State officials say they need around $15 billion to mitigate the impacts of rising seas.
In a visit to Hawai’i, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed strong support for Honolulu’s partially opened Skyline rail line, reports Marcel Honore in Honolulu Civil Beat.
“But U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it remains unclear whether the rail, which has seen its costs more than double since 2012 to about $10 billion, would ever get more federal dollars on top of the $1.55 billion that his agency has already committed to getting it done,” Honore adds. Buttigieg gave no timeline for when Federal Transit funds, withheld since 2014, will be released, but the signing of a key agreement unlocks roughly $744 million.
Buttigieg also visited a coastal roadway slated for relocation to ensure safer evacuations, acknowledging that many more coastal roads need similar work, and “the site of the future Kapalama Container Terminal, a project that’s been in the works for at least three decades to expand port operations at Honolulu Harbor” that is using a $40 million federal grant to fund zero-emissions cranes and a solar microgrid.
FULL STORY: Feds Are Confident Honolulu Rail Is Finally Moving In The Right Direction
Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.
SoCal Leaders Debate Moving Coastal Rail Line
Train tracks running along the Pacific Ocean are in danger from sea level rise, but residents are divided on how to fix the problem.
Portland Transportation Bureau Faces ‘Existential’ Cuts
PBOT’s director says the agency’s impending budget shortfall could imperil even basic transportation and infrastructure services.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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