Infrastructure
It’s an ongoing, multitrillion-dollar challenge to build new and maintain existing infrastructure. This section will explore forward-looking approaches to funding, building and maintaining roads, highways, rail and broadband, as well as water and other utilities.
A boost in federal highway money has helped states break ground on new projects, some of which have languished due to a shortage of funding.
In 2023 the state created the Texas Energy Fund to finance about 10 gigawatts of electric generation capacity in hopes of reducing strain on the ERCOT power grid. Regulators approved 17 companies to receive loans if their projects are viable.
A bipartisan group of more than 350 mayors has committed to ambitious targets for fleet electrification and charging infrastructure.
Each year, more trees fall in cities than are harvested from national forests, putting infrastructure at risk. Researchers estimate that urban trees could replace about 10 percent of the nation’s annual lumber consumption.
States can compensate with vehicle and odometer taxes, but local governments can harness new data technologies — including GPS, 5G and AI — to meet the need for more than states’ hand-me-down dollars.
From buckling roads to twisted rails, it’s under a lot of stress. Engineers have some ideas for minimizing the problems.
Kansas and Missouri are spending millions of dollars in a bidding war to win over major sports teams. The fallout could be detrimental for the losing metro area.
Big money is flowing to cities and states from infrastructure laws backed by the Biden-Harris administration. This barely rates mention, even from Democrats.
As billions flow from Washington to extend fast and reliable Internet to underserved areas, policymakers should rely on the experienced, established providers that already know how to get this difficult job done.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced that businesses can now download the Ohio Mobile ID Check app, which enables them to accept ID cards via iPhones. However, physical cards are still needed for driving and interactions with police.
The money flowing from Washington can go a long way toward decarbonizing the buildings we live and work in. But it’s crucial to design the implementation of these projects to benefit everyone.
Data centers are popping up across the state as they get hundreds of millions in state and local tax breaks each year. But some experts worry that the facilities may soon overburden the available power supply.
Some locals of Stone Harbor, a wealthy Jersey Shore community in Cape May County, N.J., worry that the town’s parking app, ParkMobile, doesn’t always work and, as a result, is discouraging travelers from stopping.
Jonathan Daniels, an experienced crisis manager, is getting Baltimore’s port back in business.
Michigan’s Homeowners’ Energy Policy Act will take effect in October and will prevent HOAs from blocking the installation of a wide range of energy-efficient measures at their homes. Residents of mobile home communities might be next.
At the current pace of development, the number of public electric vehicle chargers across the nation will outnumber gas stations in about eight years. Many even expect charger momentum to increase, shortening the predicted timeline.
An estimated 9 million water service lines that still carry drinking water to homes and businesses are made of lead throughout the country. Yet an October deadline and a November election could delay replacement.
The proposal would increase property taxes to fund new sidewalks, bike lanes, and other transportation infrastructure. It would replace a $930 million levy expiring this year.
The water was being siphoned at the top of an old coal ash pond for reuse at the Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset, Minn., but escaped after an underground pipe broke. Experts say the risk is low to local drinking water.
Heavy rains on Tuesday threatened failure of the 89-year-old Nashville, Mo., City Reservoir Dam, forcing about 200 people to evacuate their homes. More rain is expected across the region.
The $935.4 million system upgrade will launch on Aug. 1, allowing riders on the Green Line and Mattapan Line trolleys to tap their credit/debit card, phone or watch to pay for fares.
As cars become more fuel efficient and EVs become more prominent, states will not be able to rely on gas taxes for much longer. But some states are considering fees on Amazon deliveries as part of their road-funding solution.
The lost water costs the cities millions and heightens the state’s water supply challenges.
Slow rollout of the federal program has frustrated lawmakers, especially those in Michigan, which received $110 million through fiscal year 2026 for EV expansion but has funded no new power stations.
Frank White was a Hall of Fame second baseman for the Royals. As county executive, he persuaded voters that sales taxes for a new stadium were a bad idea.
Since 2010, 149 rural hospitals across the U.S. have either closed or stopped providing in-patient care. Often, communities are left with the empty husk of a hospital, but some communities have found ways to repurpose the buildings.
Urban interstate highways displaced hundreds of thousands of households, destroyed neighborhoods and enforced racial segregation, and they continue to harm low-income communities. We need to ameliorate this tragic history.
States are spending about $20 billion of the flexible funding from the American Rescue Plan Act on water infrastructure. Demand is expected to grow in coming years.
Many cities view rail transit as an enticing boost to civic fortunes. But there’s a better, cheaper way to accomplish the same thing.
Two of the best alternatives for user-paid infrastructure are toll roads and variable-fee express lanes. States with fast-growing populations are embracing toll projects because they can't wait for federal funding, and private capital is eager to invest.
They not only provide access to green space but make diverse communities feel safe and welcome, as a popular park in St. Paul, Minn., demonstrates.
