Archinect - News

1 in 3 American bridges are in need of significant repairs, new study finds

2024-09-16T11:49:00-04:00

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s 2024 Bridge Report survey has found 221,800 bridges in need of repair and 76,175 bridges that should be replaced across the country. The accounting, released in late August, claims that some 36%—or nearly 221,800 spans—require some repair work currently. States are simply not committing enough of their available bridge formula funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to adequately solve the repair problems, according to their analysis.

The report echoes the urgency of last year’s findings, which declared the exact same percentage of bridges to be "structurally deficient", requiring a total of $319 billion worth of repairs nationwide.

How New York City is approaching EV charging

2024-05-03T10:41:00-04:00

Since 2021, 100 new curbside chargers have been added across all five boroughs. Jockeying for space alongside parking meters, LinkNYC kiosks, and bus shelters on public sidewalks, they are part of a pilot partnership between the Department of Transportation, Con Edison, and Flo, an EV charging system operator. In the outer-borough neighborhoods that lack the robust EV infrastructure of Manhattan’s Central Business District, these chargers are proving quite popular.

In an interview with Urban Omnibus managing editor Kevin Ritter, New York City Department of Transportation officials Will Carry and Luis Gonzalez outlined the city's vision for creating a comprehensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The department has recently launched a curbside charging pilot program across the city's boroughs, which has proven popular with users.

"In Europe, they’ve reached a point in the market development where cities are making net revenue from these chargers," Carry said. "We’re not there in New York, but at some point there is the potential for this to contribute to the city’s general fund."

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...

Want to help improve Chicago’s streetscape? Here's your opportunity!

2022-12-22T06:30:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Robotics Fabrication Lab Manager at the New York Institute of Technology, we are using our Job Highlights series this week to explore an open position on Archinect Jobs for a Project Manager at site design group.

The role, based in Chicago, calls for an individual to serve as a “municipal consultant” for the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)’s Streetscape and Sustainable Design Program, responsible for managing streetscape design projects in collaboration with the public body. Among the qualifications requested for candidates are degrees in landscape architecture, architecture, or a related field, as well as three or more years of professional experience.

Why the role interests us

In recent years, our editorial has featured several instances of private design firms engaging with Departments of Transportation, and the st...

New York City considers making Grand Army Plaza car-free

2022-11-15T09:00:00-05:00

The city’s Department of Transportation is considering making Grand Army Plaza car-free and connecting it to the Open Streets on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues, officials said this week.

The NYC Department of Transportation is currently seeking the public’s feedback regarding improvements to an area that’s been defined by constant traffic, disrepair, and hazardous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. The agency hopes it can access the $904 million that Mayor Eric Adams pledged to tackle the city’s traffic violence and improve public transportation infrastructure.

The Department is expected to draft plans within the year. Last Saturday, November 12th, they hosted an outreach session, which will be followed by a virtual online workshop on November 16th.

FAA releases $1 billion in grant funding for much-needed U.S. airport upgrades

2022-07-25T13:43:00-04:00

A first of five rounds of airport infrastructure funding has been released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the form of grants totaling $1 billion and intended to support the modernization and maintenance of facilities across the country.

Grants for terminal expansion and sustainability upgrades were awarded to a group of 85 airports as part of the Biden Administration’s bipartisan infrastructure spending package that will invest a total of $2 trillion into similar upgrades nationwide before the decade’s end.

“Americans deserve modern airports that meet the needs of their families and growing passenger demand,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. Indeed, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s most recent 20-year Passenger Forecast indicated that overall air travel numbers are expected to increase to within 111% of the pre-pandemic levels in the next...

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...

“Gateways to Chinatown” initiative accepting proposals for a new landmark at NYC's Canal Street Triangle

2017-04-20T12:34:00-04:00

“Gateways to Chinatown” is a newly launched initiative seeking design proposals for a new neighborhood landmark at New York City's Canal Street Triangle, between bustling Chinatown and the southern entrance to Little Italy’s Mott Street. The NYC Department of Transportation, the Chinatown Partnership, and Van Alen Institute are inviting design teams everywhere to submit their most innovative proposals for the new landmark and public space.

Initiated by the Chinatown Partnership, the project responds to decades of neighborhood advocacy and planning and a widespread desire for an iconic district marker along one of NYC's busiest thoroughfares.

Views of the Canal Street Triangle. Photo credit: Sigurjon Gudjonsson, NYC DOT.

In August 2016, the three organizations hosted a public forum to allow community members and stakeholders to share their opinions for a suitable district landmark. Following the forum, NYC DOT Street Ambassadors reached out to residents and visitors on-site to gather ad...

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:

Trump nominates Elaine Chao for Secretary of Transportation

2016-11-30T14:40:00-05:00

Mr. Trump...has said that infrastructure redevelopment will be a priority of his first 100 days in office. And Ms. Chao has experience — politically and personally — in navigating the competing centers of power in the capital...But now that she is in line for a prominent position in Mr. Trump’s cabinet, it is her own ties to business that are likely to come under scrutiny. As labor secretary, she faced criticism that her department favored business and was lax on enforcement and worker safety.

Columbus, Ohio wins DOT's $50M Smart City Challenge

2016-06-23T13:48:00-04:00

Columbus, Ohio, has won a $50m prize for its plans to smarten up its transport system. The money is made up of a $40m Smart Cities grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT), a $90m fund put up by private sector partners and a further $10m from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s charity Vulcan, which will be used to finance electric vehicle infrastructure.

Columbus managed to beat six rival cities that were shortlisted by the DOT earlier this year:

Austin, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Kansas City, Missouri
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
San Francisco, California

Seven U.S. cities competing to be the "smartest" in urban transit systems

2016-03-22T13:50:00-04:00

The seven American cities that made the shortlist in the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Smart City Challenge are now deciding their strategies for winning the $40m prize fund...Transportation is the focus, so judges will be interested in self-driving and 'connected' cars, as well as 'smart streets' fitted with sensors. The aim will be to cut accidents, reduce pollution and increase commuter convenience.

The DOT shortlisted seven finalists instead of the originally planned five. They are:

Austin, Texas
Columbus, Ohio
Denver, Colorado
Kansas City, Missouri
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
San Francisco, California

The winning city is expected to be announced in June.

More related to transportation technology on Archinect:

U.S. says computers qualify as drivers in Google's autonomous vehicles; won't even have to go to the DMV

Google's self-driving car hits bus and causes its first crash

A first look at the Hyperloop's real tubes and imagined winged terminals

"In LiDAR We Trust" – Poking the subconscious of autonomous vehicles with special guest Geoff Manaugh, on Archinect Sessions #43

Former NYC DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan on how to change the transportation status quo

2015-04-20T15:55:00-04:00

Sadik-Khan shared with the Seattle audience what she and NYC DOT accomplished from 2007 to 2013, how they overcame the stasis of nearly a century of car-centric planning, and how other cities could follow in New York’s footsteps. [...] her insights into New York’s process for implementing change — namely designing bold projects and getting them installed fast — are valuable for other city DOTs hoping to mimic her success. [...] “The new blueprint is … not anti-car. It’s pro choice.”

Big businesses and baby steps: Weekly News Round-Up for September 22 and 29, 2014

2014-10-06T18:43:00-04:00

Friday, October 3:

Eisenhower Memorial clears key hurdle on Gehry design: In a positive step for the Memorial's Approving Process Odyssey, the National Capital Planning Commission has OK'd the Commission on Fine Arts (the other federal body that must approve the design) to vote on the Memorial.
Where are the women? Measuring progress on gender in architecture: A series of infographics on the representation of women in architectural practice and education, courtesy of ACSA.

Wednesday, October 1:

Guggenheim plans New York expansion… again: Not for more art space (Gehry tried that before) but for offices.
Zaera-Polo steps down as dean of Princeton's School of Architecture: From the press release: "the school's former dean, Professor Stanley T. Allen, will serve as acting dean until a permanent successor is appointed and that Professor Allen will chair the search for the new dean."
Tiny Spanish Island to be First Energy Self-Sufficient Island: The 10,000 population island will use renewable e...

U.S. DOT to Publish Its Own Manual on Protected Bike Lanes

2014-09-23T19:20:00-04:00

Before the end of this year, the Federal Highway Administration will release its own guidance on designing protected bike lanes. The agency’s positions on bicycling infrastructure has matured in recent years. Until recently, U.S. DOT’s policy was simple adherence to outdated and stodgy manuals like AASHTO’s Green Book and FHWA’s own Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) — neither of which included protected bike lanes.

L.A.'s "People St." initiative puts public place-making into the public's hands

2014-02-13T14:27:00-05:00

Communities can transform underused areas of L.A.’s largest public asset—our 7,500 miles of city streets—into active, vibrant, and accessible public space with People St, a program of the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). Eligible Community Partners can apply for approval to create projects that enhance the quality of life in this city. Three innovative types of projects are available: Plazas, Parklets, and Bicycle Corrals.

Los Angeles began piloting its "People St." program in 2011, developing spaces designed to reclaim sections of streetspace for public recreation and use, rather than car traffic. The projects were few but popular, including the Sunset Triangle (designed by Rios Clementi Hale Studios) plaza in Silverlake, a couple of parklets in Downtown, and bike corrals in Atwater Village and Highland Park. Led by LA's Department of Transportation and invigorated by LA's current mayor, Eric Garcetti, the program will accept applications for "People St." initiatives by any eligible community group, beginning this March.

The program is designed not only so communities can individualize their surroundings and make their city more livable, but for LADOT to expedite city improvement projects. Initiatives that otherwise would have taken years of planning and hundreds of thousands of dollars become faster and cheaper to execute, led by the people most in touch with the project site, and approved by city of...