Wednesday’s Headlines Will Melt Your Face
U.S. infrastructure is both too expensive and not up to the task of handling climate-change extremes like the Pacific Northwest heat wave.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on June 30, 2021
- The U.S. is the sixth-most expensive country in the world to build infrastructure in, and the five countries ahead of it all tunnel most of their projects, which adds to the cost. There are a lot of reasons for this, two of which are understaffed agencies and NIMBYs delaying projects. (Vox)
- The Federal Transit Administration announced 49 grants totaling $182 million for low- and no-emissions buses. (Green Car Congress)
- Women often avoid walking because they fear being sexually assaulted on the street. (Streetsblog USA)
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both want to fast-track the Gateway Program, a new rail tunnel underneath the Hudson River. (Politico)
- The Pacific Northwest heat wave has shown that we’re not building our infrastructure to handle the more extreme climate of the 21st century. (The Atlantic)
- Seattle’s top candidates for mayor all favor reduced fares or fare-free transit. The Seattle Times delves into their specific plans.
- The goal of San Jose’s new mobility plan is to increase walking, biking and transit use from 24 percent of trips to 60 percent by 2040. (American City and County)
- Drivers are killing so many pedestrians in San Antonio that it’s become a public health crisis. (Express-News)
- Houston is adding wider sidewalks, bus shelters and additional lighting to Westheimer Road, the city’s busiest transit corridor. (Houston Public Media)
- The Pittsburgh Port Authority eliminated a 25-cent discount for fare pass users, but also got rid of a $1 transfer fee. (City Paper)
- Rural Virginians can now order transit service via an app, similar to a public version of Uber or Lyft. (Virginia Mercury)
- In Roanoke, pedestrians are disproportionately likely to be injured or killed in traffic crashes. (Roanoke Times)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Every Friday’s Headline Is Sacred
When transit funds are wasted, God gets quite irate.
October 16, 2026
Friday Video: When Walkability Isn’t Enough … Even in the Great Cities of Europe
What happens when livable places get overwhelmingly popular before we can build more of them — or when other failures of design and governance make them bad places to live?
October 16, 2026
Newsom Signs Bill to Better Align California Transportation Spending With Climate Goals
SB 1087 updates California’s landmark sustainable communities law, strengthening the connection between regional climate plans and transportation investments.
October 15, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Passion Problem in Public Transit
Where should the most enthusiastic supporters of transit try to work?
October 15, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Trouble for Tesla
Autonomous vehicles just can't seem to behave themselves.
October 15, 2026
