Tuesday’s Headlines Are Worth the Money

Investing in transit generates a five-to-one return on the dollar.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on March 10, 2026

Photo: Grant Brummett

Every billion dollars invested in transit has an economic return of $5 billion, including $3.1 billion in wages, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The group is lobbying Congress to match the Biden-era Infrastructure and Jobs Act's spending — $138 billion for transit and $130 billion for passenger rail over five years — in the next surface transportation bill. (Mass Transit)
Old malls are being replaced by fake downtowns, but they don't always feel authentic. (The Future of Where)
The technology for digital curb management is not quite ready for prime time, but still useful. (Government Tech)
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is considering eliminating free car storage on public streets. (NBC New York; Streetsblog NYC)
Seattle declined federal funding to build a rail system in the 1970s, while Atlanta accepted, yet Seattle has a much stronger transit system today. (AJC; paywall)
Thieves stole dozens of bikes and helmets from an Atlanta nonprofit that was going to distribute them to underprivileged children. (CBS News)
Bike lanes should be included on the new Chesapeake Bay Bridge. (Maryland Matters)
Bridge and tunnel projects in New Jersey and Cincinnati are being downsized or eliminated, which has repercussions for the I-77 boondoggle stradding Washington and Oregon. (City Observatory)
Philadelphia planners are questioning whether to continue designing the Chinatown freeway stitch after the Trump administration rescinded funding for its construction. (WHYY)
Charlotte is building a new Blue Line light rail station in South End. (WCNC)
Could light rail revitalize downtown Fresno? (Modesto Bee; paywall)
KCUR's "Kansas City Today" discusses how Kansas City invented jaywalking, then repealed the law when it became clear it was mostly being enforced against Black men.