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Tuesday’s Headlines Are Crossing That Bridge

Sigh. Apparently infrastructure still means roads and bridges to many city officials.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EDT on August 23, 2022

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Crossing That Bridge

The Nice Bridge over the Potomac is slated for demolition, unless it can be saved and used by cyclists. Credit: Ewillison

More than 80 percent of cities plan to spend federal infrastructure funding on roads and bridges, while less than 60 percent will use it to pay for safer streets, and less than 30 percent are electrifying their bus fleets. (Governing)
Viral video of a Los Angeles driver killing six people while running a red light at 90 miles an hour is sparking new discussion about using geofencing technology to control vehicle speeds. (Treehugger)
California high-speed rail received final approval from state regulators for the San Jose-to-San Francisco leg. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Maryland is building a new bridge over the Potomac River, and bike advocates and members of Congress are trying to convince Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration to save the old one for walking and biking. (Washington Post)
Boston’s pro-transit mayor, Michelle Wu, is on the defensive as the Orange Line shuts down for 30 days of repairs (Globe). The city is providing buses and free-bike share, and one group is organizing convoys for inexperienced riders (Herald). Things have gone smoothly so far (Streetsblog MASS).
St. Louis’ MetroLink resumed full service Monday, four weeks after flooding shut down the transit system. Repairs will cost an estimated $32 million. (Post-Dispatch)
Issues ranging from labor strikes to a landslide have pushed back the completion of four Sound Transit light-rail lines. (Seattle Times)
Milwaukee has stepped up enforcement and education in response to a deadly rash of reckless driving, but it should also be redesigning its streets to be safer. (Journal-Sentinel)
A $25 million federal grant will fund improvements on seven of Philadelphia’s most dangerous streets. (WHYY)
A Pittsburgh pilot program is giving free transit and micromobility access to 50 low-income residents to see if it improves their economic mobility. (Traffic Technology Today)
Bloomington, Indiana, is consolidating four bus lines into two and subsidizing Uber and Lyft rides instead, at a cost of up to $19 a pop. (Herald-Times)
A Savannah homeowner found two 130-year-streetcars in her backyard after moving into the house. (WTOC)

Blake Aued

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.

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