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.
In response to high pedestrian fatalities and chronic congestion, a state plan will pay for improvements near schools throughout the state.
The state has begun scanning 2 million pages. It’s part of a $60 million project to build a database integrating a century of water rights records, geospatial mapping and up-to-date water diversion data.
The state will launch an alternative system where drivers are charged for each mile they drive. That might replace the gas tax, which hasn’t been updated since 2003. As of 2022, just 0.13 percent of the state’s vehicles were hybrid or electric.
Two political leaders are backing a congressional bill that would lower the cost of homeowner property insurance by about a quarter. In 2023, Florida homes cost three times the national average to insure.
Since 2019, the state has experienced 263 outages, each lasting an average of 160 minutes and impacting an estimated 172,000 Texans. During Texas’ deep winter freeze in 2021, there were 47 outages.
Voters in Los Angeles approved a ballot measure to add hundreds of miles of bike lanes and bus lanes. It will force implementation of a plan the city agreed to years ago.
The Delta Conveyance Project is a 45-mile tunnel that would run beneath the delta and move more water from Northern California to cities further south. Opponents worry about the tunnel’s impact on the delta’s fragile ecosystem.
A new $1 billion fund will help Texas communities fix crumbling water infrastructure. Advocates say much more will be needed due to population growth and climate change.
DOD has released an industrial strategy that calls for a revival of domestic manufacturing that extends far beyond traditional defense contractors.
State lawmakers and local elected officials have spoken out against using farm land in Schoharie County for solar farm projects. The state aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.
Florida health officials began warning homeowners near the Florida State Fire College that well water may be contaminated and a potential health hazard. But inmates at a nearby women’s prison say they weren’t informed.
It's been seven years since the New Jersey city has seen a traffic fatality, with injuries down significantly as well. Many of its improvements could be replicated elsewhere.
Chicago’s main metro transit system will purchase eight of the two-car trains for $154 million, and may spend up to $181.4 million extra for more. The trains will run during off-peak times.
Assessments and additions that would make a home more climate-friendly also have significant price tags, driving up housing costs. Local officials in Lacey, Wash., are trying to reconcile competing goals.
Professional sports teams are on the move and they’re leaning on state and local officials to help them. Subsidies exceeding $1 billion per deal are on the table.
Downtowns were all the rage for most of this century. There’s still a market for density, but many people want it to be carefully managed.
The state will increase its toll rates on March 1, with the highest toll rate being $15 on I-405 and Highway 167. Dynamic pricing will change the toll rate to a minimum of $1 as often as every five minutes.
Of the eight Southern California counties that were under a state of emergency during the most recent storm, only 52,820 homes and businesses were covered by flood policies.
Thousands of county officials came to Washington, D.C., to make the case with Congress that funding counties directly is the best way to improve lives across the country’s diverse rural and urban communities.
The state wants to lower electricity rates and relieve the burden on low-income households through a “fixed charge” plan. Many oppose the idea due to a perceived lack of fairness and privacy concerns.
Data from over 15 million consumers in 588 counties across the nation reveal that poorer communities waited an average of 170 minutes more for power to be restored, though sometimes it took much longer.
A new bridge over the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge has been talked about for years. Louisiana is moving ahead with the project, which could cost around $3 billion.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed billions toward public transit in New York, but the state is choosing to spend billions more on highways.
The Biden administration wants to help remove all lead service lines in the U.S. within the next decade. A new report from the Center for American Progress highlights progress in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
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.
