Transportation Funding

MAX line in front of Pioneer Courthouse

Big Business in Portland Doesn't Want to Pay for Metro Transportation Funding Measure

A heated dispute over a $5 billion Metro transportation funding ballot measure has erupted between climate activists and a group representing Portland's big business interests.

September 28, 2020 - The Portland Mercury

Raleigh, North Carolina

Richmond-to-Raleigh High-Speed Rail Gets Big Funding Win

Federal grant funding awarded recently takes a critical step toward making high-speed intercity rail service a reality between North Carolina and Virginia.

September 27, 2020 - The News & Observer

Recreational Vehicle

Constitutional Amendment Would Shift Some Gas Tax Revenue to Transit Spending in Nevada

Democratic legislators in Nevada are considering a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to use gas tax revenues for transportation projects other than road construction, maintenance, and repair.

September 20, 2020 - The Nevada Independent

Orange Line

Devastating Transit Cuts Planned for Maryland

The impact of the coronavirus on capital budgets has been feared for the duration of the pandemic, and the catastrophic reality of those fears is now apparent in a proposed capital budget for transportation in the state of Maryland.

September 8, 2020 - WBAL

Social Distancing

Gas Tax to Climb More Than 9 Cents a Gallon in New Jersey

A 2016 law that locked in a specific amount of gas tax revenue for project funding every year has required a boost in the tax rate in New Jersey as drivers leave their car at home during the pandemic.

September 1, 2020 - WPVI

Lake Oswego Transit Center

Public Transit in Crisis: Low-Income Riders Have the Most to Lose From Service Cuts

Riders who rely most on public transit are suffering the worst consequences of the cuts to service during the fiscal belt tightening of the coronavirus pandemic.

August 19, 2020 - The New York Times

Hillsboro, Oregon

New Grant Program to Fund Off-Road Pedestrian and Bike Infrastructure in Oregon

A new grant program launched by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) aims to fill a key gap in the funding available for bike and pedestrian paths.

August 16, 2020 - Bike Portland

Project Connect, Capital Metro

Property Tax Could Fund $7 Billion Transit Plan in Austin, Displacement Mitigation Included

A $7 billion transit investment plan for Austin would include $300 million toward preventing displacement of communities in neighborhoods located near planned transit investments.

August 4, 2020 - KUT

Gas

Survey Finds Growing Support for a Mileage Fee Over the Gas Tax

An annual survey by the Mineta Transportation Institute found new levels of support for a change in the way the federal government raises money from, and for, highway infrastructure.

July 24, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

Toll Road

Toll Roads Take $9 Billion in Losses Nationwide

No one lakes toll roads, but everyone relies on the revenue they generate for all kinds of transportation projects.

July 17, 2020 - The Washington Post

New York City Subway

New Model for Federal Funding Needed for Emergency Public Transit Funding

The federal funding for public transit systems created by the CARES Act followed the normal federal funding formulas, which don't adequately respond to the realities of the pandemic, according to TransitCenter.

July 14, 2020 - TransitCenter

Aerial photo of the US 131/M-6/68th St. interchange in Wyoming, MIchigan

Michigan to Study Feasibility of Toll Roads

The search for new road funding continues in Michigan.

July 12, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

Freeway Construction

House Democrats Approve $1.5 Trillion 'Moving Forward Act'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the Moving Forward Act vote "pointless political theater."

July 2, 2020 - The Washington Post

Electric Bus

First: Grant Enables Automated Transit Buses in Connecticut

CTtransit will work with Robotic Research LLC, New Flyer of America, and the Center for Transportation and Environment to be the first public transit provider in the United States to operate full-sized, autonomous buses.

July 1, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Port of Seattle

With a Key Bridge Cracked and Closed, Seattle Considers Another Tunnel

The West Seattle Bridge, a key artery for car commuters in Seattle, has been closed since March, and the city has begun to consider a broad array of options for repairing or replacing the span.

June 11, 2020 - The Seattle Times

Capitol Hill

House Democrats Would Increase Transit Spending, Still Spend More on Highways

House Democrats proposed the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act as a five-year plan for transportation spending at the federal level. The bill is unlikely to make it any further than the House.

June 4, 2020 - Yonah Freemark via Twitter

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Scooter Revenue, Empty Streets Allow for Quick Construction of Bike Lane in L.A.

A busy corridor, popular with bike and scooter riders, is gaining a new protected bike lane in Los Angeles.

May 26, 2020 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Dearborn Street Bike Lane

Criticism for Transportation Spending in House-Approved $3 Trillion Relief Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act earlier this month. Transit advocates say the bill reinforces the car-centric status quo.

May 26, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

110 Freeway

Economic Downturn Could Cost California More Than $10 Billion in Transportation Revenue

The effects of the economic downturn resulting from the public health crisis presented by Covid-19 could have long-term impacts on the ability of California to plan and build new transportation infrastructure.

May 19, 2020 - Mineta Transportation Institute

Interstate 5

$10 Billion Approved for Highway Funding in Washington State

Despite the drastic funding limitation imposed by Washington's voter-approved Initiative 976, the state found a way to fund $10.4 billion in (mostly highway) transportation projects.

March 19, 2020 - The Urbanist

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