Perhaps no place illustrates the national positive trends in transportation at the ballot box (and state legislatures) better than Michigan, where citizens voted to raise taxes for transportation investments in cities and counties across the state, at least one anti-transit elected official was ousted, a Republican governor led the charge for regional transit investment in the state’s biggest metro and when given a chance to bail in the name of “cost savings,” voters doubled down on their existing transit systems.

Three T4 America partners were invited to join us at the White House Monday to meet the President of the United States and talk about transportation funding, specifically the infrastructure portion of the President’s American Jobs Act. The President’s plan, which failed to make it to a final vote yesterday in the Senate, would have invested $60 [...]

More state and local officials are coming to grips with the fact that they cannot wait for Washington to act on infrastructure investment and repair. After two years of short-term extensions, a new transportation bill may or may not happen in the next six months. From a vantage point closer to their constituents, local leaders [...]

For years, officials in Ann Arbor, Michigan have been looking for funds to repair two critical, aging bridges on a heavily-traveled artery that links their community to the rest of Washtenaw County and the state’s southeast corner. A $14 million TIGER II grant from the federal government will enable them to repair these badly deficient bridges, bolster economic activity and free up local dollars for a backlog of local road and bridge projects.

The connections between the climate bill and federal transportation legislation are becoming clearer. (Greenwire via New York Times) Budget shortfalls force Michigan to cancel $740 million in roadwork. (Detroit News) San Francisco looks to increase parking fees, tolls, and tickets to better reflect the real cost of driving. (San Francisco Examiner) Senator Orrin Hatch has [...]

Financial crisis and federal stimulus have slowed the push to privatize infrastructure. (New York Times) A new study looks how to address equity concerns in congestion pricing. (Environmental Defense Fund) Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm suggests that old car factories to be retooled to make trains, while the state cuts 137 transportation projects because of lack [...]

With fewer drivers taking to the roads, congestion in the Washington D.C. area takes a dive. (Washinton Post) PBS looks at the transportation systems in Portland, Denver, and New York City for its “Blueprint America” series. (New York Times) Mayor Bloomberg in New York City issues a “street manual” designed to be a guide for [...]

The New York Times editorial board wonders if Detroit’s big three automakers will put their $25 billion loan from the federal government to good use by investing in fuel-efficient vehicles.

Detroit residents get their first look at an ambitious plan to connect the city and its suburbs over the next few decades with a network of light rail, commuter rail, and hybrid buses. (Detroit News — Tanveer Ali)

Michigan is facing a $342 million shortfall in its transportation budget that could prevent the state from getting $2 billion in federal money over the next three years, and state leaders have few options — other than raising the gas tax — for increasing revenue. (Detroit Free-Press — Editorial)