Federal Infrastructure & Science Programs Receive House Appropriations
July 21, 2017
The House Appropriations Committee had a busy week, passing the remaining five (out of 12) appropriations bills this week, part of the process Congress goes through to create the federal budget. Here are the highlights of the bills affecting infrastructure and engineering. Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies National Science Foundation is funded at $7.3......
July 17, 2017
While all areas of infrastructure are important to address, with its “D-” grade—the lowest in the Report Card—transit would benefit from a little extra attention. For proof, look no further than two of our nation’s most prominent cities’ subway systems. Reliable transit systems are critical for thriving cities. Yet the subway systems in our nation’s......
Infrastructure in the News: Let’s Hear it for Investment
June 30, 2017
Our country’s underinvested infrastructure is not a secret—but some weeks it’s more obvious than others. This is one of those weeks. Transit failures of our nation’s largest subway systems and continued dissatisfaction with surface transportation infrastructure makes Americans more willing to invest. Tuesday’s derailment of the NYC subway was a brutal wakeup call for how......
Majority of House Signs Letter Asking to Fix the Highway Trust Fund
June 13, 2017
Yesterday 253 congressmen sent a letter to the leadership of the House Ways & Means Committee asking that a long-term fix for Highway Trust Fund be included in their tax reform efforts. “As the Committee on Ways and Means continues to work toward a much-needed update of the U.S. tax code, you have an opportunity......
Legislation to Create National Infrastructure Bank Reintroduced
June 02, 2017
Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), along with seven other bipartisan cosponsors, recently introduced S. 1168 – BRIDGE Act to establish a national infrastructure bank to give state and local governments another tool in the toolbox for financing infrastructure projects. The bank would help state and local governments better leverage private funds to......
Infrastructure Week: Time to Build
May 15, 2017
The fifth annual Infrastructure Week is underway. More than 100 events are being held around the country this week, with the goal of elevating infrastructure as a critical issue impacting all Americans. Things kicked off Monday morning with an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, featuring Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Los Angeles Mayor Eric......
Tennessee Senate Committee Receives Infrastructure Report Card
February 07, 2017
As Tennessee’s legislature and governor explore funding options for the state’s transportation infrastructure, the Tennessee Section of ASCE was invited to present the 2016 Report Card for Tennessee’s Infrastructure to the state’s Senate Transportation and Safety Committee. WBIR.com even named it as one of “5 things to watch this week in the legislature.” On Monday,......
Infrastructure in the News: Transit needs in the spotlight
October 28, 2016
There’s probably no better example in the U.S. of the negative impact that inadequate funding has on our infrastructure than public transit, especially for those who rely on it. The DOT recently announced that 16 transit agencies around the country will receive a share of $14.7 million in grants to support comprehensive planning to improve......
Innovations in Infrastructure: Reinventing Travel Convenience
August 19, 2016
According to the Chicago Tribune, Americans spent about $15 billion in fares on public transit in 2014. Public transit use has been steadily growing over the past few decades, with ridership increasing by nearly 39 percent since 1995. Yet, according to a recent article in Forbes, more and more people are losing confidence in public......
Pokémon Can Be Caught on Transit, at National Parks Across the Country
July 20, 2016
In recent weeks, Pokémon Go has gone viral across the United States, with millions of users of all ages joining in on the interactive game. Due to the huge commercial and cultural success of the game, transit agencies are getting in on the action. In the game, players use their phones to locate and......