Wednesday’s Headlines Need Help

By Blake Aued
Jan 25, 2023

Billions of federal dollars are available for rail projects, but many road-centered state DOTs don’t have the expertise to take advantage. (Route Fifty)
Cities can provide better transportation services when they’re properly structured. (Governing)
The average driver spends $179 a month on fuel — money that could be saved by riding a bike or transit. (Crossroads Today)
Electric vehicles are the latest front in the culture wars, and maybe the dumbest one yet. (The Verge)
Kansas City is using tax incentives to spur transit-oriented development, but some are concerned about a lack of affordable housing and the effect on school funding. (Beacon)
A Washington state bill would make it easier for cities to develop affordable housing around transit stops. (KUOW)
Plans for commuter rail in North Carolina are still important even if fewer people are commuting. (Raleigh News & Observer)
A Nebraska state senator is trying to block a proposed Omaha streetcar. (Examiner)
Despite progress on roads where Austin has been able to make safety improvements, traffic deaths still hit an all-time high last year. (Axios)
Drunk driving arrests in New Orleans are down by half, even as impaired drivers kill more people. (Times-Picayune)
Philadelphia received a $78 million federal grant for a plan to make deadly Roosevelt Avenue safer. (Inquirer)
Rather than the road diet Nashville officials want, state-drawn plans to replace the Broadway viaduct don’t change much at all. (Nashville Post)
Whether it’s Facebook groups or TikTok influencers, here are some of the best social media accounts to learn more about safe streets. (Mashable)

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Enviro Group Sees State DOTs’ Transport Predictions — and Raises Them

By Elana Schor | Jan 15, 2010

Just before New Year’s, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Washington voice for state DOTs that’s often dubbed the "road lobby," counted down 10 hot topics for 2010. Freight upgrades made EDF’s transport wish list for 2010. (Photo: TSA) Most items on AASHTO’s list are awaited with equal fervor by […]

Smarter Stimulus Spending

By Sarah Goodyear | Mar 11, 2009

So how can states best spend their stimulus money? How can livable streets advocates keep it from going to useless highway widening and other sprawl-inducing projects? Smart Growth America, a key partner in the Transportation for America campaign, has some ideas, which are detailed in a report called Spending the Stimulus (you can find the […]

Today’s Headlines

By Elana Schor | Jul 16, 2009

Look who’s lobbying for a gas tax hike: the nation’s biggest business lobby (WaPo) State DOTs don’t like the suggestion that their stimulus spending is less than fabulous (AP) A lengthy profile of Randal O’Toole, anti-transit crusader (Greenwire) LaHood says private investment in roads could lag behind high-speed rail (Reuters) Sen. Barrasso (R-WY) is becoming […]

GAO: Transportation Spending an Investment With Uncertain Returns

By Ya-Ting Liu | Jan 25, 2011

Cross-posted from Mobilizing the Region, the official blog of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. A December study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that, well, there’s not much government accountability when it comes to how states spend federal transportation funds. Despite the existence of a federally mandated transportation planning process, the federal government offers no clear goals […]

State DOTs to Feds: We Don’t Want to Reveal Our Impact on Climate Change

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 18, 2016

Every year state DOTs receive tens of billions of dollars in transportation funds from the federal government. By and large, they can do whatever they want with the money, which in most states means wasting enormous sums on pork-laden highway projects. Now that U.S. DOT might impose some measure of accountability on how states use these […]

Thanks to Ohio DOT, $100 million has been spent to gussy up Cleveland's West Shoreway, but it's still a limited access highway and a barrier to the lakefront. Image: Google Street View

Too Many State DOTs Are Little More Than Highway Departments

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 23, 2017

In the last 50 years, nearly every state agency that used to call itself the "highway department" has changed its name to the "department of transportation" to reflect a change in mission. But in practice, many state DOTs still operate strictly as highway departments.