Cities and counties are asking Congress to include more direct funding for local projects in the next transportation bill. States are fighting to protect existing formulas.
Chicago and San Francisco are looking to consolidate the transit agencies in their respective cities, proposals backed by state lawmakers. Advocates say such reforms could improve service for riders and make it easier for politicians to address funding issues.
Despite widespread support for the legislation, state lawmakers have failed to pass a ban on motorist handheld use of cellphones. From 2014 to 2023, 78 people in Iowa were killed by distracted drivers using a cellphone or other handheld device.
Indiana is finishing its portion of Interstate 69, a highway planned to run from Canada to Mexico. It’s been in the works for decades.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell wants voters to approve a half-cent sales tax to fund transit-service improvements and upgrades to the city’s sidewalks and roads.
Future in Context
Reducing traffic deaths is a compelling proposition, but it gets complicated when trying to make it so.
Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt suggested constructing toll booths at state borders to help address the state’s tight budget. But on Monday Gov. Maura Healey said she is not proposing border tolls.
Currently, the state controls the local speed limits but a proposal folded into the state budget would change that. The current speed limit in New York City was set in 2014, the first citywide reduction in a half-century.
Maryland legislators are taking steps to protect workers and businesses affected by the port and highway closure. There are broader, indirect effects, however, that are creating additional uncertainty.
City and state leaders in the Milwaukee area are addressing a spike in reckless driving in a variety of ways, from increasing penalties to redesigning streets. The city has a goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2037.
Legislation that would have legalized and regulated autonomous vehicles in Kentucky was vetoed on Friday, April 5, by the governor who claimed the bill was moving too quickly and the state needed a testing period first.
Although electric vehicle sales grew by 50 percent last year, that is far below the 70 percent growth the industry had forecast. High costs, infrastructure access, charging concerns and grid reliability continue to dissuade drivers.
State Road 516 will be equipped to recharge batteries of electric cars and trucks as they drive along the toll expressway. Although it will be less than five miles long, the road will cost nearly $550 million.
The data on traffic fatalities and injuries doesn’t account for their needs or even count them. Better data would enable better solutions.
The Reconnecting Communities program is giving $3.3 billion to help cities address problems caused by highways. But in most cases, the projects stop short of removing highways altogether.
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.
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