Monday’s Headlines Reconnect With Pete

More than $3 billion is flowing out of the White House to help correct infrastructure mistakes in Black communities.

By Blake Aued

12:14 AM EDT on April 29, 2024

Gage Skidmore, CC

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg attended a conference of Black mayors to tout $3.3 billion in grants the Biden administration is distributing to address the damage caused to minority communities by past transportation decisions. (CNN)
Cities should be building more protected bike lanes because paint does little to keep cyclists safe. (Real Clear Energy)
Funding transit instead of highways would lead to cleaner air and save people money they'd otherwise spend on driving. (Other Words)
The Biden administration is issuing $150 million in federal grants to reduce truck idling and emissions at ports. (American Journal of Transportation)
New book "The Northeast Corridor" explores how trains linked the East Coast cities from Boston to Washington, D.C. into one giant megalopolis. (The Conversation)
In addition to larger contributions from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., the D.C. Metro plans to address a $750 million deficit by raising fares and shifting funding from maintenance to operations. (WTOP)
With federal COVID funds drying up, Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA is facing a $240 million deficit July 1, and its CEO is asking the city for $117 million to leverage state funding. (NBC 10)
Hearings have started in a lawsuit seeking to kill Austin's Project Connect transit expansion plans. (KUT)
Once a supporter of Beltline transit, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is now starting to question the cost. (11 Alive)
Portland traffic deaths hit an all-time high of 69 last year. (Axios)
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's $3 billion transportation plan has "something for everybody," including bus riders, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. (Governing)
Angry over cost overruns on the Southwest Light Rail project, Minnesota lawmakers are pushing to reform the Twin Cities' unelected Met Council. (CBS News)
St. Paul officials are proposing to build 100 miles of protected bike lanes over the next 15 years. (Axios)
Oakland and Caltrans are spending millions to make Bay Area streets safer. (San Jose Mercury News)
Charlotte is considering extending the Gold Line streetcar and allowing it to bypass traffic, potentially boosting its low ridership. (WCNC)
A $3.6 million federal grant will spare Des Moines' transit agency from service cuts for the next two years. (Register)
Lots of people in West Hartford bike or take the bus even though the area was built for cars. (CT Insider)
The first phase of revamping New Orleans' Claiborne Expressway is a new marketplace that opened underneath the elevated highway that divides a Black neighborhood. (Louisiana Weekly)
Chicago has removed its famous "rat hole" sidewalk. (NBC News)

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