Federal Transportation Funding
Road Usage Charge at Least 10 Years Away
Pilot programs are not the real thing, warned Michael Lewis, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, testifying at a House transportation subcommittee on March 7. Colorado completed a successful four-month pilot last April.
Trump Threatens Government Shutdown if Congress Funds Amtrak Gateway Tunnel
Trump's animus towards using federal funds to replace a century-old, hurricane-damaged rail tunnel under the Hudson River is so strong that he warned Congress he will veto a spending bill they must pass by March 23 to keep the government operating.
House Transportation Committee to Explore Sustainable Funding Options
Federal transportation leaders recognize that sustainable transportation funding options are needed to meet America's infrastructure needs. At AASHTO's Annual Washington Briefing, different funding strategies were proposed by key Congress members.
Federal Funding Authorized for States to Test Gas Tax Alternatives
The five-year transportation reauthorization known as the FAST Act relies on $70 billion of one-time, non-user fees to fund the $302 billion bill. The act also allows the government to fund the development of sustainable funding options by states.
Ambitious Subway Agenda Endorsed by Transportation Secretary Foxx
When San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener proclaimed last month that his city "should always have a subway under construction," there were many doubters due to the funds required and unlikelihood of federal support. "Aggressive" is good, says Foxx.
Millennials Lead in Alternate Mobility
It's no secret that Millennials will use alternate modes when they're available and accessible. It's also no secret that adapting streets to those modes—and using them—can be a bargain.
Governing Profiles Charles Marohn's Message on Transportation Funding
An article for Governing profiles the method and message of Charles Marohn, known to Planetizen readers as the name behind the Strong Towns blog.
Mayoral Op-Ed: U.S. Needs to Play Catch-Up on Transportation
Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York and Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City say federal dollars are the only way to restore crumbling infrastructure. China and Europe are investing heavily, while U.S. rates are at a 20-year low.
Denver's I-70 Expansion Undercuts Alternatives
To fund a wider I-70 on its route through Denver, the regional planning commission set aside $50 million in federal funds before considering other projects.
Why Is American Passenger Rail So Far Behind?
In a segment for WNYC, journalist Simon van Zuylen-Wood discusses Amtrak's current status as a "national embarrassment." Decades of lackluster investment, he argues, make it difficult to prove demand in the first place.
U.S. DOT Will Allow and Encourage Local Hiring
The U.S. Department of Transportation has changed its rules in favor of local hiring: a pilot program will even encourage it. Minorities traditionally barred from high-paying construction work stand to benefit.
Texas Legislation Would End Federal Funding for Transit
SB 1048, proposed by Senator Bob Hall (R-Rockwall), levels an unprecedented attack on transit in Texas. Although it's probably an extreme example of dead-on-arrival legislating, it's notable that an elected official would consider such a proposal.
Report: 10.8 Billion Americans Rode Transit in 2014
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has released its annual report on public transit ridership. Although more Americans are taking public transit, the trend doesn't hold in every city.
GOP Lawmakers Target the Federal Transit Subsidy for Cuts
A transit subsidy established in 1983 during the Reagan Administration is under attack by GOP lawmakers in Washington D.C.
Needed: A Fresh Approach to Funding U.S. Infrastructure
Kenneth Orski, editor and publisher of Innovation NewsBriefs, examines how state governments are beginning to accept more responsibility for transportation funding.
Federal Spending Bill Passes—TIGER Trimmed But Still Alive
With most of its funding intact for 2014, and a proposed ban on funding for active transportation projects off the table, fans of TIGER grants can take a deep breath.
Op-Ed: User Fees, Not General Funds, Should Fund Transportation
The Washington Post editorializes against the use of general funds to fill the Highway Trust Fund shortfall ($18 billion annually), whether they be dedicated funds or offsets, and evaluates proposals from President Barack Obama and House Republicans.
Op-Ed: Time to End Reliance on Highway User Fees
It's time to fund federal transportation like most other nations do—rely less on highway user fees that dedicate funds to highways and transition to funding roads from the general fund, perhaps in the same amount that they contribute to GDP.
States Troubled by Federal Transportation Funding Uncertainty
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden recently told a gathering about the state’s reliance on federal money for transportation, saying, “We’ve got to find a way to break away from our dependence on federal dollars.”
TIGER Wins and High-Speed Rail Loses in New Federal Spending Bill
For the first time since 2011, Congressional negotiators have agreed on a $1.012 trillion omnibus budget bill to fund the federal government. Tanya Snyder examines the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development winners and losers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
