Streets/Highways/Bridges
Calif. beach city evicts 'surfing Madonna'
Defying the possible wrath of both art lovers and the heavens above, officials in Encinitas, Calif., have decided to evict the Virgin Mary. And she has to take her surfboard with her....
U.S. DOT wants videos of intelligent transportation
The development of Intelligent Transportation Systems is still young, but the U.S. Department of Transportation is looking for videos that demonstrate how it is making transportation better in communities....
Report: Cities will pay greater share of infrastructure investments
America's infrastructure investments will be further stifled this year by pressures to cut federal spending and reduce the deficit, compelling cities to take on more of the costs to start or continue infrastructure projects, according to a new report from the Urban Land Institute....
Report: States not tracking transportation spending
Only 13 states have goals, performance measures and data needed to show whether their surface transportation systems are advancing economic growth and other key objectives, according to a report from the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation....
Mayors' survey: Cities need transportation infrastructure investment
Given the nation's current economic problems, federal transportation priorities should be targeted to metropolitan areas, home to two-thirds of U.S. residents, according to a survey of mayors of 176 cities conducted by the United States Conference of Mayors....
Where the sidewalk ends
City targets broken links in sidewalk network to improve infrastructure....
California seeks federal boost for high-speed rail
By Jennifer Grzeskowiak
In early April, California applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for the entire $2.4 billion that Florida returned in March to use for a proposed high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles....
Survey: Americans support infrastructure investment
More than three-quarters (77 percent) of Americans think the federal government should increase spending to repair the nation's crumbling roads, bridges and transit systems, according to a report from HNTB Corp. ...
High-speed rail struggles to build steam
By Jennifer Grzeskowiak
Some state leaders are overturning plans for rail lines while others remain committed....
Report: The bridges are (almost) falling down
By Ed Brock (edward.brock@penton.com)
Experts say governments must focus on maintenance....
Snowstorms get political
By Nancy Mann Jackson
Elected officials can get plowed under by unforgiving winter storms....
Report: Bridges need repair
More than 11 percent of the nation's highway bridges are listed as "structurally deficient" — meaning they require significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement — by the Federal Highway Administration, according to a report from Transportation for America....
Mayors, what are your infrastructure needs?
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is surveying mayors around the country about their transportation infrastructure needs to lobby for their position on funding from the pending federal surface transportation law. ...
DOTs try new tricks for snow removal
By Ed Brock (edward.brock@penton.com)
Winter is releasing its icy grip on the nation, and departments of transportation (DOTs) in several states are assessing the efficiency of new approaches...
Hickory, N.C., sweeps streets with CNG power
A compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered street sweeper recently started making the rounds in Hickory, N.C., collecting debris from roads in the foothills...
Stimulus Funds Update Lighting
Since 2007, Waukesha, Wis., has been making improvements to government facilities, such as replacing boilers and lighting fixtures with more energy-effective...
Tough going
By Robert Barkin
Public works departments keep pushing to meet the demands from recession-racked communities....
Analyst: PPPs are good for transportation infrastructure, bad for real estate
Public-private partnerships work well for surface transportation infrastructure projects, but not so well for government real estate development, according to a new study from the Competitive Enterprise Institute....
Keeping traffic moving
New technology on Seattle-area highways gives drivers more information about what's ahead....
Obama's call for infrastructure improvement wins associations' support
President Obama's plans to improve the nation's infrastructure to create jobs, which he outlined in Tuesday's State of the Union speech, inspired endorsements from several government associations....
Economic strengthening in 2011 signals improved government budgets
A lot of signs point to a stronger economy, according to the "Keating Report" published by our sister publication Government Product News. The 2011 Keating Report includes analysis of federal, state, and local government spending, as well as an in-depth look at public works and government construction spending....
In our century
Winter weather regularly demands that cities improve practices for clearing snow and ice from streets....
Room to move
Collaborative project eliminates railroad crossings on major streets in growing Bay Area city....
Shinier street signs stir up controversy
By Ed Brock (edward.brock@penton.com)
Officials are concerned about the costs of new federal regulations....
Des Moines, Iowa's new snowplows spark new parking law
As winter's first snowstorms blanketed Des Moines, Iowa, in early December, the city issued hundreds of tickets in support of a new law that prohibits parking on certain neighborhood streets until snowplows have cleared the area....
