States Approve Major Transportation Packages
April 25, 2017
States are once again forging their own pathways to fund their roads and bridge programs. In the meantime, four more states (California, Indiana, Montana and Tennessee) join the 19 others that have increased or modified their gas taxes to increase revenue since 2013. In each state the gas tax increase was just one piece of......
Rep. DeFazio Introduces Legislation to Invest $500 Billion in Roads, Bridges & Transit
March 22, 2017
Today Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4), the top Democrat on the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced legislation to raise approximately $500 billion to repair America’s deteriorating roads, bridges, and transit systems. The bill, H.R. 1664 – Investing in America: A Penny for Progress Act, finances the additional investment by authorizing the Treasury Department to issue......
Senate Commerce Subcommittee Explores Multimodal Transportation System Needs
February 16, 2017
Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security convened their first hearing of the 115th Congress. “Moving America: Stakeholder Perspectives on our Multimodal Transportation System” was billed as an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving the efficiency and safety of the nation’s multimodal freight network. In......
Senate EPW Committee Examines How to Modernize America’s Infrastructure
February 09, 2017
On Wednesday the Senate’s Environment and Public Works committee held its first oversight hearing of the 115th Congress (video available here) and new Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) started things off by making it clear where he stands on the proposal offered by President Trump’s campaign to use private investment to improve our nation’s infrastructure: “Funding......
House T&I Committee Examines How to Build a 21st Century Infrastructure
February 02, 2017
Yesterday the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee held a hearing titled “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America.” It was the Committee’s first hearing in the 115th Congress and came on the heels of both President Trump’s pledge to focus on infrastructure and a trillion dollar infrastructure investment blueprint previewed by Senate Democrats last week. The......
Commission Provides Assessment of Michigan Infrastructure
December 22, 2016
In April 2016, Governor Rick Snyder convened the “21st Century Infrastructure Commission” with the goal of producing a report by November that assessed the state of Michigan’s infrastructure, identified needs over the next 30-50 years and offered recommendations on how the state can best provide its residents with a modern infrastructure system. The concept of......
New Jersey Puts Transportation Front & Center This Fall
October 05, 2016
For the last three months New Jersey transportation job sites have been mostly quiet. Despite what’s traditionally the heat of summer construction season, shovels have been put down and heavy equipment silenced by the impasse between Governor Christie and leaders from the State Legislature. On September 30, Governor Christie, Senator Sweeney and Representative Prieto......
Safe Roads Amendment Protects Illinois Transportation Dollars
October 03, 2016
The “Safe Roads Amendment” is a statewide ballot measure that asks voters to decided how the state can spend its transportation dollars. More specifically, this measure will protect transportation revenue (like the gas tax, tolls, licenses and vehicle registration fees) from being diverted to non-transportation projects. Illinois is following in the footsteps of its neighbor Wisconsin, who......
September 21, 2016
Last year, 35,092 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States, which averages out to 96 people per day. This represents a 7.2% increase in deaths from 2014, the largest percentage increase since 1966. While Americans drove more in 2015 than 2014 and statistically the more people drive, the more crashes there......
September 20, 2016
Today we added 15 new #GameChangers and two new trends to the repertoire. These projects showcase the power that innovation and investment can have to solve problems and improve our infrastructure. “Rebuilding Stronger” and “Sustainable Solutions” are the new trends we’ve identified that are shaping the way infrastructure is designed, built, and maintained. The projects......