Infra Views

Financing U.S. Transportation Infrastructure in the 21st Century

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015
FIGURE 1. Public Infrastructure Spending by Federal, State, and Local Governments, 1956–2014

THE HAMILTON PROJECT
Most Americans feel the burden of a weakening transportation infrastructure. The evidence is right in front of us: in poor road and bridge conditions, aging airports and seaports, weak passenger rail service, and inadequate public transportation. Most economists and government leaders agree on the merits of upgrading these systems to improve productivity, global competitiveness, and job creation. Most also agree that our nation would benefit from federal action on infrastructure. There are disagreements, however, on which investments to make and how to pay for them, and these disagreements have led to counterproductive inaction.

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Weighing Maryland’s Economic Future

Monday, May 11th, 2015
The Red Line is a 14.1-mile light rail transit line with 19 proposed stations, connecting Woodlawn in suburban West Baltimore County with Bayview in east Baltimore City, by way of downtown Baltimore.

TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA
The two major rail transit lines planned for Maryland represent a significant investment in the state’s future and economy. Drawing from experience across the nation, this report attempts to assess the full range of potential economic benefits from construction of the Purple Line, connecting Maryland’s Washington, D.C. suburbs, and the Red Line, providing east-west connections between Baltimore and its suburbs. Given the number of regions across the country contemplating similar investments, we offer this report as something of a template for how to make a comprehensive assessment of economic impacts.

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Who Pays For Roads?

Friday, May 8th, 2015
Figure 1. Percentage of Highway Spending from Various Sources, All Levels of Government

FRONTIER GROUP
U.S. PIRG EDUCATION FUND
Many Americans believe that drivers pay the full cost of the roads they use through gas taxes and other user fees. That has never been true, and it is less true now than at any other point in modern times. Today, general taxes paid by all taxpayers cover nearly as much of the cost of building and maintaining highways as the gas tax and other fees paid by drivers. The purchasing power of gasoline taxes has declined as a result of inflation, improved vehicle fuel economy, and the recent stagnation in driving. As a result, so-called “user fees” cover a shrinking share of transportation costs.

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Tapping Iowa’s Wind Resources to Reduce CO2 Emissions

Thursday, May 7th, 2015
Of particular interest is the corollation especially observable in the 2010 – 2012 years, between the CO2

IOWA WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION
In a conservative scenario it is estimated that Iowa wind could easily contribute a reduction of 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to the region outside of Iowa, and in a more optimistic but still moderate scenario Iowa’s contribution could easily be over 36 million metric tons annually.

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The State of Minnesota’s Bridges

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
mn-bridges-side

TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA
The average age of these sub-par bridges is 66 years — well over the typical design life of 50 years and nearly double the average age of all Minnesota bridges (35 years old). More than one in ten Minnesota bridges were built before 1948 — which means more than 1,300 bridges are older than the Korean War and creation of Medicare…Minnesota drivers collectively took close to 628 million trips over deficient bridges in 2014. That’s more than 1.7 million trips per day or almost 1,200 trips every minute taken over deficient Minnesota bridges in 2014.

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Utility Solar Market Snapshot

Tuesday, May 5th, 2015
Top 10 Solar States: Megawatts added for 2014 alone

SOLAR ELECTRIC POWER ASSOCIATION (SEPA)
Solar market expansion is driven by several factors: policy support for for renewable resources, the level of retail rates, the availability of incentives, and the strength of the solar resource, among others.

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North Dakota: Identifying and Satisfying Mobility Needs

Monday, May 4th, 2015
Figure ES1. Projected Population Growth from 2013 to 2025

UPPER GREAT PLAINS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
The intent of this study is to provide North Dakota policy makers with a guide to future development of personal mobility options and to identify gaps that either exist now in mobility services or are likely to exist in the near future as the result of service modifications or changing demographics and population growth. The scope of the study includes local and regional passenger transportation.

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Philadelphia, PA: SEPTA Cycle-Transit Plan

Friday, May 1st, 2015
FIGURE 1: LICENSED DRIVERS AS A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR AGE-GROUP POPULATION

SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
SEPTA’s ridership is nearing quarter century highs. In Southeastern Pennsylvania and across the United States, rates of both private auto ownership and use are down. The region’s three fastest growing demographic groups – “Millennials” (20-34 years old) , “Baby Boomers” (60-75 years old), and an influx of newly-settled immigrants of all ages – are less likely to own a car (or even a driver’s license) and are more likely to use transit. These emerging local demographic groups tend to not only rely on transit for commuting to work but also for other discretionary trips and often travel with luggage, strollers and bicycles.

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State Funding Initiatives Report

Thursday, April 30th, 2015
2015 STATE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING INITIATIVES

TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT ADVOCACY CENTER
Nine states— La., Minn., Mo., Neb., N.H., N.J., S.C., Texas, Wash.— are currently considering legislation to increase their gas tax or sales tax on gasoline.

Three states— Conn., La., and Texas— are currently considering legislation to protect their transportation funds from diversions.

Three states— Ark., Mich., and Mo.— have pending legislation to convert the flat-rate excise tax on fuel entirely to a variable-rate tax. Additionally, a bill in Maine proposes indexing the flat gas tax to the Consumer Price Index.

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Washington’s Top Transportation Challenges

Tuesday, April 28th, 2015
Chart 4. Most congested commuting routes in Washington.

TRIP
Washington’s residents and businesses require a high level of personal and commercial mobility. Population increases and economic growth in the state have resulted in an increase in the demand for mobility as well as an increase in vehicle miles of travel (VMT). To foster quality of life and spur economic growth in Washington, it will be critical that the state provide a safe and modern transportation system that can accommodate future growth in population, tourism, recreation and vehicle travel.

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