As Los Angeles-area residents were preparing for “Carmageddon II” – the second scheduled closing in two years of 10 miles of Interstate 405, the busiest highway in the country, to complete bridge work – research findings were released showing almost instantaneous improvements in air quality during the original Camageddon in July 15-17, 2011. Unfortunately, the effect was reversed soon after the freeway re-opened.
highways
The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice (SSTI & SGA, 2012)
State officials across the country are facing the same challenges. Revenues are falling and budgets are shrinking while transportation demands grow. Most state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have ambitious goals: improve safety, reduce congestion, enhance economic opportunity, improve reliability, preserve system assets, accelerate project delivery, and help to create healthier, more livable neighborhoods, just to name a few.
The handbook provides 31 recommendations transportation officials can use as they position their agencies for success in the new economy. The handbook documents many of the innovative approaches state leaders are using to make systems more efficient, government more effective and constituents better satisfied.
Who Pays for Roads in Wisconsin? (1000 Friends of Wisconsin and COWS, 2011)
Transportation is one of the biggest-ticket items for state and local government. The cost is high, and so is misunderstanding of who pays for what. Taxpayers cover costs that should be borne by road users and these …
Pricing For Traffic Safety How Efficient Transport Pricing Can Reduce Roadway Crash Risks (Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2012)
Transportation pricing reforms can increase safety in addition to other effects due to decreased driving. Download the report.
The Life and Death of Urban Highways (Institute for Transportation & Development Policy and EMBARQ, 2012)
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.
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 …