MoDOT Is Proud of Their Highways. Missourians, Not So Much.

MoDOT recently put out a tweet celebrating the 50-year anniversary of a highway that tore up Kansas City’s downtown. Here are just some of the (rightfully) angry reactions they got.

A Rough Beast Slouches Toward the Brent Spence Bridge

As local and regional politicians move forward on a $3 billion highway widening project, a local group of activists in Cincinnati are fighting for an alternative plan.

Infrastructure, #NoNewRoads, Transportation, Top StoryRyan CraneAugust 22, 2022highways, End Highway Expansion, freeway widening, Cincinnati, Ohio, race, Race, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, transportation, transportation spending, #NoNewRoads

Why Is Rhode Island Building New Roads When Its Current Roads Are Falling Apart?

Rhode Island has built far more highways than it can afford to maintain. So why on earth is it building another one?

#NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 15, 2022End Highway Expansion, highways, highway spending, maintenance, Maintenance, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, Nero Project, Rhode Island, DOT, #NoNewRoads, roads

Yet Another Exploding Whale: ODOT’s Freeway-Widening Cost Doubles

The Oregon DOT has experienced massive cost overruns on all of its largest construction projects…and has systematically concealed and understated the frequency and scale of those cost overruns.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, City Observatory, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightJune 3, 2022Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, infrastructure cost, infrastructure spending, Oregon, DOT, City Observatory, Joe Cortright, transportation

The Brent Spence Boondoggle

Local leaders in Ohio and Kentucky are gearing up to make a multi-billion dollar mistake on this bridge equivalent of a highway-widening project.

#DotheMath, Infrastructure, Transportation, Top StoryRyan CraneApril 18, 2022Cincinnati, freeway widening, induced demand, highways, highway spending, transportation spending, Ohio, kentucky, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, infrastructure spending, #DoTheMath

Will We Have an Infrastructure Bill? Who Cares?

We get a lot of questions about a federal infrastructure bill, but at the end of the day…does it really matter?

#InfrastructureCrisis, Federal Government, Marohn, Infrastructure, Top StoryCharles MarohnOctober 4, 2021infrastructure bill, Infrastructure, infrastructure cult, federal government, American Jobs Plan

A Preview of Bi-Partisan Compromise on Infrastructure (Sorry, It's Not Good)

We should not be cheering on simulacrums of reform when the majority of spending is going to programs that are making us weaker as a country, as cities, and as neighborhoods.

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Local Government, Marohn, Politics, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 6, 2021MoveMN, Infrastructure, transportation, walkability, bikeability, #NoNewRoads, infrastructure cult, local government, Minnesota

A National Infrastructure Bank is a Stupid Idea

A bill in Congress is pushing for a National Infrastructure Bank, which would mean (in theory) bold federal action to address America's infrastructure crisis. It's a big idea. It's also a really bad one.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Federal Government, Infrastructure, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 14, 2021Infrastructure, infrastructure cult, Infrastructure Bank, infrastructure cost, federal government, top-down, South Carolina

Why is Everything "Infrastructure" Now, and Does it Matter if it Is?

The answer isn’t about the definition of "infrastructure” at all. This is an issue of how Congress functions. Or doesn't.

Federal Government, Herriges, Infrastructure, Politics, The Infrastructure Cult, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesApril 8, 2021infrastructure bill, infrastructure cult, Joe Biden, Congress, partisan

Has Infrastructure Become the "Ultimate Partisan Battleground"?

Instead of bringing the parties together, Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan has stirred up controversy. Is this the end of the Infrastructure Cult?

Federal Government, Infrastructure, Podcast, The Infrastructure Cult, Upzoned, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 7, 2021Infrastructure, infrastructure cult, infrastructure bill, Joe Biden, Upzoned, Podcast, partisan

Doing the Math in Calgary

Calgary — like so many North American cities — is like an intergenerational dine-and-dash. Our children will get the bill.

#DotheMath, Success Story, Member Post, Top Story 2, Top StoryNathan HawrylukFebruary 23, 2021#DoTheMath, infrastructure cult, Alberta, Canada, member story, success stories

Joseph Kane: Prioritizing People (Not Projects) In Infrastructure Spending

What role should federal infrastructure spending play in the economic recovery — and how can we make sure that spending addresses the real needs of people?

Podcast, Infrastructure, #InfrastructureCrisis, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 22, 2021Brookings Institute, Infrastructure, infrastructure cult

How to #DoTheMath for Non-Math Majors

You don’t have to be a math wizard to figure out if your town or city has more infrastructure than it can afford. Just follow these 5 simple steps.

#DotheMath, Success Story, Member Post, Top StoryNathan HawrylukFebruary 22, 2021#DoTheMath, infrastructure cult, Alberta, Canada, member story, success stories

After the Innovation Revolution, Who Will Clean the Streets?

In an era in which so many people aspire to be the next Steve Jobs, who will channel their ambition in the pursuit of caretaking work?

Infrastructure, #InfrastructureCrisis, Top Story, Top Story 2Anthony BarrJanuary 19, 2021maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, infrastructure cult, innovation

A Better Use of Federal Infrastructure Spending

Federal politicians are paving the way for a massive infrastructure spending bill meant to stimulate the economy. Two engineering professors talk about why that approach hasn’t worked in the past, and why real economic stimulus must include #NoNewRoads.

Upzoned, Podcast, Infrastructure, #NoNewRoads, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 15, 2020infrastructure cult, infrastructure bill, Upzoned, #NoNewRoads

“The Worst Possible Thing We Can Do With This Money”

One plan to kickstart the economy after the coronavirus crisis involves resurrecting a familiar plan: a massive infrastructure bill. Where will the money come from and where will it go? The answers aren’t encouraging.

Finance, Podcast, Upzoned, Top StoryStrong TownsApril 8, 2020infrastructure cult, infrastructure bill, coronavirus, Podcast

A Reminder for Planners: "Every Projection is Wrong"

Put away the Excel sheet and go for a long walk.

Herriges, Planning Profession, The Infrastructure Cult, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMarch 3, 2020infrastructure cult, traffic projections, projections, urban planning, planning profession

A $7.5 Billion Boondoggle Advances in Austin

The State of Texas is prepared to fully fund a massive freeway widening project through the heart of Austin. Have we learned nothing? (Answer: apparently not.)

Top Story, Transportation, #NoNewRoads, HerrigesDaniel HerrigesFebruary 27, 2020infrastructure, infrastructure cult, freeways, urban freeways, Austin, Texas

The hyperloop is always greener from the other side of the stroad

It is astounding how even the most bankrupt city will fall all over themselves when presented the opportunity to spend money they don't have on the latest fad.

Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnFebruary 11, 2020infrastructure cult, Infrastructure, transportation, public transit, Cleveland

What Should My City Do About Our Infrastructure Backlog?

If your community has a huge backlog of unfunded infrastructure maintenance — and it’s the rare one that doesn’t — there are some basic and obvious steps that need to be taken.