Infrastructure

Undersubscribed funding opportunities are blocked by regulation.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee lawmakers urged new bills and new ways for transit authorities to deal with the post-COVID dynamics.

Darren Olson of the American Society of Civil Engineers joins to discuss the importance of resilient infrastructure and the impact of federal funding on America's future.

Even after paring down the capital plan, the MTA will need to issue debt, and sooner than planned. It will be issued under the MTA's transportation revenue credit rather than its congestion pricing credit, so near-term debt service costs will be higher, CEO Janno Lieber said.

The Canadian finance official says local governments in the U.S. and Canada face similar challenges but also can learn from each other.

Infrastructure projects no longer have to be included in a state's transportation plan to be eligible for a TIFIA loan.

Shailen Bhatt, administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, said his agency is working to play catch up on initiatives as diverse as rebuilding Baltimore's downed bridge and building electric vehicle chargers.

The project will expand the plant's capacity from 75 million gallons per day currently to 100 million gallons to serve a growing population.

The American Public Transportation Association is looking for $42.5 billion in rail funding.

The Senate WRDA measure asks the Army Corps to report on best practices and lessons learned with its 10-year-old pilot P3 program.

As EVs and fuel-efficient cars become more common, states and Congress are eying alternative revenues like road user charges.

Local rainfall standards, which affect the design of everything from roads to bridges and stormwater systems, offer a clue whether a city or state is taking infrastructure resilience seriously. Outdated standards remain in many areas, like in the Pacific Northwest.

Indiana officials celebrated the completion of the first of three major commuter railway upgrades, which together represent the state's largest rail project.

A strong project pipeline has P3 advocates hopeful for the future, despite some lackluster recent numbers.

Possible solutions include managed lanes, EV mileage fees, and higher registration fees.

The measure "sets the table for a likely big tax bill next Congress," said Charles Samuels of Mintz Levin.

"This bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill is the product of endless hours of negotiation and debate and will transform several aspects of flying in the years to come," said Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.

"It's getting frantic out there," when it comes to competitive grants and drumming up local matches, said William Murdock, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, speaking at a local government event during Infrastructure Week in Washington, D.C.

High speed passenger rail line leveraging $3 billion in DOT grants

The ASCE in a report analyzing future infrastructure needs says it will take a mix of public and private funds to narrow the funding gap.