Tilikum Crossing, Pedestrian and Transit Bridge
July 10, 2020
Spanning over 1700 feet, Tilikum Crossing is the longest car-free bridge in the US. The bridge connects communities across the Willamette River in Portland. Projects like this improve city connectivity, attract business, and set a national standard for multi-modal infrastructure. To finance the bridge’s construction, multiple sources came together including federal grants, Oregon Lottery revenues,......
STAR School, First Elementary School Completely Solar-Powered
July 10, 2020
Flagstaff, Arizona is home to STAR School, the first public elementary school in America to be completely dependent on solar power. In addition to solar panels, STAR School also has wind generators and a small propane tank on standby for consecutive cloudy days. The school’s architecture showcases large open windows facing the south and few,......
Fighting Phosphorus with a Watershed Approach
July 10, 2020
Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (Yahara WINS) is a groundbreaking initiative to clean up the local watershed in Madison, Wisconsin. A collaborative strategy called watershed adaptive management, led by Madison Metropolitan Sewage District, brings together various stakeholders in the community and government to reduce phosphorus pollution in the watershed. While an essential nutrient in soil, excess......
Portland Electric Scooters, Taxation That Supports Transit
July 10, 2020
Scooters are nearly ubiquitous in most metropolitan U.S. cities. If integrated into a metropolitan area properly, electric scooters can offer a low-cost solution to the “last mile” challenge, a vexing problem where the nearest transit stop is too far away to walk from a final destination. Portland, Oregon recognized the role electric scooters can play......
Wyoming Key State in Connected Vehicle Pilot Program
July 10, 2020
The future of autonomous vehicles has arrived in Wyoming, one of three locations for a connected vehicle pilot program funded by the USDOT. Wyoming’s section of I-80 runs along the southern border and is heavy laden with adverse conditions, making it perfect for this pilot program. Connected vehicle technology is being installed into semi-trailers to......
Redrawing a Bus Map Leads to a Dramatic Increase in Transit Ridership
July 21, 2017
In one year, Houston increased its bus and light rail ridership by 6.8% with no significant additional costs. They did it by completely redesigning their bus network, focusing on creating an efficient network with frequent service. In August 2015, Houston implemented one of the largest bus network changes in U.S. history, moving from a hub-and-spoke......
Florida Transit Agency Partners with Rideshare and Taxi Companies
July 21, 2017
Transit agencies have long struggled to address “first mile-last mile problem,” meaning how to make transit accessible for riders who find it difficult to get to the nearest transit station or to their ultimate destination after riding transit. The rise of rideshare has created one possible solution and a number of transit agencies are exploring......
BNSF Uses UAVs to Safely and Efficiently Inspect Tracks
July 21, 2017
BNSF Railway was one of three companies selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to collaborate with the agency to explore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in beyond visual line-of-sight operations in rural areas as they inspect rail infrastructure. BNSF has already found the use of UAVs to provide major advantages—in 2015 when floods......
July 06, 2017
In the aftermath of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy, New York State set out to revisit its approach to energy infrastructure to be more resilient and sustainable. Through the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy, a multitude of state agencies are coordinating as never before to promote innovation and secure new investments that will make cleaner,......
Innovative Financing for Drinking Water Upgrades
July 06, 2017
Cities looking for new sources of revenue to assist with major drinking water upgrades are encouraged about a new federal program that just starting accepting applications for nearly $20 billion available as loan guarantees. In 2014, Congress authorized the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). In 2016, Congress appropriated $17 million in funds for......
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