Many local community groups have ideas for simple infrastructure upgrades that would improve street safety in their neighborhoods — but without official sign-off from departments of transportation, those ideas may never get a chance to be tested. Some DOTs have created official permitting processes for short-term “quick-build” demonstration projects, where these local groups can test their ideas for safer streets with temporary materials while adhering to official design standards.
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Smaller infrastructure investments help pave the way to safer communities
Road safety is an urgent issue at all levels of government, especially for people walking and biking. Cyclist and pedestrian deaths have increased by. This infrastructure week, we are encouraging more states, cities, and other local governments to help reverse this trend by prioritizing critical safety investments on streets and highways across the country.
Unable to remove expressway, New Orleans reclaims space underneath
In 2013, FHWA funded a revitalization study that outlined ways to remove parts of Interstate 10 in New Orleans and restore historic Claiborne Avenue below. High costs have stalled those efforts but, in the meantime, the city has opted to reclaim space beneath the expressway in an attempt to reactivate nearby neighborhoods affected by the structure.
Bike share offers lessons in providing equitable transportation options
Bikes shares, which now offer expanded transportation options in cities around the nation, have also tested those cities’ abilities to serve their communities equitably. The placement and pricing of these systems are often barriers for low-income communities. Philadelphia’s new system, however, while not a perfect example, improves upon its predecessors and offers important lessons in equitable transportation provision.
Signs of spring—volunteers filling potholes on local and state roads
After a seemingly endless cold and snowy winter in much of the country, people are finally noticing signs of spring, including potholes. In Waterloo, Iowa, it has come to this: “vigilante” crews of volunteers are filling potholes on local streets. Potholes are a symptom of a larger challenge around how states and local governments allocate money to maintain transportation infrastructure. If the problem of starving road maintenance budgets in favor of paying for new construction is not addressed, this infrastructure problem is likely to continue.
Linking Community Visioning and Highway Capacity Planning (Strategic Highway Research Program, 2012)
This report is intended to help transportation agency practitioners assess the possibilities of community visioning efforts, identify practical steps and activities when engaging in visioning, and establish links between vision outcomes and transportation planning and …