What's Hot Archive
Report Lauds I-95 Toll Express Lanes The Florida Department of Transportation has claimed victory against chronic traffic congestion on Interstate 95 -- at least northbound traffic in Miami-Dade -- thanks to the new toll express lanes. Things fall apart as NYC skimps on infrastructure It was 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 when the ceiling finally collapsed at the 181st Street subway station on New York’s 1 line. Bricks fell 35 feet onto the tracks, hitting and severely damaging a train that was in the station. Fortunately, nobody was injured. While the human drama of being in a subway while tons of bricks crashed down on it is clear, none of the New York press interviewed any passengers or the train’s crew. They followed the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s approach of treating this Sunday evening near-tragedy as a mere interruption of service. New York City’s population is so dense, with more than 1 million people using the subways every workday, that there is no reasonable alternative to mass transit. The National Gateway and the District of Columbia The National Gateway proposes a state-of-the-art rail corridor linking the East Coast's international deepwater ports and major consumption markets with the population and manufacturing centers of the Midwest. Expanding capacity on our nation's railways will bolster environmental health and promote economic growth. The National Gateway delivers over $165 million of public benefits to the District of Columbia by enhancing rail transportation infrastructure to attract new business and jobs to the region. Pennsylvania Initiates Major Transportation Projects On Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). As part of ARRA, Pennsylvania will receive $1.026 billion to help create jobs, stimulate our economy and help improve the commonwealth’s highways, bridges and public transportation systems. Feds Want to Borrow $20 Billion for Highway Fund With the Highway Trust Fund on the verge of depletion, the Transportation Department sent Congress a more detailed plan to keep surface transportation programs funded through March 2011. The department proposed borrowing $20 billion from the Treasury’s general fund, to be repaid over 10 years. Feds worry Illinois lacks staffing for roads projects The U.S. government is concerned the Illinois Department of Transportation is too understaffed to take on major road projects on the eve of what could be a $1 billion federal payday for the department, The Associated Press has learned. The Federal Highway Administration has warned the state agency its payroll might be too depleted to handle the monstrous load of projects that a proposed $800 billion federal stimulus package could drop on Illinois' doorstep. Driving Up the Cost For Public Works Design and engineering companies helping to build the nation's highways ran up millions of dollars in inappropriate charges at the expense of taxpayers, including bills for parties, luxury car leases and hefty paychecks for executives, according to auditors. The bills were described by the firms as overhead costs but should not have been allowed, according to a Feb. 5 report by auditors in the Department of Transportation's inspector general's office. Next Wave Toolkit Learn how to start a new Next Wave chapter, host an event, get involved in the election or find more information. Highway Robbery II Report from the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU), details a growing array of problems – high costs, reduced project safety, and loss of public accountability -- resulting from state and local transportation agencies outsourcing engineering, construction inspection and project oversight on federally funded transportation projects.
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