Infrastructure
eHighway system to reduce truck pollution in California
The more things change, the more they remain the same; accordingly, overhead electric wires that have been powering trolleys and streetcars since the 19th century will now see them in use along Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Siemens’s eHighway system will electrify certain highway lanes using a catenary system (an overhead wire setup). This system […]
Despite highway bankruptcy, Texas GOP does 180 on toll roads
If Congress doesn’t act rapidly, states will receive a 28% cut in infrastructure funding, reports The Hill. The Department of Transportation’s Highway Trust Fund will be bankrupt by August 2014, pending a congressional intervention. As Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox blogged, “For all states… this means we’ll have to stop reimbursing them as they send in […]
Highway trust fund bankruptcy imminent without bailout
The Highway Trust Fund — created in 1956 to fund the U.S. Interstate Highway System and funded via a federal fuel tax on gasoline and diesel fuel — will run out of funds in a few weeks if Congress doesn’t intervene, reports The Atlantic’s CityLab blog. The Department of Transportation, which has been warning Congress […]
Study: Salt Lake City light rail reduces traffic
A recent study has discovered that the light-rail system in Salt Lake City, Utah, reduces traffic, cuts costs and may improve the environment, reports the blog Planetizen. The study found that a light-rail line “reduces daily [traffic] from 44,000 (if it did not exist) to 22,300 (what actually occurs) on one arterial.” The study, Effect […]
Are state-tolled interstates in America’s future?
Last week, the Obama administration announced details of its transportation bill first been announced in February. As Next City reports, sandwiched among the budget allocations — which total $302 billion — is an important proposal: the Department of Transportation is asking Congress to allow it to permit states to tack on new tolls to Interstate […]
Glow-in-the-dark roads debut in Netherlands
A 500 meter (approximately .3 miles) section of a highway in the Netherlands is getting its glow on. Glow in the dark road markings — made with a photoluminescent powder incorporated into road paint that charges in the light and radiates green in the dark for up to eight hours — have been painted on […]
Reflectivity celebrates its 75th anniversary
Technology is easy to take for granted — consider the often-forgotten reflective road signs that punctuate our highways, warning and guiding drivers throughout all hours of the night. Seventy-five years ago, an innovation at the 3M Company set the groundwork for today’s reflective signage, a development that has improved driver and pedestrian safety ever since. […]
The 10 most useless freeways in North America
An updated list of the nation’s most teardown-worthy highways is the highlight of the recently released report, Freeways Without Futures, compiled by the Congress for the New Urbanism, a nonprofit which works for “walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.” CNU is the “hub” of the freeway removal movement, having formed a […]
Retrofitting the suburbs
Suburbs, like the rest of America, have long prioritized auto-centric urban planning, but plenty of research shows that the public’s appetite for cars is calming. Consequently, suburban communities are trying to keep up by restoring pedestrians and the environment to the center of their planning practices. Challenges suburbs face While infrastructure is under pressure in […]
America’s most notable road signs
With news breaking last week on Montana’s gorgeous new “Welcome to Montana” highway signs, we thought it an appropriate time to reflect on some of the U.S.’s most interesting, curious, or otherwise notable highway signs. (As for Montana, the new signs will feature landscapes of the rocky Badlands, haunting photos of dinosaur remains, and images […]