve roads

Building Boondoggles? Is Governor Walker Spending Billions on Four Roads to Nowhere?

Monday, May 30th, 2011
Table 1: The Cost of Four Highway Expansion Projects

WISPIRG
At a time when the State of Wisconsin is wielding an axe with many public programs and vital transportation services, it appears to be shoveling tax dollars toward four highly questionable highway expansion programs that could cost over $2 billion. The new construction largess is particularly troubling given that these tax dollars will be diverted from improving the state of repair on Wisconsin’s existing roads or transit systems, or from public structures such as schools and public safety in our local communities.

View this complete post...

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Funding, Highway, Infra Views, Local, Policy, Roads

Comments Off on Building Boondoggles? Is Governor Walker Spending Billions on Four Roads to Nowhere?

Getting a Fair Share for Safety from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
California

ADVOCACY ADVANCE
This report examines some of the states that have successfully dedicated federal safety funds to reduce bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and crashes. In a number of cases, advocates have taken a leading role in ensuring the transportation agency had prioritized road safety projects for non‐motorists. Hopefully, these experiences will help advocates and officials in other states access this untapped resource for badly needed bicycle and pedestrian safety projects.

View this complete post...

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Biking, Funding, Infra Views, Local, National, Policy, Roads, Sustainability, Urban Planning

Comments Off on Getting a Fair Share for Safety from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

Dangerous by Design 2011

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 persons by race and age

TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA
Public health officials encourage Americans of all ages to walk and bike more to stem the costly and deadly obesity epidemic – yet many of our streets are simply not safe. Americans get to pick their poison: less exercise and poor health, or walking on roads where more than 47,000 people have died in the last ten years.

View this complete post...

Tags: , ,
Posted in Bipartisan, Equity, Infra Views, Local, National, Policy, Roads, Smart Growth, Urban Planning

Comments Off on Dangerous by Design 2011

WHAT DO AMERICANS THINK ABOUT FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION TAX OPTIONS? PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM YEAR 2 OF A NATIONAL SURVEY

Thursday, May 19th, 2011
Support levels for the tax options surveyed in 2010 and 2011

MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
This report presents the preliminary results of the second year of a random-digit-dial public opinion telephone survey investigating support among members of the public for a variety of transportation tax options at the federal level. The survey results show that a majority of Americans would support higher taxes for transportation—under certain conditions.

View this complete post...

Tags: , ,
Posted in Funding, Infra Views, National, Policy, Public Opinion, Tax

Comments Off on WHAT DO AMERICANS THINK ABOUT FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION TAX OPTIONS? PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM YEAR 2 OF A NATIONAL SURVEY

Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Charts pg. 24

URBAN LAND INSTITUTE
In 2011, “the U.S. effectively shrugs off infrastructure” in the face of escalating government deficits and cash-strapped taxpayers. Despite a welcome wave of political rhetoric about its importance to the country’s economic future and related worries about falling behind global challengers, a proactive U.S. infrastructure agenda remains buried underneath a long list of other budget imperatives—health care, Social Security, defense, public safety, and education, as well as the need to service the swelling government debt. No matter how desirable, ongoing investment in systems to keep the country competitive and functioning easily can get cast aside in the rush to plug budget leaks.

View this complete post...

Tags: ,
Posted in Infra Views, National, Policy, Sustainability, Urban Planning

Comments Off on Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority

California: High-Speed Rail Is at a Critical Juncture

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
Proposed Timeline and Cost of High-Speed Rail Implementation

LEGISLATIVE ANALYST’S OFFICE
California’s proposed high–speed rail project would link the state’s major population centers, including Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San Diego…In this report, we describe a number of problems that pose threats to the high–speed rail project’s successful development as envisioned by Proposition 1A.

View this complete post...

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Funding, High Speed Rail, Infra Views, Local, Policy, Rail

Comments Off on California: High-Speed Rail Is at a Critical Juncture

Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America

Monday, May 16th, 2011
Figure 1. Share of Working-Age Residents with Access to Transit, by Region, 100 Metropolitan Areas

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
Transportation leaders should make access to jobs an explicit priority in their spending and service decisions, especially given the budget pressures they face. Metro leaders should coordinate strategies regarding land use, economic development, and housing with transit decisions in order to ensure that transit reaches more people and more jobs efficiently. And federal officials should collect and disseminate standardized transit data to enable public, private, and non-profit actors to make more informed decisions and ultimately maximize the benefits of transit for labor markets.

View this complete post...

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Employment, Funding, Infra Views, Jobs, National, Policy, Public Transportation, Transit, Urban Planning

Comments Off on Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Employment

Friday, May 13th, 2011
Figure 1: Transit Trips in the United States by Purpose, 2007

CENTER FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
This report explains why TOD is not only about housing, and conscious planning for employment is important in thinking about the effectiveness of transit investment and the market for transit-oriented housing.

View this complete post...

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Employment, Equity, Infra Views, Jobs, National, Policy, Public Transportation, Roads, Smart Growth, Transit, Urban Planning

Comments Off on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Employment

Measuring Transportation Investments: The Road to Results

Thursday, May 12th, 2011
Not Measuring Up

PEW CENTER ON THE STATES & ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
In fiscal year 2010, states spent an estimated $131 billion in taxpayer dollars on transportation. Yet many policy makers cannot answer critical questions about what results this investment is generating…he goal of this assessment of the 50 states and Washington, DC, is to identify which are doing the best in terms of having essential tools in place to make cost-effective transportation funding and policy choices—and to help lawmakers understand how to use these tools to do a better job with limited dollars.

View this complete post...

Tags: ,
Posted in Equity, Funding, Infra Views, National, Policy, Transit

Comments Off on Measuring Transportation Investments: The Road to Results

« More posts
View the newest posts »
Follow InfraUSA on Twitter Facebook YouTube Flickr

CATEGORIES


Show us your infra! Show us your infra!

Video, stills and tales. Share images of the Infra in your community that demands attention. Post your ideas about national Infra issues. Go ahead. Show Us Your Infra!  Upload and instantly share your message.

Polls Polls

Is the administration moving fast enough on Infra issues? Are Americans prepared to pay more taxes for repairs? Should job creation be the guiding determination? Vote now!

Views

What do the experts think? This is where the nation's public policy organizations, trade associations and think tanks weigh in with analysis on Infra issues. Tell them what you think.  Ask questions.  Share a different view.

Blog

The Infra Blog offers cutting edge perspective on a broad spectrum of Infra topics. Frequent updates and provocative posts highlight hot button topics -- essential ingredients of a national Infra dialogue.

Dear Friends,

 

It is encouraging to finally see clear signs of federal action to support a comprehensive US infrastructure investment plan.

 

Now more than ever, our advocacy is needed to keep stakeholders informed and connected, and to hold politicians to their promises to finally fix our nation’s ailing infrastructure.

 

We have already engaged nearly 280,000 users, and hoping to add many more as interest continues to grow.

 

We require your support in order to rise to this occasion, to make the most of this opportunity. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to InfrastructureUSA.org.

 

Steve Anderson

Managing Director

 

SteveAnderson@InfrastructureUSA.org

917-940-7125

InfrastructureUSA: Citizen Dialogue About Civil Infrastructure