New York Infrastructure Report Card
September 29, 2015
In the inaugural 2015 Report Card for New York’s Infrastructure released today, the state received an overall grade of “C-” from the New York Council of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Assessing nine categories, the report finds that the state’s roads and bridges are among the categories most in need of repair, receiving grades......
Transit and Water Needs Capture Media Attention
September 25, 2015
With the Pope making his way across our northeastern cities, the topic of traffic congestion was a popular one, highlighting our nation’s transportation needs. The Onion even joked that the Pope even tried to improve the nation’s ailing infrastructure. While not directly related to the Pope’s visit, this week in D.C., the subway system suffered......
Highway Fund in Trouble by November 20th
September 23, 2015
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced that the Highway Account of the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) will become insolvent by November 20, 2015 if Congress fails to provide additional revenue. The HTF also has a Transit Account that will become insolvent by May 27, 2016. USDOT deems the Highway Account to......
Secretary Foxx to Congress: Raise Your Sights
September 09, 2015
In yet another sign that summer is officially over, members of Congress have returned to Washington, D.C. to conduct their fall business. Greeting them with a clear message was U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx. “I urge [Congress] to look at the needs of their constituents – to focus on results, and not......
Congress’ Infrastructure To Do List for Fall
September 03, 2015
Summer comes to an end next week as Congress returns to the Capitol after a five-week recess. Deadlines will be the theme this fall, with the first being the Oct. 1 funding deadline to keep the government open. The second important deadline for ASCE is Oct. 29, when MAP-21, the surface transportation bill, expires. With......
ASCE Provides Expertise at Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Academies
August 04, 2015
Each year the federal government spends billions of dollars rebuilding infrastructure following natural disasters. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which cost the federal government $98 billion, and three-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, which cost $41 billion, federal agencies are beginning to rethink the way government responds to disaster. Prompted in part......
Despite Senate Transportation Action, House Stymies Progress
July 30, 2015
During the last two months, the Senate made good use of its time to craft a multi-year surface transportation bill with an increase in funding. As is often the way for Congress, it still came down to the wire. For over a week, the U.S. Senate has been in a mad dash to complete its......
New Game Changers Report Identifies Top Trends Shaping Infrastructure
July 23, 2015
The challenges our infrastructure faces are chronicled frequently on this blog and in the media. The Highway Trust Fund heading toward insolvency (again). Water main breaks occurring every two minutes. Congested roadways causing us each to lose time and waste gas. But that’s only half the story. Today, we released our new Infrastructure #GameChangers report,......
Fix the Trust Fund: Now it’s the Senate’s Turn
July 20, 2015
Last Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend highway and transit programs until December 18, 2015 on a 312-119 vote. The House bill granted a $8.1 billion boost the Highway trust Fund (HTF) to keep it solvent past the looming July 31 deadline. This extension will fund surface transportation projects through......
Five (More) Myths About the Highway Trust Fund
July 15, 2015
1. Devolving the federal program to the states is a viable option Devolution is the idea of eliminating the federal government’s ability to collect the current 18.4 cents per gallon in federal gasoline taxes (absent a few cents to remain dedicated toward maintaining the Interstate Highway System) and transferring all authority over these programs to......