Watch live today as we launch a new alliance of #CanDoLeaders
Today, we’re launching the next phase of T4 America: A new alliance of business, elected, and civic leaders from cities, towns and suburbs across the nation. The new alliance kicks off today: Tune in this morning to the live webcast, which goes live at 8:30 a.m. eastern time.
We’re starting something new! Join us next week for a kickoff event
For the past five years, Transportation for America has worked with advocates, allies and supporters like you to urge Congress to make smarter investments in America’s transportation system. This week, we’re starting something new. We want you to join us for the kick-off event. No matter where you live, watch the live webcast of the event here.
Government shutdown or not, more cuts are in store for transportation
Whether or not Congress can reach an agreement in time to prevent a government shut-down before tomorrow, one thing is clear: shut-down or not, this next fiscal year (FY14) will be a year of more cuts — including cuts to transportation.
Amendments offered to improve the already solid Senate yearly transportation funding bill
Already standing in sharp contrast to the House’s approach to funding transportation for the next fiscal year, leaders in the Senate are working to further improve the smart Senate transportation funding bill through a handful of amendments to the bill as it reaches the floor.
Transportation for America welcomes Erika Young as Director of Strategic Partnerships
Transportation for America is pleased to announce the appointment of Erika Young as Director of Strategic Partnerships, leading the expansion of a diverse coalition that is committed to reinvigorating our nation’s investment in transportation. Ms. Young comes to T4America from the National Association of Regional Councils, where as transportation director she helped to formulate the […]
As the House aims to slash, tell the Senate to protect money for rail, transit & TIGER in next week’s budget vote
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While the House plan for transportation slashes money for passenger rail, new transit construction and innovative TIGER grants, a Senate committee has drafted a budget that increases funding for new transit construction, keeps and expands TIGER, provides support for Amtrak and passenger rail improvements, and funds a new grant program to jumpstart progress on repairing critical bridges.
Key Senate committee recognizes the importance of passenger rail, TIGER, transit and repairing our nation’s bridges
Less than a week after the release of The Fix We’re In For — our report on the nation’s bridges showing that one in nine US bridges are structurally deficient — a key Senate committee passed a yearly funding bill that provides new money for repairing these deficient bridges across the country.
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx confirmed as U.S. DOT Secretary
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the confirmation of Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation today, Transportation for America Director James Corless issued this statement: “Mayor Foxx is sure to be a worthy successor to Ray LaHood, who himself has been one of the best transportation secretaries in memory. […]
Highlights from the great coverage of our bridge report
It’s easy to be cynical about our often frivolous media environment these days, but it is heartening to see the seriousness with which outlets of all sizes are treating reports about the need to maintain our aging bridges and other infrastructure. In addition to dozens of newspaper and web reports, more than 500 broadcast outlets have picked up yesterday’s release of the “The Fix We’re in For”, the 2013 edition of our report on bridge conditions nationwide.
The backlog of our country’s deficient bridges is indeed shrinking, but barely
We hope you had a chance to check out our new report yesterday on the state of our nation’s bridges? 1 in 9 US bridges — about 66,500 in total — are rated structurally deficient and in urgent need of repairs, maintenance or even replacement. This is an updated version of the data we released two years ago, and the findings are much the same: Everyday, Americans of all different stripes drive across these deficient bridges, with more than 260 million trips taken each day on these bridges. And though we’ve gotten about 0.5 percent better nationally in the last two years, from 11.5 to 11 percent total deficient, that’s only a difference of about 2,400 deficient bridges.
Release: New report highlights mounting challenge of aging bridges, ranks states
One in nine of the bridges and overpasses American drivers cross each day is rated in poor enough condition that some could become dangerous or be closed without near-term repair, according to an updated analysis of federal data released today by Transportation for America. Nearly 67,000 of the nation’s 605,000 bridges are rated “structurally deficient” and are in need of substantial repair or replacement, according to bridge inspections analyzed in The Fix We’re In For: The State of the Nation’s Bridges 2013. Nearly 8,000 are both structurally deficient and “fracture critical”, meaning they are designed with no redundancy in their key structural components, so that if one fails the bridge could collapse. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that the backlog of troubled bridges would cost $76 billion to eliminate.
One in 9 bridges still “structurally deficient” as average age nears 50 years
One in nine of the bridges and overpasses American drivers cross each day is rated in poor enough condition that some could become dangerous or be closed without near-term repair, according to our new 2013 report on the nation’s bridges. Lay them all end-to-end and you could drive from Mexico to Canada across the US on one long deficient bridge. Don’t miss our new 2013 report and interactive map.
Recognizing the Life and Service of Senator and Transportation Advocate Frank Lautenberg
On the news of Senator Frank Lautenberg’s (D-NJ) passing this morning, Transportation for America director James Corless released the following statement.
About those 66,000+ deficient bridges: What did last summer’s transportation law change?
With the second collapse of an Interstate bridge in six years, Americans might expect Congress to leap into action to ensure adequate funding for bridge rehab and replacement. But as we have reminded numerous reporters since an I-5 bridge dropped into Washington’s Skagit River, federal lawmakers instead took a gamble and eliminated the nation’s dedicated bridge repair fund last summer.
Bridge collapse in Washington captures national attention
Unsurprisingly, the sudden collapse of the 58-year-old Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River in Washington state last Thursday night captured the attention of the country and virtually all major national news outlets. Just like in the days after the Minnesapolis I-35W bridge collapse — though mercifully no one died in this incident — reporters scrambled to understand the issue of bridge condition and asked the same question: “how could this happen, and could it happen again somewhere else tomorrow?”
Tragic bridge collapse in Washington highlights urgent problem of aging and deficient US bridges
Transportation for America issued the following statement following last night’s collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River near Mount Vernon, Washington.
“The shocking collapse of a busy Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River in Washington State highlights the issue of our country’s aging bridges and what we’re doing to address them. Thankfully, no one was killed or even seriously injured in this collapse, which could not be said about the last high profile bridge collapse in Minnesota.
58-year-old bridge collapses in Washington State on west coast’s most major interstate
Shortly after the evening commute last night (around 7 p.m. local time) an entire section of the Interstate 5 bridge — both north and southbound lanes — over the Skagit River north of Seattle, Washington collapsed and fell into the river, sending two cars tumbling down into the river, injuring three yet miraculously killing no one. One of those who plunged into the river along with his wife called it a “miracle” that no one was killed or more severely injured.
What happens when driving rates continue to drop?
The typical American drives less today than at the end of Bill Clinton’s first term and the millennial generation (16-34) is leading the charge. But how likely is that trend to hold in the future? And if it does, what does that say about what we should be building, and how we will pay for it, if not with the gas taxes raised from driving? A game-changing new report seeks to answer the first question, and to fuel a conversation about the second.
Reaction to President Obama’s nomination of Mayor Anthony Foxx as U.S. DOT Secretary
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Responding to President Obama’s nomination of Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transportation for America Director James Corless issued this statement:
NPR: 19 states (and counting) creating plans to raise more transportation dollars
More than a third of all U.S. states have plans of some sort to raise new money for transportation to help cover yawning budget shortfalls and keep up with maintenance and new construction of their state transportation networks. NPR picked up that story this week and talked to T4 America director James Corless about the growing trend of states stepping out on their own to raise their own money for transportation to augment the federal funding that did not increase with the last transportation bill.
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