Infrastructure
New Indiana I-67 interstate: a boondoggle?
Business owners in Indiana and Kentucky are campaigning to build a new interstate, tentatively called the I-67, which would connect with the work-in-progress I-69 near Washington, IN, run south through Jasper and Owensboro, and later link with another highway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The high price tag of highway projects and the low usage of […]
Think tank calls on congress to allow interstate tolls
As anyone who has had the pleasure of driving on an American highway knows far too well, our country’s roads are in dire need of repair. Lack of funding and incredibly outdated infrastructure make for an often deadly combination, jeopardizing drivers’ and passengers’ safety on the road. While Washington recognizes the dangers – in fact, […]
Pennsylvania bridges get weight restrictions
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has applied weight restrictions on about 1,000 structurally deficient bridges throughout the state. It took this step after the state legislature failed to provide it funding for repairs. With a total of 4,479 structurally deficient bridges, Pennsylvania has the highest number of such bridges in the country. On average, bridges […]
Charles Marohn on traffic safety
We don’t often just quote at length verbatim around here – OK, we do, but we don’t like to. Anyway, I just ran into this insightful section on traffic safety from Charles Marohn’s blog on Strong Towns with which to send you along grimacing to your weekend: — An engineer designing a street or road […]
The new Bay Bridge is finally here. But is it safe?
The much maligned and brand-new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is set to open after Labor Day weekend. Even with a number of dangerous flaws discovered in its construction, the new Bay Bridge promises to be much safer than the old one once it opens. With this opening just two weeks away, Bay Area residents […]
Traffic accidents eating into developing world’s growth
Traffic accidents kill well over a million people each year throughout the world, with higher rates in poorer countries. That number, while already quite high, is expected to triple to about 3.6 million per year, according to a SmartPlanet, a tech and business blog. A study conducted by the Pulitzer Center suggests that developing countries […]
Wider roads no answer to Orlando’s traffic congestion
Everyone gets stuck in traffic congestion every now and then, but the reasons for jams vary. As you might imagine, Orlando’s traffic congestion is aggravated by tourists. While the past two decades saw roads being widened and new ones added, over 1,000 road stretches in the city won’t see further widening. Reasons behind this decision […]
Commuting: just how wasteful is it really?
Does that old axiom, “It’s the journey, not the destination, that matters” apply to the topic of commuting? For many, posits Crikey, an Australian alternative news site, the tired cliche still rings true. Despite the bad rap commuting gets – common complaints that spring to mind are gridlocked traffic; road rage-suffering drivers; overstuffed subways… and […]
A “cut and cap” solution to Austin I-35 highway may better connect Texas
You’ve no doubt already read — on this blog and likely elsewhere — about the decaying, often disastrous state that our country’s highways are currently in, from Oklahoma to Michigan, Florida to California. There is broad consensus among government, engineers, and the driving public about the state of the roads, but with limited budgets and […]
Transportation safety under Bloomberg’s reign
As Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s epic 11-year-long reign over New York City draws to a close this fall, the politician-business magnate is fighting hard to pass a variety of reforms, from office buildings designed to fight obesity to improved gun control. Yet in the city whose drivers never sleep, one of Bloomberg’s key focuses has been […]
