Tag: Infrastructure

Should We Lean into a Federal Vehicle Miles Traveled Tax?: NMA E-Newsletter #643

Most experts agree that the way America funds infrastructure is broken. Many of our roads are in terrible shape. The Highway Trust Fund is nearly empty. Many local governments have difficulty paying for year-round road maintenance. The reasons vary. The federal and state gas taxes have never been adjusted for inflation. Many states divert funds […]

Are State DOT Rockfall Projects Money Pits?

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared as NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #630, emailed in February 2021. If you would like to receive the weekly newsletter, register today at the NMA! Have you ever wondered how much it costs to mitigate rockfalls on state highways and interstates? The bigger question, perhaps, is the expense worth it? Late […]

Toyota’s Woven City and the Car of the Future

Think of the brand Toyota, and you may imagine steadfast, reliable, and eco-conscious models like the Prius. But what I’m sure you won’t be thinking about is an innovative, fully connected city. Yet that is precisely what you can expect in a bold new move from Toyota. The company plans to transform its recently closed […]

Protecting Wildlife and Motorists through Infrastructure Design

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared as NMA E-Newsletter #625. If you would like to receive the weekly newsletter via email, subscribe today! Several states have recently announced that they have added wildlife over and underpasses, with many more on the way. Large animals such as deer, elk, and bears roam seasonally, frequently colliding with […]

Equity and Sustainability: NMA E-Newsletter #637

Those are the buzzwords used frequently by city transportation officials as they seek to achieve “complete streets” nirvana. Before we attempt to define the overused terms, it is essential to know why they are more in vogue now in transportation and urban planning circles than ever before. In December, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed […]

Long-term Implications of Working from Home

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared as NMA E-Newsletter #624. If you would like to receive the weekly newsletter via email, subscribe today! You might not think telecommuting is a motorist issue, but you’re mistaken. Recently, various news outlets stated that almost half of the 160 million American workers commute from home due to the pandemic. Even […]

Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates Spring 2021 Update

At the one-year anniversary of COVID-19’s official arrival in the United States, state governments face unprecedented budget shortfalls as they search for ways to raise revenues for transportation projects in the absence of the proper funds. The pandemic has kept people off of roads across the country, and transportation departments from Pennsylvania to Wyoming are […]

The War on Parking Escalates: NMA E-Newsletter #633

Even before the pandemic, the war on parking was ramping up in America. The curb was escalating as the place of most conflict, and that battle has only increased. The mission to eliminate curb parking by repurposing the space for bike and bus lanes is supported more by wishful Vision Zero thinking than any serious […]

Pennsylvania Goes Tollistic

Editor’s Note: After we posted this Tolling in America Blog, Car and Driver posted an article with a headline question: Can You Name the World’s Most Expensive Toll Road? and guess what? It is the great state of Pennsylvania!    Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation decided this month to place tolls on nine bridges located on […]