Infrastructure
Dark highways, fast cars, few sidewalks—and more pedestrian deaths
More than three-fourths of counties with the highest pedestrian death rates also had persistently high poverty rates.
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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.
South Carolina Is considered a model for ‘managed retreat’ from coastal areas threatened by climate change
The state has identified hundreds of thousands of homes that will need to be abandoned. But at one flagship buyout, only one in 10 eligible homeowners signed up.
Bus agencies are turning to California for their 'tap to pay' fare systems
Transit agencies across the country are turning to the state for help in ditching cash fares and adopting an affordable contactless pay system.
‘License plate flippers’ help drivers evade police, tickets and tolls
A few states and cities are cracking down on the devices, which obscure or conceal license plates.
Hundreds of cities get federal help to make streets safer
The $1 billion funding announcement is the second round of grants this year. To date, the federal government has provided money for safer streets to nearly three-quarters of the country.
Cities are trying to cut down on cars. Some states are standing in their way.
Local officials are rethinking their streets, aiming for fewer cars and more sustainable ways to get around. But some state governments are keeping cars in control.
State dam safety programs could get new look after summer storms
The pressure is on aging dams as climate change fuels more intense weather, but it often takes high-profile incidents to focus lawmakers and other officials on the problem.
States are falling behind in using IRA funding to advance climate action
Two years after the IRA passed, a new report found that states have only captured a tiny fraction of the funding available.
Data shows rural disparities in traffic deaths
An analysis of federal highway data shows that rural counties have higher traffic death rates compared to their urban counterparts.
Half a billion dollars in grants awarded to boost EV charging network
The Biden administration also said that the number of publicly available EV chargers has doubled since the president took office.
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Climate change is messing with city sewers—and the solutions are even messier
As heavy rains overwhelm aging pipes, Boston and New York City are choosing very different paths forward.
How states are tackling the broadband worker shortage
COMMENTARY | The U.S. is investing more than $42 billion to bring affordable high-speed internet to all Americans, but there aren't enough skilled workers to get the job done.
Cars that talk: Feds announce plan to accelerate connected vehicle deployment
The U.S. Department of Transportation aims to have vehicle-to-everything tech deployed nationwide by 2036, and said it will offer grants and support to help states get there.
Passing the torch, Los Angeles begins sprint to host 2028 Olympics
Mayor Karen Bass has already set the city’s plans for the event apart from others by declaring it a “no-car Games” and pledging to only use existing buildings.
Decrepit pipes put Jackson, Mississippi, on the edge of catastrophe. State regulators didn’t act.
For years, Jackson residents endured periods of low water pressure, potentially unsafe drinking water or no water at all. All the while, state inspectors found few problems with the failing pipes that caused those problems.
This commuter rail agency just went electric
Caltrain is ditching most of its diesel trains between San Francisco and San Jose, a switch that will bring modern amenities and shorter trips to Bay Area residents. But it also lays the groundwork for high-speed rail along the route in the future.
In states that banned ‘Zuckerbucks,’ election offices remain underfunded
Recent research found that most states that have banned private election donations have not made up any resulting shortfall in funding. Meanwhile, Congress is bickering over providing money.
Biden administration announces more than $2 billion in grants to boost US power grid
The grid is overburdened, under-resourced — and vital to the energy transition. New federal funding aims to increase capacity and get more clean energy built.
Airports to get $566M more for improvements
To date, nearly half of the nation’s 3,000 airports have received federal funding to upgrade aging infrastructure and expand facilities amid record-breaking air travel.
A fifth of U.S. green hydrogen projects eyed for water-stressed areas
As the federal government pours billions into hydrogen production to lower greenhouse gas emissions, critics worry water shortages in the Southwest could worsen.
