Today's Headlines

Monday’s Headlines Are High on Highways

Roads already receive a disproportionate amount of federal transportation funding, and it will get worse if Republicans have their way.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on August 3, 2026

Houston's Katy Freeway is the poster child for induced demand. Photo: Hequals2Henry, CC

Under the BUILD America 250 Act, House Republicans’ transportation budget bill replacing the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, funding for transit would plunge by 23 percent, adjusted for inflation. That includes a loss of $2 billion for California and New York alone. The share of funding for highways would grow from 63 percent to 70 percent, according to the Urban Institute. (Governing).
Cities like New York, Paris, Berlin and London that invested in bike infrastructure during the pandemic and didn’t stop are now reaping the benefits. (Momentum)
As the war with Iran rages on, driving up gas prices, oil companies are raking in massive profits. (Associated Press)
Too much overlapping bureaucracy is delaying American infrastructure projects. (Government Tech)
Automated traffic enforcement cameras make streets safer, but Flock surveillance is giving them a bad name. (Streetsblog USA)
After a driver killed a Boston transportation official while she was riding her bike, Mayor Michelle Wu, who largely abandoned her pro-bike stance during the recent mayoral campaign, has flip-flopped back to bikes. (WBUR)
Widening Houston’s Katy Freeway to 26 lanes only made traffic worse — proof of induced demand. (Space Daily)
Atlanta’s transit system performed well during the World Cup, but will MARTA build on that success or fall back into complacency? (AJC)
The Ballard light rail line in Seattle is not dead and could be built by 2042. (My Northwest)
Las Vegas is installing its first protected bike lane. (LV Sports Biz)
Kansas City set speed and age limits for e-bikes and e-scooters. (KCUR)
Building sidewalks is a good thing, but in Milwaukee the construction is temporarily forcing vulnerable pedestrians and people with disabilities into the street. (TMJ 4)
Costco parking lots are a war zone. (USA Today)