Archive for the ‘Accountability’ Category


Bridging the Gap: Restoring and Rebuilding the Nation’s Bridges

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS

Almost a year ago, we as a nation were stunned and saddened by the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis that took 13 lives, injured 144 others, and disrupted the life of a great city.

In the intervening year we have watched with pride the way in which federal, state, and city transportation agencies, contractors, and construction teams have worked night and day to bring to life a new bridge, unsurpassed in technology and design.

Also in the past year we in the transportation industry have looked even more closely at the safety and sustainability of America’s 590,000 bridges for today and into the future.
This report was developed by the men and women of the state departments of transportation to share that inside look with you.

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Bridges, Funding, Highway, Local, National, Policy, Roads, Smart Growth, Transit, Uncategorized, Urban Planning

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Too Much Debt: Washington State Can’t Finance Major Highway Projects It Has Planned

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

COALITION FOR A SUSTAINABLE SR 520
SR 520 is one of two east-west roadways across Lake Washington. Approximately 115,000 vehicles carrying 190,000 people travel the SR 520 Evergreen Point Bridge every day.

Washington is dangerously close to its constitutional debt limit. SR 520 is dangerously close to the end of its useful life. The state is advocating a construction plan that can’t legally be paid for.

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Posted in Accountability, Funding, Highway, Infra Views, Land Use, Local, Policy, Roads, Smart Growth, Urban Planning

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Gov. Ed Rendell: Rebuild our Infrastructure

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
By Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Most schools are out for a summer break after final grades were toted home in students’ backpacks throughout the country. Around the same time, America got its infrastructure report card — and the results aren’t good.

Imagine sitting around the kitchen table reviewing Junior’s grades. His last report card shows a cumulative average of D. As a family, parent, teacher or community, wouldn’t we do all we could to try to help this student improve? Of course we would.

It’s the same with the state of the country’s infrastructure. Consider some of these “grades,” as reported in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent infrastructure report card: transit, D; energy, D+; dams, D; bridges, C; aviation, D; drinking water, D-; hazardous waste, D; schools, D; and wastewater, D-.

I’d say this defines our infrastructure situation as one in crisis.

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Bridges, Clean Air, Drinking Water, Employment, Funding, Highway, Jobs, Local, National, Policy, Public Transportation, Smart Growth, The Infra Blog, Transit, Urban Planning, Water Treatment

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Bridges getting better, but still a LONG way to go

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

The House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit met on Wednesday to discuss bridge inspection in the U.S. (a responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration).  According to James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman , “With over one-half of our bridges built before 1964, it is increasingly important that we have [...]

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Bridges, Democrat, Funding, National, Republican, Roads, The Infra Blog, Transit

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Highway Safety Improvement Program

Monday, July 12th, 2010

AMERICAN TRAFFIC SAFETY SERVICES ASSOCIATION
Based on economic values developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the savings from society from preventing a single traffic fatality is $6.1 million. Using this figure, calculations indicate that every $1 million increase of HSIP funds obligated results in an annual savings of approximately $42.7 million in societal costs to the United States (i.e. a benefit/cost ratio of 42.7 to 1).

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Posted in Accountability, Highway, Infra Views, National, Policy, Roads

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Iona College Hosts Infrastructure Conference

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

On April 8th, 2010, Iona College in New Rochelle, NY hosted the conference, “Confronting the Crisis: Solving Our Regional Transportation Infrastructure Issues.” Steve Anderson, Managing Director, InfrastructureUSA.org talked with some of the speakers:
Thomas DiNapoli, Comptroller, State of New York
Brother James Laguori, President, Iona College
Stanley Gee, Acting Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Bridges, Equity, Local, National, Public Opinion, Recession, Recovery, The Infra Blog, Transit, Urban Planning

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Regional Plan Association (RPA) addresses infra issues at Regional Assembly 2010 in NYC, April 16th

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

REGIONAL ASSEMBLY 2010: INNOVATION & THE AMERICAN METROPOLIS
“The Regional Assembly is New York’s premier public policy event, bringing together several hundred top business, civic, philanthropic, media, and government leaders from across the metropolitan region and nation. Each year the Assembly focuses on a priority issue. This year, we examine how the innovative spirit and creativity of urban America can build and sustain a better future for our cities.”

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Climate Change, Competitiveness, Congestion, Energy, Environment, Funding, Green, High Speed Rail, Highway, Land Use, Local, National, Private Investment, Public Transportation, Rail, Recovery, Roads, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Technology, The Infra Blog, Transit, Urban Planning

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Delta Urbanism in New Orleans: Before

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP
Overnight, Hurricane Katrina’s low barometric pressure and high winds sucked up a dome of gulf water and blew it north and northwestward into the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Louisiana deltaic plain. Shallow coastal depths reverberated the vertically churning water upward, further heightening the dome-shaped, landward-moving surge. Under natural conditions, hundreds of square miles of wetlands would have absorbed or spurned much of the intruding tide. But a century of coastal erosion had cost the region precious impedance, while a labyrinth of man-made navigation, oil, gas and drainage canals served as pathways for the surge to penetrate inland…

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Environment, Infra Views, Inland Waterways, Levees, Local, Seaports, Transit, Urban Planning

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Healthy, Equitable Transportation Policy: Recommendations and Research

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

POLICYLINK
In St. Louis, MO, major cuts in bus service this spring left workers, students, disabled people, and elderly residents stranded and feeling bereft. Stuart and Dianne Falk, who are both in wheelchairs, told CNN they no longer would be able to get to the gym or the downtown theater company where they volunteer. “To be saddled, to be imprisoned, that is what it is going to feeling like,” Stuart Falk said…

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Posted in Accountability, Democrat, Equity, Highway, Infra Views, Land Use, National, Policy, Pollution, Public Opinion, Public Transportation, Racism, Recession, Recovery, Roads, Smart Growth, Transit, Urban Planning

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INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE SUBJECT ON WNYC RADIO’S BRIAN LEHRER SHOW - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13TH, 10:30AM

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Tune in to the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC at 10:30AM on Wednesday, January 13th, to hear InfrastructureUSA’s own Managing Director, Steve Anderson, and Governor Edward G. Rendell (D-PA), co-founder of the infrastructure coalition Building America’s Future. Join them for a discussion of America’s infrastructure and the need for public engagement.

The Brian Lehrer show airs weekdays at 10AM on 93.9 FM and AM 820; rebroadcast Tuesdays through Saturdays at midnight on AM 820. You can also listen to it live on the WNYC web site.

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Posted in Accountability, Aging Infrastructure, Bipartisan, Economic Stimulus, Employment, Jobs, National, Policy, Public Opinion, Recovery, The Infra Blog

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