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.
More than half of the city’s District H population speaks Spanish at home and 1 in 3 Houstonians speak Spanish at home. The City Council District H candidates considered redesigning the website for increased accessibility.
The program includes nearly 650 traffic detectors, more than 100 cameras and 91 signs that relay information to Houston TranStar, but officials have only been able to bring 36 of the dynamic message signs online since the project began in 2017.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas wants to increase the amount of power it can quickly access in the case of extreme demand. It specifically is looking toward a decommissioned coal-fired power plant near San Antonio.
The upstate New York city is now offering free, high-speed and secure Internet service for hundreds of low-income residents. The city used $3.5 million in federal funding to develop the wireless network in many of the city’s least connected areas.
Researchers found about 20 different species of wildlife across the city through the use of camera traps. For many animals, cities with lots of green spaces are havens from the urban heat island effect.
The transition, which begins Oct. 9, will allow the public to find information, pay fines and fees and file court documents online. But many are concerned about the challenges that could come with online court work.
They are trying to take advantage of massive federal funding now available for broadband expansion and must deal with multiple hurdles. Resistance from major providers is just one of them.
The federal space agency is contracting out rocket-making. The results can be alarming.
A proposed change to the state code would mandate new construction projects to build between 1 and 20 percent of their available parking as electric vehicle charging spaces.
The city’s Technology Council’s annual Tech Fest encourages developers to capitalize on the power of generative artificial intelligence while also being cognizant of the risks of the software.
Woodbury University architecture students designed and constructed the 3D-printed home in just 15 months. Though the structure still needs some drywall, exterior features and landscaping, many are hopeful of what it could mean for the housing crisis.
An anonymously donated grant allowed 100 miles of Bend, Ore.’s mountain bike trails to be assessed for adaptive users in May.
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Local governments can drastically improve water conservation with a comprehensive approach to water management.
The state has more than 18,000 transmission lines that move power from a myriad of energy sources. But, as the state transitions away from fossil fuels, the existing infrastructure is inadequate.
The proposal includes the states of Illinois and Indiana, along with private sector partners, and would produce hydrogen as a way to clean up carbon-intensive industries like steelmaking.
A wildfire brought down Del Norte County's only transmission lines. But officials were able to bring homes and businesses back online through a patchwork of generator-powered microgrids — estimated to be the state's largest.
The plan is the largest EV charging incentive program in the country and the rebates for charging equipment can cover 50 percent of a project’s costs or up to $100,000. The state aims to have 250,000 public chargers by 2025.
Many sites across the state that were important during the modern civil rights movement have met the 50-year threshold for historic consideration in recent years, but finding the money to save the crumbling buildings is a challenge.
The top 10 counties with the largest population gains grew 10 times faster than the national average, impacting school resources, farmland prices and more.
The state law that went into effect on July 1 enacts a series of immigration-related restrictions, which has deterred many undocumented workers from assisting in the debris clearing and rebuilding after a storm.
The tree canopy coverage in the Florida city is at its lowest in 26 years, which, when coupled with increasingly warm summers, can make for deadly heat conditions, especially in lower-income neighborhoods.
Though not retroactive, the rebates of $2,000 to $4,000 will be allotted for individual households and multifamily buildings with energy efficient retrofits and will be available regardless of income.
Six people died on Feb. 11, 2021, in one of the most destructive crashes in state history when a winter storm caused cars to skid along a two-lane tollway. On Sept. 1, two bills that aim to prevent similar crashes in the future will go into effect.
An ultra-white coating can reflect just over 98 percent of sunlight, compared to commercial white pants that reflect just 80 to 90 percent of sunlight. The new paint kept outdoor surfaces 8 degrees cooler than surrounding temps.
Two years ago, state officials directed a total of $3.87B to close the digital divide and expand Internet access. But since then, the plans have been significantly reduced and lower-income neighborhoods have been left out.
Billions of federal dollars are coming to states to make broadband for all a reality, but funding alone doesn’t ensure results. Powerful resources are available to help state and local governments succeed.
Just a few months after the Starlink terminals began delivering connectivity, thousands of residents have signed up for the satellite-transferred service. While the connectivity isn’t perfect, the increased speed is life changing for many.
The Coachella Valley faced a particularly dire threat of flooding as it acts as a drainage basin for two 10,000-foot-plus mountain ranges and low-income farming communities, like Mecca and Thermal, sit at the valley’s low center.
If you live in rural America, your Internet access can still be hard to come by. States can change the situation.
The island’s Emergency Management Agency reported that the sirens are for tsunamis and are not a part of the agency’s standard wildfire response protocol. Instead, a variety of emergency notifications were used to alert residents of the danger.
