Infrastructure
We know widening highways leads to more traffic. Why do we do it anyway?
More lanes, more pain—a researcher unravels the persistent myth of easier commutes.
Sponsor Content
New Tools Help State and Local Governments Battle Ransomware, Other Big Disasters
When governments find themselves being ransomed, their choices are typically to pay, which will undercut their ability to deliver key services to their communities due to budget restrictions, or not pay, resulting in the immediate inability to serve their communities and the loss of key data that will inevitably plague them for years afterwards.
Biden administration doles out $4.2 billion for big-ticket infrastructure projects
A new Boston rail bridge, a California high-speed rail station, electric dock equipment in Miami and a safer highway interchange in Iowa are among the 44 projects selected for funding.
Coastal cities have a hidden vulnerability to storm-surge and tidal flooding—entirely caused by humans
COMMENTARY | Dredging to deepen shipping channels has made coastlines more vulnerable to extreme storms and sea-level rise.
The secret ingredient in Biden’s climate law? City trees.
Planting trees in cities sounds simple. Here's why the Forest Service is spending $1.5 billion on it.
Virginia goes all in on passenger rail
A new rail bridge into Washington, D.C., is viewed as crucial to expanding rail service in the state, which has seen record-setting ridership in recent years.
Nuclear power could solve US electricity needs. But at what cost?
State lawmakers are increasingly eyeing nuclear power to boost clean energy. But as Three Mile Island and a Michigan reactor aim to restart, critics question whether the cost makes sense.
The numbers are in: Trump boosted roads. Biden backs biking and walkers.
A new report by the Urban Institute shows how who sits in the White House affects what locals build with federal funds. That means changes are likely in store again after the November election.
State CIOs take on bigger role in natural disasters
A recent survey of state tech leaders found that CIOs are increasingly an integral part of state emergency operations, tasked with making sure critical systems and communications remain available.
A boy’s bicycling death haunts a Black neighborhood. 35 years later, there’s still no sidewalk.
Pedestrian deaths are highest in formerly redlined areas, neighborhoods where Black people lived because of discriminatory federal mortgage lending practices. The lack of sidewalks, damaged walkways and roads in these communities are creating a little-recognized public health crisis.
Can parking garages alleviate the housing and homelessness crisis?
COMMENTARY | There are hundreds of underutilized—sometimes empty—parking garages and lots across the country. They can be converted to much-needed housing.
Featured eBooks
For Floridians in mobile homes, Hurricane Helene was a disaster waiting to happen
Trailers and manufactured homes have long served as a lifeline for struggling families. A warming world has made them a perilous place to live.
This city is turning subway trains into power stations
Barcelona is using the regenerative braking of its subways to power trains, stations and neighborhood EV chargers. Could New York do it too?
Six airports want to charge ahead preparing for electric aircraft
All-electric passenger planes are still experimental. But regional airport managers are eager to install charging infrastructure to accommodate them.
Time to reset the transportation funding equation
COMMENTARY | The way the nation funds our transportation network is broken. The solutions to fix it already exist. State and local governments just need to pick one.
Eight states to vote on amendments to ban noncitizen voting
It is already illegal under state laws and rare, but Republicans in some states say the language needs to be clearer in their constitutions.
Small water utilities cannot achieve PFAS cleanup on their own
COMMENTARY | Limited budgets, smaller customer bases and skeleton crews put a heavier PFAS burden on rural systems; polluters should be held accountable.
Home insurance rates are rising fast—hurricanes and wildfires play a big role, but there’s more to it
COMMENTARY | Both insurances companies and state-run "insurers of last resort," which can provide coverage for people who can’t get coverage from private companies, are struggling.
A $1.3 billion project that would save drivers six minutes max
As the state’s plans to get New Yorkers out of their cars stall, Gov. Kathy Hochul is championing a highway expansion in the Hudson Valley.
18 years, $2 billion: Inside New Orleans’s biggest school recovery effort in history
Hurricane Katrina destroyed 110 New Orleans school buildings. How to upgrade them while honoring their architectural importance and historic heritage?
Mississippi River mayors from 10 states agree to unify ports from the Corn Belt to the coast
The pact will ensure cooperation between inland ports and the coastal ports of Louisiana that export 60% of the nation’s agricultural products.
