The Governor of Missouri Wants to Spend $859 Million on Highway Expansion

A proposed highway expansion in Missouri will not only bulldoze through key areas in and around downtown St. Louis, but it’s also going to cost $859 million. Let’s go over some better ways that money could be spent.

Podcast, Upzoned, End Highway Expansion, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 25, 2023Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure spending, highways, End Highway Expansion, highway spending, missouri, Missouri

$4.7 Billion New Jersey Turnpike Expansion Ignores Local Leaders and Invites More Gridlock

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority plans to spend $4.7 billion updating and widening an eight-mile section of the turnpike, in the hopes of relieving congestion. Here’s why it’s not going to help.

Flying Blind: Why Public Leaders Need an Investment Grade Analysis

Portland and Oregon leaders shouldn’t commit to a $5-billion project without an investment grade analysis (IGA) of toll revenues.

#DotheMath, #InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, City Observatory, Top StoryJoe CortrightJune 17, 2022Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, infrastructure spending, Oregon, Washington, DOT, #DoTheMath, City Observatory

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

Fixing the Potholes Requires Digging Deeper

When it comes to our places’ roads, we need to start asking: “How much is this gonna cost us?”

#DotheMath, #InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Member Post, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodJune 2, 2022Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, infrastructure cost, infrastructure spending, #DoTheMath, Winnipeg, canada, Canada, member story

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

TxDOT Ignores El Paso’s Needs To Make a Grab at Infrastructure Dollars

TxDOT’s latest boondoggle: a highway expansion that threatens to cut right at the heart of downtown El Paso.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Transportation, Top StoryRobert StorchMarch 31, 2022highways, freeway widening, freeways, urban freeways, El Paso, Texas, transportation, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure spending

We Need to Embrace Traffic Congestion, Not Fight It

We’ve spent trillions fighting congestion so that it’s easy to drive everywhere. But we’re fighting a losing battle, and simultaneously losing our ability to walk anywhere.

#NoNewRoads, #SlowtheCars, Infrastructure, Transportation, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnFebruary 21, 2022congestion, traffic congestion, traffic engineering, #SlowTheCars, #NoNewRoads, American Jobs Plan, infrastructure spending, Infrastructure, infrastructure, transportation

The Real Reason We Keep Getting Distracted by Transit Boondoggles

When it comes to transit mega project delays and overruns, there are typically two reactions: to trash the project mercilessly or unconditionally back it to the end. But there is a third option.

Infrastructure, Marohn, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnFebruary 14, 2022Infrastructure, infrastructure, megaprojects, Megaprojects, transit, commuting, transportation spending, infrastructure spending, Minnesota, transportation

Sorry, but a $10 Million Sewer System Won't Fix Your Economy

This small town in Maine is hoping to breathe life back into its Main Street…but is looking for solutions in all the wrong places.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, Local Government, Quednau, Top StoryRachel QuednauOctober 26, 2021sewers, public investment, Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure spending, Small Towns, small towns, local government

Should we do this project? A Strong Towns answer.

Our answer to this question is a pair of filters. If you can’t pass these filters, it’s a bad project.

Marohn, Infrastructure, #DotheMath, Top StoryCharles MarohnMarch 1, 2021#DoTheMath, Local-Motive Tour, Kevin Shepherd, infrastructure spending, how to

The Great GASB!

There are major flaws in the accounting standards that shape municipal finance in American cities. But there’s an opportunity too: a chance to comment on—and perhaps change—those standards going forward.

Finance, Infrastructure, Local Government, Top StoryJoe MinicozziFebruary 17, 2021finance, municipal finance, infrastructure spending

"But *My* City Doesn't Spend Very Much on Infrastructure!"

Think budget-busting infrastructure spending isn’t happening in YOUR city? Ask these two questions to find out.

Herriges, Infrastructure, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 8, 2020maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, infrastructure spending, Texas, Collin County

Strong Roads

Wichita is spending $45,000 to repave a road. While that might not seem like a lot, sometimes it’s the small projects that reveal where our city’s spending priorities are—and where they should be.

Infrastructure, Roads and StreetsRussell Arben FoxJune 11, 2020Infrastructure, infrastructure spending, roads

The Congestion Con: How Bad Land Use and Transportation Decisions Go Hand-in-Hand

The way we design our cities guarantees a flood of congestion. And then we pour billions of dollars into highway expansion, only to worsen the problem we created in the first place.

Transportation, Top StoryStephen Lee DavisMarch 6, 2020congestion, traffic congestion, freeway widening, T4A, Transportation For America, Smart Growth America, infrastructure spending, traffic engineering

The Fight For #NoNewRoads Is Alive and Well in Washington State

Veteran advocates for a sane and financially sustainable transportation policy in Washington State see a chance to turn crisis into opportunity. And they're hoping to get state leaders to see it too.

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, #StrongCitizens, Taking Action, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 3, 2020infrastructure spending, #NoNewRoads, Seattle, Washington, Mike McGinn

How Much Does a Mile of Road Actually Cost?

The Federal Highway Administration has a chart full of answers to that question you might find useful.

#DotheMath, #StrongCitizens, Top StoryStrong TownsJanuary 27, 2020infrastructure cost, infrastructure spending, #DoTheMath, infrastructure, local finance

The State of U.S. Transit in 5 Observations

Where did we spend our money building transit in the U.S. in the last 10 years? And what did we get for it?

Herriges, Transportation, Public Transit, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJanuary 16, 2020transit, public transportation, public transit, buses, Light Rail, infrastructure spending

Shreveport's Highway Emperors’ New Clothes

Deeply held beliefs, supported by flawed assumptions, blind us to realities and facts. The supposed wealth and prosperity generated by cut-through urban highways was always an illusion—but who will dare to point out the obvious truth?

Shreveport, Transportation, Growth Ponzi SchemeKim MitchellNovember 1, 2019Shreveport, Growth Ponzi Scheme, suburban experiment, urban freeways, suburban development pattern, decline, infrastructure cult, infrastructure spending

Overpaving Roads and Overeating Ice Cream

How much road does your city have—and how much does it actually have the money to maintain? We compare “calories in” to “calories out” before we binge on ice cream; what if we took the same approach to our infrastructure budgets? One city did, and here’s what they found out.

Sulaski, Urban3, Top StoryRobert SulaskiJuly 29, 2019suburban experiment, #DoTheMath, streets, infrastructure spending, infrastructure cost, Growth Ponzi Scheme

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