Roadtrips

As the Pandemic Subsides, Traffic is Creeping Back

A report from StreetLight Data found the average daily number of vehicle miles traveled was down 15% overall in 2020 but as of March has started to return to normal levels.

  • By Andrea Noble

Driving Actually Got Deadlier During the Pandemic

The rate of motor-vehicle deaths per miles driven was up 23.5% in May compared to the same time last year, according to the National Safety Council.

  • By Andrea Noble

The Poetry of Small-Town Mythologies in Arizona

Show Low and Winslow gained fame from an 1870s card game and a line in a hit Eagles song 100 years later.

  • By Timothy B. Clark

Route Fifty Roadmap: Amid Google Fiber’s Pivot, Its Expansion Continues in N.C.

As Alphabet Inc. rethinks its grand gigabit vision and puts some cities on hold, installation presses forward in North Carolina’s Research Triangle.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: Visiting a Kansas City Suburb Where Google Fiber Hit a Roadblock

Municipal rules about undergrounding utilities proved to be too great a challenge to overcome in Leawood, Kansas, back in 2014. Could new models to expand connectivity bridge those barriers?

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: A Dispatch From a Remote U.S.-Canada Border Post

More than 15 years after 9/11 brought changes to border security at the first International Peace Park, this part of Montana and beyond is dealing with another challenge: seasonal labor shortages.

  • By Timothy B. Clark

Route Fifty Roadmap: Montana Touts Home-Grown Effort to Deal With Hops Shortage

Craft brewing is big business in Big Sky Country. Will hops production take root and flourish, too?

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: Exploring Wisconsin’s State Capitol Building

The Badger State’s current seat of government was born out of a mixture of disaster, bad luck and hubris.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: What’s Next for New Hampshire’s Executive Council?

The five members of this unique state body often wield more power than the governor. And that can sometimes cause headaches in America’s most democratic system of government.

  • By Timothy B. Clark

Route Fifty Roadmap: A Municipal Parks and Rec Facility With Olympic Stature

The L.A. Swimming Stadium, built for the 1932 games, isn’t your ordinary city pool.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: An Iconic Piece of Infrastructure for the Zenith City

The 111-year-old Aerial Lift Bridge is a reminder of Duluth’s industrial past and a landmark that’s at the center of the city’s tourism efforts.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Route Fifty Roadmap: The Road to Hell Goes Through This Michigan Village

A recent discovery in woods near Hell: One of the oldest known freshwater turtles.

  • By Michael Grass
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

Route Fifty Roadmap: In Michigan, Some Incremental Successes for High-Speed Rail

President Obama's ambitious national rail vision didn't exactly materialize, but important infrastructure investments have been made in some key locations, like the tracks between Chicago and Detroit.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: Pittsburgh’s ‘Kissing Fish Bridge’

The Smithfield Street Bridge is the oldest in the city and gets its nickname from a unique design feature.

  • By Bill Lucia

Route Fifty Roadmap: Memorial Day in a Small Maine Town

Despite the influx of tax dollars from wealthy seasonal residents, tiny Northeast Harbor has been struggling to stay alive.

  • By Timothy B. Clark

Route Fifty Roadmap: Michigan’s Official Guide to Driving Around a Roundabout

Navigating these traffic junctions is so important, the state put a how-to guide on the official roadmap.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: Revisiting ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ in North-Central Ohio

In a part of the Buckeye State often overlooked by travelers passing through, you can better understand the physical and budgetary footprints for state prisons through the 1994 movie.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: New Hospital Taking Shape in Vacant Mall Department Store

In Ontario, Ohio, a vast empty parking lot shows signs of life through an unusual new use for a challenging redevelopment site.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty Roadmap: Wheeling, West Virginia

How do cities like Wheeling, which thrived under different circumstances, find their place in a complex global economy and attract needed investment?

  • By Michael Grass

An Open Data Exploration of a Beautiful Autumn Drive in Utah

It's easy to explore the nuts and bolts of the Beehive State's infrastructure. Follow our data-centric journey up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

  • By Michael Grass

Route Fifty City-County Roadtrip Recap: The Trouble With Kalamazoo’s ‘Fountain of the Pioneers’

Is its design offensive and insensitive? Like some other controversial monuments in public spaces, there's no easy answer.

  • By Michael Grass