California Report Plots Path for Climate-Safe Infrastructure
September 06, 2018
Paying it Forward: The Path Toward Climate-Safe Infrastructure in California, released on Wednesday, offers comprehensive recommendations on how the state can move forward to ready its infrastructure for a changing climate. California is a leader in this area, understandably so given the droughts, wildfires, and mudslides the state endures. The report is a direct result......
Mississippi Special Legislative Session Addresses Funding Need for Bridges and Roads
August 30, 2018
Earlier this year, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) had to close nearly 500 bridges to ensure the safety of the traveling public and another 1,742 were posted with specific weight limits due to structural deficiency. In addition, 28% of Mississippi’s roads are in poor condition, 12.30% of bridges are structurally deficient, and the condition......
Harris County Voters Approve $2.5 Billion Flood Infrastructure Bond 1 Year After Hurricane Harvey
August 27, 2018
On Saturday, August 25th, exactly one year after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Harris County voters overwhelmingly approved a $2.5 billion infrastructure bond (Proposition A), which aims to protect Houston from future storms and flooding. Proposition A passed with over 85% voter approval. Approval of this measure means that taxpayers in Harris County will see a......
Power Outage Complicates Summer Air Travel at Reagan Airport
August 17, 2018
When we plug our phones into the wall we expect them to start charging, and when we flip a light switch we expect the lights to go on. Most of the time, these systems work just fine, but this week, travelers at Washington’s Reagan National Airport sat for 90 minutes with no power, while others......
California Transportation Investment at Stake in November
June 26, 2018
California legislators voted in the spring of 2017 to raise the state’s gas tax for the first time in 23 years. Gov. Jerry Brown praised the decision and signed the bill, SB1, into law, ushering in $5 billion worth of revenue to pay for roads, bridges, and transit projects that would increase safety, ease congestion,......
States Wrap Up Legislative Sessions For 2018
June 07, 2018
As state legislatures across the country are wrapping up their sessions for 2018, lawmakers in several states acted this year to make investments to address their states’ infrastructure needs. In Colorado, Governor John Hickenlooper (D) signed a major bill to fund transportation infrastructure projects. The legislation calls for periodic transfers from the state’s general fund......
National Dam Safety Awareness Day Across the Country
June 01, 2018
On May 31, individuals and organizations across the country recognized National Dam Safety Awareness Day. This event is held each year in memory of the May 31, 1889 South Fork Dam failure in Johnstown, PA – the nation’s worst dam failure. Today, many organizations used the day as an opportunity to look back on......
NEHRP Reauthorization: ASCE Members Testify in Huntington Beach
June 01, 2018
Nearly a decade after it’s authorization expired, Congress may finally be getting around to reauthorizing the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). The Senate made the first move last fall with the introduction by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) of the S.1768 – NEHRP Reauthorization Act. The bill would reauthorize the program......
Memorial Day Weekend Travel: What to Expect
May 25, 2018
Heading to the beach this Memorial Day weekend? Don’t forget to download a few podcasts or audio books, because with millions of drivers on the road this weekend there is a good chance you will spend a few hours sitting in traffic. AAA’s annual Memorial Day Travel Forecast predicts a 5% increase in travel this......
ASCE Helps to Push Missouri One Step Closer to New Transportation Revenue
May 24, 2018
Over the past five years, 26 states and the District of Columbia have raised new revenue to support their transportation systems. Last week, Missouri took a step closer to being state no. 27, when a 10-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase cleared the state legislature. The proposal now goes to the voters for approval on the November......