Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Highway Repair

Fix-It-First Bill Introduced in Senate

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 15, 2011 | No Comments

Highway maintenance has been getting short shrift in state budgets, according to a recent report from Smart Growth America. But a bill introduced in the Senate today seeks to address the imbalance between road construction and maintenance. Maryland Senator Ben Cardin’s Preservation and Renewal of Federal-Aid Highways Act would require states to develop targets for […]

Existing Roads Slide Into Decrepitude as States Splurge on Highway Expansion

By Angie Schmitt | Jun 1, 2011 | 2 Comments

Got a road that needs fixing in your state? Don’t hold your breath. Chances are your state DOT has been busy building new roads, while neglecting maintenance. A new report from Smart Growth America [PDF] finds that states spent 57 percent of their highway funds building new roads between 2004 and 2008. As a result, […]

Transportation for America Calls on Congress to Fix Nation’s Bridges

By Kathryn Reid Moore | Mar 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

Residents in New York and Vermont were shocked in 2009 when the Champlain/Crown Point Bridge was suddenly closed without warning. At the time, the bridge carried about 3,500 cars between the two states daily. Today, those trips have to be taken by ferry or over the next closest bridge, 100 miles away. Few people think […]

SGA: Transportation Funding Pays Big Dividends Only If Invested Wisely

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 7, 2011 | 2 Comments

In just the last month, several reports have quantified, in various ways, how investing in transportation infrastructure pays off in jobs and economic health. Now Smart Growth America is out with new research showing that it’s not enough to plunk down a bunch of money and expect miracles. You’ve got to do it right. Doing […]

Five Reasons Reformers Are Rallying Behind Obama’s Transpo Push

By Tanya Snyder | Oct 13, 2010 | 2 Comments

When President Obama announced his push for a long-term transportation bill on Monday, he introduced a report by his Council of Economic Advisors and the Treasury Department analyzing the economic impact of infrastructure investment [PDF]. At face value, the numbers in the president’s plan might not look so impressive. It calls for rebuilding 150,000 miles […]

New Analysis: 59% of Road Stimulus Went to Repair, 33% to New Capacity

By Elana Schor | May 4, 2010 | 4 Comments

(Photo: DMI Blog) In the first year of the Obama administration’s economic stimulus law, 59 percent of its $27 billion in transportation formula funds went to projects that preserve existing roads, while 33 percent was used to build new pavement, according to an analysis by the advocacy group Smart Growth America (SGA). The new data, […]

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