A federal appeals court in San Francisco sent the state of Alaska back to “looking at all its options” after a May 4 ruling halted a proposed 51-mile, $500-million highway from Juneau to a new ferry landing in Katzehin. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court upholds a 2009 lower-court opinion that the project's final environmental impact statement (EIS) was not valid because it did not include an alternative that would improve transportation with existing assets, namely upgraded ferry service. The planned project—a major increase from the original 2006 estimate of $100 million—would have built the East Lynn Canal
A federal appeals court in San Francisco sent the state of Alaska back to “looking at all its options” after a May 4 ruling halted a proposed 51-mile, $500-million highway from Juneau to a new ferry landing in Katzehin. Map By Walter Konefal For ENR The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court upholds a 2009 lower-court opinion that the project’s final environmental impact statement (EIS) was not valid because it did not include an alternative that would improve transportation with existing assets, namely upgraded ferry service. The planned project—a major increase from the original 2006 estimate of $100 million—would
More than two-thirds of the states lack adequate ways to measure whether their transportation spending achieves economic, mobility, environmental, infrastructure quality and other goals, says a new report from two policy research groups. The study, released on May 10 by the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation, found that only 13 states have goals, performance measurements and data to help their transportation officials set spending priorities effectively. It adds that 19 states fall short in those areas and 18 states and the District of Columbia show mixed results. With federal and state transportation spending under pressure, quantifying
More than two-thirds of the states lack adequate ways to measure whether their transportation spending is successful, says a new report from two policy research groups. ENR file photo Pass or fail? States can't tell if transportation work achieves goals, report says. Related Links: View executive summary of Pew-Rockefeller report The states can't tell if the spending achieves economic, mobility, environmental, infrastructure quality and other goals, says the report. The assessment is part of a study released on May 10 by the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation. It found that only 13 states have sufficient goals,
Rail projects on the Northeast Corridor were the major winners as the U.S. Dept. of Transportation redistributed $2 billion in aid Florida turned down earlier this year. The grants, announced on May 9, will fund about $1.7 billion in infrastructure. That will be good news for engineering and construction firms and ease the pain of Florida Gov. Rick Scott's move to cancel his state's rail plan. The Northeast got about $1 billion, mostly for the Washington-to-Boston corridor. Peter Gertler, chairman of transit and high-speed rail services for HNTB, says about 75% of previous DOT rail awards went to California, Florida
New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Work has already begun on improvements to Harold Interlocking in New York City's borough of Queens. Related Links: View DOT's announcement View NY Gov. Cuomo's press release Rail projects on the Northeast Corridor are the major winners as the U.S. Dept. of Transportation redistributed $2 billion in high-speed rail aid that Florida rejected earlier this year. The grant awards, announced by US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood on May 9, will include about $1.7 billion for infrastructure work. That will be a welcome infusion to engineering firms and construction contractors around the country, and ease
A federal appeals court in San Francisco sent the state of Alaska back to looking at all its options after its May 4 ruling shut down a proposed 51-mile, $500-million highway from Juneau to a new ferry landing in Katzehin. Photo courtesy Scott Logan/Alaska Transportation Priorities Project Proposed road would be along a route that is prone to avalanches. The decision by the U.S. Ninth Circuit court upholds a 2009 lower court opinion that the project’s final environmental impact statement was not valid because it did not include an alternative that would improve transportation with existing assets, namely upgraded ferry
A survey of 176 U.S. mayors released May 3 shows that 93% want to see urban and metropolitan areas directly receive a larger share of overall federal transportation funds. The report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors says that if cities� share of the transportation-aid pie is not increased, only 7% of mayors would back a gas-tax hike. More would favor a gas-tax boost if a larger share of the total went to local roads and bridges (89% of those surveyed) or public transit (65%). The report, sponsored by Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York City, comes as U.S. lawmakers work on
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has sent New Jersey a second and final notice, directing the state to repay $271.1 million in federal funds disbursed for a $9.1-billion rail-tunnel project that Gov. Chris Christie (R) canceled last October. The Access to the Region's Core was to be a nine-mile commuter rail link under the Hudson River, from Secaucus, N.J., to midtown Manhattan. DOT's Federal Transit Administration in November issued its first formal demand that the state repay the money. New Jersey reviewed the amount of the repayment claim and examined FTA project records. In a final decision issued on April
A construction management contractor wasted no time in responding to the damage inflicted to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport by an April 22 tornado and still expects to complete the ongoing renovation on schedule. Photo By AP Worldwide/Emily M. Rasinski Thanks to swift contractor response, the Lambert-St. Louis airport quickly resumed operations after the tornado. Kwame Building Group, St. Louis, is three years into the four-year, $70-million Airport Experience Program, which entails major interior renovations to terminal 1 and concourses A and C. “We had just started the terminal rehab when the tornado hit,” says Mike Minges, Kwame senior vice president.
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