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, 2015An Evaluation Study of Plants for Use on Green Roofs
Tuesday, August 25th, 2015![Green Roof plants](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/greenroofthumb.jpg)
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
The environmental benefits include conserving water, reducing interior noise pollution, mitigating stormwater runoff, reducing the urban heat-island effect, improving urban air quality through carbon dioxide-oxygen exchange, and creating habitats for a diversity of birds, insects, and animals. Along with extending the life of the roof by two to three times over a conventional roof, economic benefits include reducing energy costs—both heating and cooling—increasing property values, and meeting requirements for stormwater management.
Everyone 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.
Cool Innovators: Cutting Carbon & Growing the Economy in Massachusetts
Wednesday, August 19th, 2015ENVIRONMENT MASSACHUSETTS
This document profiles Massachusetts-based companies and projects that are embracing each of the ten innovative, game-changing trends identified in Cool Solutions. The businesses profiled here are just a handful of the thousands of Massachusetts companies making a difference in the fight against global warming while creating jobs and boosting the state’s economy.
A People’s History of Recent Urban Transportation Innovation
Tuesday, August 18th, 2015![BEGINNING IN THE 1950S, THE MAJORITY OF TRANSPORTATION POLICY WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY AUTO-ORIENTED. WEST SIDE HIGHWAY, NEW YORK CITY, 1951. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/trans-thumb.jpg)
TRANSIT CENTER
Though much progress has been made in several cities, the human-oriented transportation changes examined here are not pervasive nationwide. Only a handful of cities have made lasting reforms that will stand the test of time, while the majority of federal and state transportation policies continue to support auto-oriented development. With the information here, we hope that more urban residents will take up the fight and continue to challenge the status quo and reclaim the streets that are the lifeblood of their cities.
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.
Port Congestion: Causes, Consequences & Challenges
Friday, August 14th, 2015![Annual Container Trade at U.S. Ports (Actual TEUs), 1998-2014 & Projected Trade under Different Growth Scenarios, 2015-2030](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/containertrade.jpg)
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION
Global trade is of increasing relevance to the U.S. economy. With the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreements in advanced negotiation, it seems certain that the U.S. role in global trade will expand in the years to come and international trade will become even more engrained in the U.S. economy. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the dollar value of world merchandise trade was almost $19 trillion in 2014, $4 trillion of which (over 21%) was accounted for by the U.S.
Newark, NJ: Planning & Implementing Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Thursday, August 13th, 2015![Figure 1 ‐ GSI Best Management Practices](https://www.infrastructureusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/stormwater1.jpg)
TOGETHER NORTH JERSEY
The City of Newark seeks to create a more sustainable city environment, improving the urban design of neighborhoods, the infrastructure serving the City, and health and safety of residents and businesses. Implementation of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) is a key strategy by which Newark can both manage stormwater runoff more sustainably and promote sustainable community design and renewal.
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