Tag: transportation infrastructure: Page 4

Roadbuilding

Maine’s LePage unveils $2 billion transportation plan

Maine travelers should prepare to see $470 million worth of improvements and maintenance on the state’s transportation infrastructure this year which is part of a three-year plan unveiled by Gov. Paul LePage earlier this week. The three-year plan, valued at about $2 billion, includes more than 1,900 projects for 2015, 2016 and 2017. However, only the projects […]

January 13, 2015

Roadbuilding

Gov. Rick Snyder signs $1.3 billion plan for Michigan roads

Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a transportation infrastructure bill to spend $1.3 billion more per year to help fix Michigan’s deteriorating roads and other transportation infrastructure. The bill is contingent on voters increasing the state sales tax to seven percent in May. Snyder signed a package of 11 laws that would restructure and ultimately raise flat per-gallon fuel taxes while […]

January 13, 2015

Roadbuilding

Nancy Pelosi says it’s time to raise the gas tax

More and more members of Congress are starting to support an increase to the gasoline tax which pays for the America’s transportation infrastructure. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also has said her political party cannot rule out any Highway Trust Fund proposals being made by Republicans. “I can’t respond to their proposal because I don’t know […]

January 9, 2015

Roadbuilding

T-WORKS has done wonders for Kansas but more transportation funding still needed

Throughout the recent months Kansas has made progress in improving the conditions of its road and bridge conditions, largely through increased transportation funding provided by the T-WORKS program, which was authorized by the state legislature in 2010. With that said, the state still faces several challenges in addressing traffic safety, state and local road and bridge conditions, and […]

January 7, 2015

Roadbuilding

Arkansas drivers spending $2 billion annually due to deficient roads

Deficient roads and bridges in Arkansas cost local drivers a total of $2 billion statewide annually due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays, according to the latest TRIP report. The report, “Arkansas Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility,” discovered that throughout Arkansas, nearly a third of major […]

January 6, 2015

Roadbuilding

A New Year’s Resolution for Congress

Ever get tired of reading about the Highway Trust Fund (HTF)? It seems like every other day a new politician is stressing the importance of transportation infrastructure, yet Congress continuously fails to reach a long-term transportation funding plan. Heading into 2014, people were hopeful for a long-term bill. Unfortunately, Congress was unable to work out […]

December 30, 2014

Roadbuilding

AASHTO 2015 Bottom Line Report: $120 billion annual road investment needed to keep up with demand

Next year will be a critical year for America’s surface transportation infrastructure, says a just released report from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. In addition to getting highway legislation beyond the short-term mindset (a current extension ends in May), an annual investment of $120 billion for highways and bridges between 2015 […]

December 23, 2014

Roadbuilding

President Obama calls America’s transportation infrastructure ’embarrassing’

President Obama is embarrassed by the current state of America’s transportation infrastructure and he made no bones about it while talking to corporate leaders. “I’d much rather have our problems than China’s problems. That I’m confident about. On the other hand, the one thing I will say is if they need to build some stuff, […]

December 3, 2014

Roadbuilding

Kentucky finalizes 20-year transportation plan

The Kentucky Transportation Department has finalized a 20-year transportation plan that will guide highway and bridge construction projects throughout the state. The long-term plan will serve as an update to state’s 2006 plan which was designed to address the main transportation opportunities and challenges facing the state of Kentucky. Kentucky officials relied on input from a survey called […]

November 26, 2014

Roadbuilding

CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ spotlights America’s neglected infrastructure

In case you missed it, CBS’s “60 Minutes” did a feature on America’s neglected transportation infrastructure on Sunday. During the segment, 60 minutes talked to former transportation secretary of transportation Ray LaHood. “Our infrastructure’s on life supports right now. That’s what we’re on,” LaHood told 60 minutes. As the 60 minutes report points out, nearly […]

November 24, 2014

Roadbuilding

Gas-tax increase passes Michigan Senate

The Michigan Senate passed a bill last week that could potentially generate around $1 billion a year for the state’s transportation infrastructure. The measure, which passed in a 23-14 vote, would set the wholesale gasoline tax at 9 percent on April 1, 2015, and increase yet again on Jan. 1, 2018 to 15.5 percent. That means the […]

November 19, 2014

Roadbuilding

GOP senators predict Highway Trust Fund solution

Senators John Boozman (R-Ark.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) have predicted a long-term solution to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). They predict lawmakers will come up with an idea to fund U.S. transportation projects beyond the gas tax. “Coming up between now and May, you’ll see a new funding mechanism that is going to change how […]

September 2, 2014