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.

By Blake Aued

12:07 AM EDT on May 2, 2024

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

|Photo: Patorjk

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)