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If Thursday’s Headlines Build It, They Will Come

Why can the U.S. quickly rebuild a bridge for cars, but not do the same for transit? It comes down to political will and a reliance on consultants.

Photo: Patorjk|

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

  • The U.S. still has the capacity to build major infrastructure projects, but we lack the political will and, in some cases, the expertise. (Governing)
  • Messages revealed by congressional Democrats show that fossil fuel companies privately poo-pooed global climate goals and restrictions that they publicly claimed to support. (Washington Post)
  • The City Fix provides an overview of zero-emissions zones around the world.
  • Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a truce with oil and gas companies that will tax drilling to fund transit. (Colorado Public Radio)
  • A business-backed campaign to move two planned Seattle light rail stations would cost an estimated $500 million and result in lower ridership, a Sound Transit study found. (The Urbanist)
  • Houston Mayor John Whitmire continues to kill road safety projects. (Houston Public Media)
  • Private rail company Brightline is eyeing Texas and Seattle for its next projects. (City Lab)
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to have found a winning issue by turning bike lanes into a culture war. (Strong Towns)
  • Proposed new Philadelphia bus routes focus on more frequent service in highly used corridors. (WHYY)
  • Louisville's transit agency is struggling financially in part because Kentucky ranks 46th in funding for transit. (Courier-Journal)
  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills's plan to build a toll highway flies in the face of the state's climate goals. (Portland Press Herald)
  • A metro Detroit cyclist who was hit by a driver is pushing for changes. (CBS News)
  • More than 50 people were hurt in a collision between an L.A. Metro train and a University of Southern California bus. (Trains)
  • Cambridge, Massachusetts — the first city in the U.S. to mandate bike lanes on all road projects — voted to delay implementation of a 25-mile bike network. (Harvard Crimson)
  • Anchorage is building its first protected bike lane downtown this summer. (Alaska News Now)
  • Germany's flat-rate train pass enticed one teenager to not just travel, but live aboard the Deutsch Bahn. (Irish Times)

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