Case studies of cities which have removed elevated urban highways, as well as an examination of why urban highways should be removed. Download the full report.
highways
Rhode Island DOT uses ITS to make commuting easier for drivers
The Rhode Island DOT has begun using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to make driving go more smoothly on major state-owned roads around Providence. Cameras on highways and digital signs allow both DOT officials and commuters to monitor traffic flow and plan their routes accordingly. According to Joseph Bucci, head of the Transportation Management Center, the state “can’t build [itself] out of congestion. We need to try to do things better to manage [congestion] using technology.”
Oregon leads the way on use of solar installations for transportation facilities
Although begun in 2008, the largest component yet of the Oregon Solar Highway recently opened on I-5 in Clackamas County. The Baldock project, a public-private partnership between ODOT and Portland General Electric (PGE), is an array in a safety rest area near Wilsonville. Solar installations in transportation corridors are common in Europe, but are almost unknown in the U.S. However, Oregon plans more, and has also produced a manual, which can be downloaded.
Solar Highway Program: From Concert To Reality (Oregon DOT, N.D.)
Oregon has lead the way on installing solar arrays on its transportation corridors. They have produced a manual, Solar Highway Program: From Concert To Reality. A Guidebook for Departments of Transportation to Develop Solar Photovoltaic …
Golden, CO, stands firm against Denver’s Beltway expansion
For decades, through the court system and political initiatives, the City has been able to block the expansion of the beltway, which is nearly a complete loop around Metro Denver. The question remains as to whether or not Golden should be applauded for their efforts or seen as obstructionists to regional progress.
“30/10″ Plan: The right track for transportation
According to Charles Chieppo of the Harvard Kennedy School, Los Angeles County appears eager to learn from mistakes made in transportation funding over the last twenty years — such as the Boston “Big Dig” highway …
Reinventing the urban interstate
TCRP has released a report entitled Reinventing the Urban Interstate: A New Paradigm for Multimodal Corridors. The authors present a new design framework in which multimodal corridors can take one of three forms: Transit oriented …
Achieving a state of good repair
Dr. Michael Meyer from Georgia Tech University (and an expert panel member for several SSTI reports) made a presentation (available here) to USDOT officials about the importance of performance management in improving U.S. highway and …
Big fixes for our big transportation problems
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Robert Puentes suggests several big changes that could boost the economy and improve transportation decision-making: Encourage collaboration between the federal government, states, metro areas, and shippers and develop …
Big vision, big roads, what now?
We are used to thinking about American’s interstate system beginning with the Eisenhower era’s creation of a national defense highway system in the 1950’s. A new book “The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the …