Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Highway Repair

New Report: Road Funding From Non-Road Users Doubled in 25 Years

By Elana Schor | Nov 24, 2009 | 9 Comments

(Image: Subsidyscope) The myth that U.S. roads "pay for themselves" thanks to user fees is a subject that’s likely familiar to many Streetsblog Capitol Hill readers — but just how much of the nation’s highway funding is provided by charging drivers? The answer may surprise even active critics of the current asphalt-centric transportation system. Between […]

Senate to Take Up Mysterious ‘Jobs Bill’ — Is Infrastructure in the Mix?

By Elana Schor | Nov 11, 2009 | No Comments

The notion of a "front-loaded" infrastructure bill to counter the rising U.S. unemployment rate has been circulating in Washington for some time, though solid details on such a measure have yet to emerge. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (Photo: LV City Life) The talk took a new turn yesterday, when Senate Majority Leader Harry […]

Letting Highway Trust Fund Earn Interest: How Much Would it Help?

By Elana Schor | Aug 3, 2009 | 3 Comments

The Senate released a proposed $26.8 billion patch to the nation’s highway trust fund two weeks ago that included a long-sought priority of transportation policy-makers: restoring the fund’s ability to keep the interest it accrues on unspent balances. But the deal left open the question of how much that fix would benefit lawmakers as they […]

Road Stimulus Money: Half Spent on Repaving, 17% on Widening

By Elana Schor | Jul 31, 2009 | No Comments

The $787 billion economic stimulus law provided $27 billion for roads and bridges. But is the money going to shore up aging infrastructure or to add new highway lanes? Nonpartisan auditors at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined the question during a House transportation committee hearing today. And as the Associated Press reports in the […]

New Report on Old Roads Uses Old Assumptions

By Elana Schor | Jul 6, 2009 | 2 Comments

A new report [PDF] on the costs of aging roads has gotten a lot of attention over the past week, with both Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Washington Post touting its conclusion on the danger of "deficient roadways." On its face, the report sounds like an argument for prioritizing road repair and modernization over […]