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.
There are a number of steps that state and local leaders could take to narrow the funding gap by tens of billions, making the most of the money that is available to keep the faucets flowing.
The region will host nine FIFA World Cup matches, including a semifinal, two years from now. Although some are worried about the infrastructure capabilities for thousands of fans, others are confident the area will be ready.
About a dozen states have passed legislation to promote sales of water and wastewater utilities. Although private money can fund upgrades, environmentalists say drinking water shouldn't be a for-profit enterprise.
Leaks in service lines have left residents in several Kentucky counties without access to water for cleaning or drinking. Jan. 29 was the eighth day that hundreds of residents were without water in Harlan County.
Metro Atlanta is now the sixth-largest market in the nation for data centers. But data centers have huge energy demands, so Georgia Power wants to add more electricity capacity, most of which would be powered by fossil fuels.
The state’s Flood Resiliency Blueprint will be an online tool that compiles research and data about flooding in North Carolina in one place. This can be used to inform future plans.
Electrify America, born out of Volkswagen’s 2015 emissions scandal, promised to spend millions to promote electric vehicle adoption across California. But unreliable EV chargers only further undermine the company’s pledge.
The state ranked first nationally in 2022 with 458 hailstorms. Losses are most severe in Dallas County, which has $102 million in expected losses every year due to storm damage.
In 2020, more than 18 percent of people living on tribal lands didn’t have access to broadband, compared to just 4 percent of people living in non-tribal areas. Tribes across the country are now taking matters into their own hands.
When the power went out on Saturday, Portland General Electric said the outages would be fixed within 24 to 48 hours. But as of Tuesday afternoon, 31,052 customers were still without power, forcing many to find warm shelter elsewhere.
“Severe repetitive loss properties” are homes that have flooded twice, with damage totaling the property, or flooded four times with at least $5,000 in damages each time. But residents aren’t allowed to know where those properties are exactly.
The grant will go to a local nonprofit that was selected last year as the city’s route to low-cost, citywide broadband. The organization aims to have every Cleveland household connected to fast Internet by mid-2025.
Drivers could potentially pay per mile driven. The state transportation department predicts fuel tax revenues will decline by 2030 and drop by half by 2050.
Both industries want to utilize the state’s offshore property for multimillion-dollar projects. It’s unlikely the two can coexist.
Lawmakers should make charging convenient for everyone and minimize the environmental impact of electric vehicle batteries.
Across the nation, state transportation agencies are warning that public safety is at risk if lawmakers don’t overhaul how road maintenance gets funded. Some states are proposing new taxes and fees.
Freddie O’Connell, the new mayor, is a longtime transit advocate and civic leader. Nashville voters have rejected transit referendums in the past, but he's convinced the city needs to try again
Since LoDoMus Prime and Dave, two autonomous robots, have been deployed in two of Denver’s downtown parking garages, car thefts and vandalism have decreased by more than 70 percent.
Beaver Island’s roughly 600 permanent residents are hoping to improve energy efficiencies of homes and buildings and figure out how to generate their own solar energy. Currently the island relies on mainland power and an oil-powered backup generator.
Between 2000 and 2020, millions of Americans have moved away from high-flood-risk areas. When between 5 to 10 percent of properties in a census block are at risk of flooding, people start to move out of the area, even despite attractive amenities.
The Solar for All component of the IRA will use $7 billion of federal funds to pay for 60 solar energy projects in disadvantaged communities nationwide. Nearly all states have applied for the infrastructure grants.
The law enforcement training facility will cost as much as $350 million. It will include 300 single-person dorms, an auditorium, gymnasiums, a firing range, a stable and more. Construction is expected to finish in 2028.
The station has enough power to charge four vehicles simultaneously up to 80 percent within 20 to 40 minutes and was funded through the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. It is just one of 27 planned across the state.
The city’s new law will apply to approximately 4,100 buildings that are 20,000 square feet or larger. These account for only 3 percent of all buildings in the city but produce over one-third of total building emissions.
The California governor and his administration are moving forward with a plan to build a 45-mile water tunnel between the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, even as the project has received heavy pushback from environmental groups.
The company controls millions of square feet of offices, so its struggles will surely cause more headaches for landlords. But the model it pioneered remains attractive.
Decades ago, highway projects destroyed neighborhoods, uprooting families and businesses. Today’s leaders must seek to rebuild public trust through thoughtful, equitable transportation and land-use decisions.
The county council unanimously approved a 10-year contract between Cuyahoga Green Energy, the county-run utility, and Compass Energy Platform to develop district microgrids, which will serve as small-scale local electricity systems.
The nation’s largest county currently imports 60 percent of its water supply. The water plan that the Board of Supervisors adopted on Tuesday outlines how it will shift to sourcing 162 billion gallons locally instead.
A New Orleans power utility wants customers to pay for the $750 million to $1 billion price tag, which could raise bills an additional $11.86 per month. But the city has pushed back saying there must be an affordable option for ratepayers.
A new survey found that only about 5 percent of Texans currently drive an electric vehicle and, of those who don’t currently own or lease an EV, about 60 percent said they probably wouldn’t consider one in the future either.
