Archinect - News

Transportation Secretary Buttigieg admits ‘we don't fully know’ scope or extent of Francis Scott Key Bridge repairs in Baltimore

2024-04-01T13:02:00-04:00

"A lot goes into how that reconstruction will be designed, how the process is going to work," Buttigieg said on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. He noted that he didn't have an estimate on the rebuilding timeline, but the bridge itself took five years to initially construct. "Right now we don't fully know everything we need to know about the condition of the portions of the bridge that did not collapse."

Engineering News-Record reported that debris removal has already begun in haste at Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site, where six people lost their lives last Tuesday, courtesy of the U.S. Navy, Army Corps of Engineers, and Coast Guard. The surviving portions of the bridge will first have to be removed piecemeal, although that work has no timeline.

Previously on Archinect: Major Baltimore bridge collapses after being struck by container ship

Speaking on CBS 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg said, “It’s a very complex process,” adding, “This is not going to happen overnight.” Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore told ENR, “To see this up close, you realize how daunting a task this is. You realize how difficult the work is ahead of us.”

The most recent reported costs for the bridge’s replacement are around $400 million.

The United States currently needs about $319 billion worth of repairs to bridges, according to an analysis that was released...

SOM shares photos of new Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge

2023-12-28T18:15:00-05:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) have shared photos of their new U.S. DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center project in Cambridge, Massachusetts following the building’s formal public inauguration in September.

The 13-story, 410,000-square-foot building reclaims an existing 14-acre lot in Kendall Square that has been used by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) since 1970. Added outdoor public spaces replete with an undulating Maya Lin land art piece and further landscaping designed by Reed Hilderbrand surround the new design, which houses formerly separate laboratory facilities, data centers, and administrative offices into a singular “vertical campus” concept for the first time.

Image: © Dave Burk/SOM

The building is oriented to maximize the sun’s position throughout the year while also working to minimize glare and solar radiation at the east and west elevations. The Center's footprint has been reduced to 4 acres as part of a land-use agreement signed with MIT’s...

Over $1 billion allocated to California’s transportation infrastructure

2023-12-19T12:11:00-05:00

The California Transportation Commission has announced the allocation of $1.1 billion for projects aimed at repairing and improving the state’s transportation infrastructure. The funding will be deployed to projects in areas including Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego.

In Los Angeles, $12 million will be used to upgrade bicyclist and pedestrian infrastructure on an 18-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway between Redondo Beach and the Orange County line. Upgrades include Class II bike lanes, bus pads, crosswalk visibility enhancements, a rectangular rapid flashing beacon, and pedestrian push buttons, among others. Meanwhile, $6 million will be allocated to San Francisco BART expansion.

The single largest project to receive funding will be a $108 million development along Interstate 80 near the State Route 20 connector that will replace an...

U.S. Department of Transportation awards $6.1 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in the American West

2023-12-06T14:36:00-05:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $6.1 billion in funding for two high-speed rail projects in Nevada and California that will make history upon their respective completions at the end of the decade.

Both the $8 billion Brightline West plan connecting Southern California to Las Vegas and the California High-Speed Rail project between Los Angeles and San Francisco will receive a total of $3 billion and $3.07 billion each.

The funding will help propel the former towards a formal project announcement that is expected by Friday, according to Reuters. The latter will aid in the development of a pared-down version of the larger California project that has been plagued by funding challenges for several years.

Brightline’s chairman Wes Edens told Reuters the funding marks a “historic moment that will serve as a foundation for a new industry and a remarkable project that will serve a...

36% of all U.S. bridges are structurally deficient, study finds

2023-08-29T13:49:00-04:00

A study of every bridge in the U.S. Department of Transportation database has discovered a need for $319 billion worth of major repairs or replacement work on a total of 222,000 spans across the country.

The findings published in the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s 2023 analysis also showed an overall decline of 560 bridges in need of repair versus last year. The news comes a little less than two years removed from the belabored passage of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a piece of legislation that included no less than $40 billion for bridge projects through the end of 2027.

Construction Dive has more analysis of the new report, which showed an increase in the overall share of bridges that are in "fair" condition simultaneous to a decline of those in both "poor" and "good" categories.

Previously on Archinect: A new infrastructure approach could save millions per year, say researchers

West Virginia leads all states, with 20% of all its br...

New Jersey sues to block NYC congestion pricing plan

2023-07-25T11:35:00-04:00

New Jersey took a significant step Friday as it seeks to block New York’s congestion pricing plan with a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Gov. Phil Murphy, standing behind a podium that read “FIGHTING AN UNFAIR CONGESTION TAX,” said at a morning press conference that he hopes the lawsuit triggers an environmental impact statement delaying the program.

New York City's new congestion pricing plan was finally approved on a federal level last month following years of debate that began under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy told CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday that he wants to prevent pollution from the anticipated backlog of commuters, who are also out of alternatives still years ahead of the $11 billion Gateway Tunnel’s expected completion. The MTA is contesting his ability to challenge the congestion pricing plan in the first place.

Previously on Archinect: New York City's congestion pricing program receives federal approval

The friction between the city and its outlying communities, amplified by the pandemic, has taken a role in the discussions over office downturn, public transit, crime, and other issues. Several reports this week indicated Staten Island will also join New Jersey in suing the Department of Transportation. The MTA's capital projects and depleted ridership are the primary beneficiary of t...

NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces $7.25 million federal grant to expand greenway network in underserved communities

2022-08-25T18:56:00-04:00

Earlier this week, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city has received a $7.25 million federal grant to expand the greenway network across the five boroughs, with a priority on serving historically underserved, lower-income communities.

The funding is from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. The money will be used to fill gaps in New York City’s greenway network, improve cyclist and pedestrian safety with revitalized infrastructure, and provide green transportation options and greater waterfront access. The grant application was prepared by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), the New York City Parks Department (NYC Parks), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

“All New Yorkers deserve access to our beautiful greenways, and we’re making that happen thanks to millions in federal funding,” said Mayor Adams. “This grant will help us do t...

Transportation research and education continues as two new UTCs are announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation

2019-06-10T13:17:00-04:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced Wednesday that it will open two new University Transportation Centers (UTCs), one at the University of South Florida (USF) and one at Washington State University (WSU). Each UTC will receive $7.5 million in grant funding for transportation research and education.

Initiated in 1987 by the United States Department of Transportation, the University Transportation Center (UTC) program aides to improve research and education in transportation in order to improve the durability and lifespan of transportation infrastructures. Data and other transportation technology will help create new improvements to reduce congestion and boost transportation education programs. Currently in its 30th year, the UTC has 37 universities currently involved in the program.

David Plautz of Smart Cities Dive explains, "Diana Furchtgott-Roth, deputy assistant secretary for research and technology at USDOT, said in a statement that the UTCs will help to develop solutions 'that America needs now,' and this need will only continue to grow. A February study from transportation analytics firm Inrix found that American drivers lost an average of 97 hours in 2018 to congestion, the equivalent of $1,348 in lost productivity per driver. While solutions like congestion pricing an...

Elaine Chao wants speedier approvals for DOT's infrastructure projects

2016-12-22T16:22:00-05:00

Nominee for Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao laid out her vision for DOT should the senate confirm her, and it's heavy on lifting regulations while breezing past funding issues. According to Politico:

Chao said she wants to reduce "regulatory burdens when appropriate." And she hopes to speed up project approvals regardless of whether infrastructure programs get a funding boost. “With or without a new infusion of funds, it is necessary to look at the existing processes for infrastructure development and find more efficient ways to address bottlenecks in planning and permitting,” Chao said. That response indicates Chao isn’t assuming Congress will pass a large infrastructure spending package.

For more on Trump's political cabinet of curiosities:

The U.S. just got $4 billion to spend on self-driving cars

2016-01-15T12:47:00-05:00

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the government would remove hurdles to developing autonomous vehicles and set further guidelines for them within six months. [...] The government’s new support includes a request in President Obama’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year for $4 billion, to be spent over 10 years, to finance research projects and infrastructure improvements tied to driverless cars.

This is the first time the federal government has actively engaged in the regulation and implementation of driverless vehicles. State governments had previously been putting forth their own standards – see this handy wiki from Gabriel Weiner and Bryant Walker Smith at Stanford University, "Automated Driving: Legislative and Regulatory Action".

More on the road (ahem) to driverless vehicles:

The "Park Over the Highway" is now underway

2013-08-14T09:55:00-04:00

Officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the start of the aptly named "Park Over the Highway" plan in St. Louis, Missouri earlier this month. The plan's objective is to connect the iconic Gateway Arch grounds and Downtown St. Louis by building a park over the Interstate-70, which has divided the city from the Mississippi waterfront for the past 50 years. Last month, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) awarded KCI Construction Company $26.4 million to begin construction. The project is expected to be done by Fall 2015.

As depicted in the rendering above, the extensive renovation project also involves re-routing roads, laying groundwork pedestrian and bike paths, and general enhancement of the landscape.

Funds for the entire $380 million plan came from public sources like federal grants and a voter-approved local sales tax as well as private contributions from major supporters like the CityArchRiver foundation.

U.S. Transportation ...