Monday’s Salty Headlines

Salt poured on icy roads and sidewalks eventually winds up in a river, stream or even your drinking water.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 5, 2026

Oregon announced a policy in 2016 to use salt in a more “surgical” manner.

|Oregon DOT

Applying too much salt to icy roads and sidewalks not only harms wildlife in rivers and streams, it can also make well water undrinkable for humans. In fact, road salt contributed to the Flint water crisis by leaching lead out of old pipes. (Popular Science)
The U.S. DOT opened up applications for $1.5 billion in BUILD grants of up to $25 million each, with priority going to communities hosting World Cup or Olympics events. (Clean Technica)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed a new transportation commissioner, Michael Flynn — no, not the MAGA general — and tasked him with speeding up buses. Mamdani introduced Flynn just after his swearing-in ceremony at an abandoned subway station beneath City Hall. (NY Times; Streetsblog NYC)
From a fiscal crisis to train fires, 2025 was a rough year for Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA. (WHYY)
Meanwhile, a fiscal cliff is expected in San Francisco, where BART hopes voters will support a tax hike to fund transit. (Chronicle)
The Oklahoma City Council voted to ban bike lanes on Classen Boulevard despite pleas that the street is dangerous for children to ride on. (KOCO)
Tennessee will now include questions about cyclist hand signals on driver's license exams. (WKRN)
The nearly 30,000 Milwaukee drivers with five or more unpaid parking tickets now risk getting their car towed. (WISN)
New Jersey traffic deaths fell by 15 percent last year, reversing a 30-year upward trend. (Star-Ledger)
The Kansas City streetcar is fueling growth along the line and throughout the city's core. (Star)
Austin is redesigning bar-lined Sixth Street with wider sidewalks, but most residents would prefer bike lanes instead. (American-Statesman)
New battery-electric buses and express routes start running in Kaua'i today. (Aloha State Daily)
Honolulu lacks 900 miles of sidewalks, and two charter amendments would require the city to build them. (Civil Beat)
Madison is adding a separated bike lane to a corridor that sees 30,000 cars a day that will connect two existing bike paths. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is closing a contraflow bus lane in the university district and rerouting nine bus lines. (Tribune-Review)
With Sound Transit facing financial challenges, the Seattle agency's CEO is deferring some of his compensation until certain benchmarks are met. (The Chronicle)
How did San Antonio's last streetcar wind up in Oregon? (My SA)