Here in Washington, DC last weekend, the 12-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian lane of the Woodrow Wilson interstate bridge over the Potomac River held its grand opening, filling with bikers and walkers joining the thousands of cars that cross the bridge each day. The bridge, connecting Virginia and Maryland on the southern part of the Capital Beltway, is a vital transportation link in the region, where Interstate 95 (and the large majority of truck traffic) bypasses Washington, continuing north or south along the eastern seaboard. But making the Wilson Bridge an intermodal success was not easy.

With billions of dollars about to be spent on an economic recovery package, you’d think Congress would prioritize fixing dangerous bridges and repairing unsafe highways. But the powerful highway lobby is pressing hard for nearly all the money to be spent constructing new roads and bridges. This makes no sense. Tell Congress you support a smarter economic recovery package.

A former transportation commissioner for New York City calls for an alternative route for congestion pricing — selling the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges to the Metropolitan Transit Authority and generating revenue through tolling. (New York Times — William Neuman)

With city and state governments feeling squeezed amidst the continued economic slowdown, many are looking to lease highways, bridges, and airports to private companies in order to keep the cash flowing. (Reuters — Jonathan Stempel)

One year after the Minnesota bridge collapse, the Federal Highway Administration reports that 12 percent of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient. (USA Today — Marisol Bello)

U.S. House approves $1 billion plan, sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), to upgrade nation’s bridges and improve safety measures. (Minneapolis Star Tribune — Kevin Diaz)

Nearly one year after the Minnesota bridge collapse, the U.S. House is expected to vote today on a bill sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) that would authorize $1 billion to rebuild structurally deficient bridges in the national highway system and tighten safety requirements. (Minneapolis Star Tribune – Frederic Frommer)