#kt-adv-heading_ac27df-52, #kt-adv-heading_ac27df-52 .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading {font-size:20px;font-weight:400;font-family:Montserrat;}
To view more FreightWaves infographics, click here.
highway infrastructure
FreightWaves Classics: Maine Turnpike carries traffic in the Pine Tree State
Maine is the northeasternmost U.S. state. And while it looks huge on maps, it is the 12th-smallest by area. It also ranks 41st in population and is the 13th-least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. In fact, its population density is 41.3 people per square mile, which makes it the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, Maine was also the most rural state, with only 38.7% of its population living within urban areas.
(Map: visitmaine.net)However...
Trumka predicted passage of infrastructure bill in coming months
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, whose death was announced Thursday by the labor organization he led since 2009, warned that the economy was “at a crossroads” and stood a chance of slipping if lawmakers did not give more than lip service to passing an infrastructure bill this year.
In addition to creating jobs and lowering unemployment, “investing in roads and bridges and transit and climate mitigation and all of those things will make America stronger and more competitive,” Trumka, who was 72,...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trumka-predicted-passage-of-infrastructure-bill-in-coming-months
Highways, ports get $2B boost in Biden infrastructure deal
A bipartisan group of senators negotiating with President Joe Biden boosted new funding for highway and port infrastructure each by $1 billion from an initial framework announced in June, according to a new fact sheet released by the White House.
The “Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal” announced on Wednesday increases new funds for roads, bridges and major projects from $109 to $110 billion, with port infrastructure investment increasing from $16 billion to $17 billion.
The $550 billion in total new...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/highways-ports-get-2b-boost-in-biden-infrastructure-deal
Biden spotlights computer chip shortage on visit to Mack Trucks plant
President Joe Biden highlighted a production problem that Mack Trucks and other truck manufacturers have been facing this year because of a global shortage of computer chips that enable engine operations.
On a tour of Mack Trucks’ assembly plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Biden was told that the manufacturer was struggling to find the chips needed for engine assembly.
“We basically don’t make them anymore in America,” Biden said during a speech following the tour. “So I got together...
Tennessee lawmaker frustrated by Buttigieg’s I-40 bridge response
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn believes the nation’s top transportation official is not paying enough attention to the I-40 bridge outage and wants better coordination on the issue between federal and state authorities.
The Tennessee Republican revealed her frustration during a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday for Carlos Monje, nominated to be undersecretary of transportation for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and currently serving as an adviser to DOT Secretary Pete...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tennessee-lawmaker-frustrated-by-buttigiegs-i-40-bridge-response
DOT allots $1 billion in latest round of infrastructure grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is laying out $1 billion in the latest round of a competitive grant program that began in 2009 for freight projects.
DOT published on Tuesday a Notice of Funding Opportunity to apply for money through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, a renaming of what had been called “BUILD” grants under the Trump administration and “TIGER” grants under the Obama administration.
The Biden administration plans to...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-allots-1b-in-latest-round-of-infrastructure-grants
Biden unveils sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure plan
The White House has released an outline of President Joe Biden’s vision for infrastructure: a $2 trillion, 10-year American Jobs Plan that includes upgrading transportation infrastructure as well as renewing the electric grid, high-speed broadband to all parts of the U.S. and delivering clean drinking water.
Biden envisions the plan fully paid for within 15 years – but only if he is able to pass an adjoining plan to increase corporate taxes from the current 21% passed under the Trump...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/biden-unveils-sweeping-2-trillion-infrastructure-plan
Republicans to White House: Limit infrastructure spending to roads and bridges
As the Biden administration looks ahead to the “recovery” portion of its Build Back Better plan while the $1.9 billion COVID-19 relief bill is considered in the Senate, Republicans are drawing a line across the road when it comes to infrastructure investment.
After a White House meeting Thursday that included President Joe Biden and Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said...
News alert: Civil engineers upgrade US infrastructure to C- from D+
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the nation’s infrastructure an overall grade of C-minus, up from a grade of D-plus four years ago, the association revealed Wednesday in its quadrennial report card.
The evaluation was based on an evaluation of 17 infrastructure categories, including roads, bridges, ports, rail, aviation and inland waterways.
2021 report card (with comparison to four years ago):
- Roads: D (D)
- Bridges: C (C+)
- Ports: B- (C+)
- Rail: B (B)
- Aviation: D+ (D)
- Inland...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/civil-engineers-upgrades-us-infrastructure-to-c-from-d