John Hennessy III,
P.E.
SONORAN INSTITUTE
Is rail transit the option that will move the transportation system in the right direction? Cost-effectiveness and environmental impact are the key criteria to consider. Now is the time to explore a few misconceptions about rail travel and review the potential benefits.
AMERICA 2050
America 2050 launched a research program on highspeed rail in 2009 to provide input and help shape the federal government’s new highspeed intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) program. In September 2009, we released the report “Where High-Speed Rail Works Best,” which discussed factors contributing to ridership demand for high-speed rail. The paper argued that the federal government should focus preliminary ARRA grants in corridors with the greatest passenger demand for high-speed rail service.
Moving forward, our research will continue to focus on success factors in developing high-speed rail systems and strategies for developing a national intercity passenger network. To that end, we offer the following recommendations for the long-term National Rail Plan, focused primarily on the elements of success for passenger rail.
View this complete post...Ever since President Obama announced his high speed rail (HSR) program initiative and Congress approved $8 billion to fund it as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009, many States have lined up to stake out a share of the new money. States that had been working on high-speed rail plans for years saw it as an opportunity to finally bring their projects to fruition, while others scrambled to get rail corridor planning underway so that they too could qualify for a share of the pie. The prize looked particularly attractive because the dollars will flow directly to the recipient states without requiring a local match.
View this complete post...
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS
Expanding the ability of the transportation system to meet the needs of the traveling public is critical to the health of our economy and the quality of life of our citizens. Meeting future needs will require a balanced approach, which preserves what has been built to date, improves system performance, and adds substantial capacity in highways, transit, freight rail and intercity passenger rail.
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The Federal Government supports a vision for high-speed rail to connect regions throughout the country. In Florida two high-speed rail corridors were identified to provide connections from Central Florida to Tampa and Miami.
The High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, offers stimulus money for passenger rail projects throughout the United States. FDOT applied for four separate projects to receive funding: High-speed rail connecting Orlando to Tampa and Orlando to Miami, Central Florida Commuter Rail (SunRail), and Amtrak-Florida East Coast Passenger Service.
View this complete post...
The beginning of phase one of the 2nd Avenue subway tunnel – drilling between 92nd and 63rd. Photos and captions by Jake Dobkin at Gothamist.com.
View this complete post...…fiscal realities can do wonders to bring federal officials down to earth. The Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund is barely solvent. The U.S. DOT budget will grow by only one percent in 2011. With commendable consistency and fairness, the Administration seems to have decided to apply the same investment standard to transit as it has preached and laid down for highways: Forget about massive capacity expansion; focus on getting the most out of the assets already in place by maintaining them in a state of good repair. To critics of the DOT’s new posture— and there will be some—a good answer could be: It’s just a different way of looking at what it means to be pro-transit.
View this complete post...CENTER FOR TRANSPORTATION EXCELLENCE
-314 jobs are created for each $10 million invested in transit capital funding and more than 570 jobs are created for each $10 million invested in shorter projects.
-American families spend 18% of their household budgets on transportation, making it the second largest household expenditure after housing.
-Building more roads isn’t always the answer to this growing problem. Each of the cities in the TTI study would require an average of 37 more lane miles to keep pace with just one year of increased traffic demand.
BLUEGREEN ALLIANCE & ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Economic models estimate about 7,800 green jobs are created for every billion dollars of freight rail capital investment. Furthermore, the industry has nearly doubled the amount of goods it has shipped without increasing fuel consumption over the past three decades, and creates a fraction of the pollution of other transport modes such as trucking and aviation. Its continued growth will generate green jobs, reduce dependence on foreign oil and contribute to solving climate change.
Infrastructure 2010: Investment Imperative, the latest annual infrastructure report by Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young, focuses on water infra and urges decision-makers to view infrastructure as a long-term investment.
View this complete post...    |
Follow InfrastructureUSA
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
RSS Feed
© InfrastructureUSA | Terms of Use | Site developed by Andigo New Media
InfrastructureUSA.org is a nonprofit project fiscally sponsored by FJC, a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds.