Transportation
Fiscal and ridership changes are impacting transportation policies at the state and local levels. These articles focus on innovative and successful transit planning, funding and upkeep for intercity and commuter rail, electric vehicles, mass transit and more.
Voters approve most transit funding requests put before them, but after passage the measures have drawn legal opposition in places like Austin, Nashville and Phoenix.
A new data dashboard from the Urban Institute fleshes out how the funding is being allocated by category and across states, counties and congressional districts.
The City Council wants to shift funds toward projects that have been stalled for years or even decades. Sacramento has seen 300 traffic deaths over the past eight years.
The state faces a severe shortfall, but a proposed package would raise or shift $1 billion in taxes to secure funding for various projects.
The state is using roadside tests to check whether drivers have used drugs, similar to tests for alcohol. A pilot program found that 87 percent of tested drivers had used cannabis or illegal drugs.
States are looking for alternate ways to fund transportation infrastructure as gas tax revenues dwindle. Despite years of study, only a few have adopted road user charges.
Pedestrian deaths dipped slightly in the first half of 2024. California’s 13 percent reduction in deaths accounted for most of the net decline around the country.
The 30-year-old airport will be under renovation for years as officials plan continuous upgrades to handle increased traffic, including construction of a seventh runway by 2035.
In his final budget proposal, Democrat Phil Murphy calls for replacing old and unreliable buses and rail cars.
Jeffrey Tumlin oversaw the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency during a period of tumult for public transit and city streets.
Since implementing an electronic fare card in 2016, the system has been plagued by glitches and doubled its projected cost to $285 million.
New York City’s Department of Transportation awarded a third of its contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses last year, a priority of Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
Big city transit systems receive more than half their operational funds from the state. That’s a far higher percentage than Boston, Chicago or New York.
Democrat Josh Shapiro is redirecting federal highway funds to Philadelphia’s transit system. Officials with the nation’s sixth-largest system had just approved a 29 percent fare increase.
Future in Context
The recent fortunes of local initiatives reveal a shifting landscape in U.S. transportation policy — driven by political, economic and environmental factors. What lies ahead is, as yet, unclear.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the investment and others tied to a clean hydrogen hub project in a news release on Wednesday.
Officials hope the effort to restore passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City will be unaffected by federal leadership changes. A 2023 study estimated the line would generate $84 million in new economic activity annually.
A new report from Brookings shows how state departments of transportation have a free hand to spend on highway projects, but don’t keep good track of progress toward specific goals.
The New York governor proposed a 40 percent cut in the already-approved toll pricing with the expectation that the toll will ramp up to the original $15 base toll over the course of several years.
Local taxes to fund public transit fared well on Election Day. But state and federal election results could alter the outlook for infrastructure investment long term.
The city government will discuss a proposed state of emergency over pedestrian and cyclist safety just six days after the city’s 31st traffic death of 2024.
State air regulators voted last week to update the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to aim to reduce carbon emissions of transportation fuels by 30 percent by 2030.
The Texas city has just 4 percent of land left to develop, making future development above ground more appealing. The city is considering air taxis, Uber-like gondolas and other aerial solutions to further develop microtransit.
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a $3.3 billion list of projects to achieve ahead of the 2028 Games that is only 5.2 percent funded so far.
The majority of U.S. agricultural exports rely on the Mississippi River to reach the international market.
Voters will weigh in on at least 18 ballot measures raising taxes to pay for transportation improvements. Transportation infrastructure is becoming more expensive to build.
Massachusetts has the lowest rate of traffic deaths per vehicle mile traveled, according to recently published federal data. State transportation leaders credit safety strategies — and congestion.
The percentage growth in daily commuters from outside Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile far exceed internal growth. Alabama’s average commute time of 23.5 minutes is average among U.S. states.
Sales of e-bikes in the U.S. grew more than 280 percent from 2019 to 2022. However, from 2017 to 2022, there have also been 233 deaths associated with e-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards.
Transit police have issued more than 700 citations over the past two months. Instead of fines, riders who don’t pay are being sent to court.
Out of order ever since Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast passenger rail service is expected to start up again next spring after a key City Council vote this week in Mobile, Ala.
