Highways and Streets

Issues & Modes / Highways and Streets

There are over 4 million miles of roads in the United States moving cars, trucks, transit, and non-motorized vehicles across a seamless, integrated network. About three-quarters of the roads are owned by localities but the vast majority of travel occurs on major state roads and the federally-designated Interstate System. Today, this complex system is under strain as demands for upgrades and repair, safety improvements, and modernization mount.

The Creation of Contract Authority, June 1922

(Some of this material was originally published in Transportation Weekly on October 10, 2007) One hundred years ago this week, a...

DOT Rolls Out $1 Billion/Year Safe Streets Grant Program

On May 16, the U.S. Department of Transportation solicited applications for $1 billion in grants for a new program providing direct aid...

Gasoline Prices Rise Again, Diesel Supplies Tightening in Northeast

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on a bill making it a federal crime to sell gasoline at an "unconscionably...

Guest Op-Ed: Why Workforce Development Should Be Included in Freight Transportation Plans

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States’ supply chain system has been strained from significant demand. While some...

Guest Op-Ed: A Hotter Solution for Freeway Congestion

After the pandemic, freeway congestion will continue to intensify around large, growing metropolitan areas, even though teleworking...

Guest Op-Ed: Repurposed Streets + Small Vehicles = Big Wins for Climate, Safety, and Justice

Three-quarters of the U.S. population resides in cities and suburbs which share a common denominator: proximity to destinations. As a...

A History of the Secretary’s Ability to Approve (or Disapprove) Highway Projects

The release of an unusual "policy statement" by the Federal Highway Administration in mid-December 2021 sparked a partisan row over...

For Pete’s Sake! Sec. Buttigieg Won’t Push Back on States that Ignore Equity, Climate Guidelines

The Federal Highway Administration guidelines are, in fact, advisories that are not legally binding, as Jeff Davis of the Eno...

Links to the Text of Major Highway and Mass Transit Authorization Laws

Links to the Text of Major Highway and Mass Transit Authorization Laws 2021 IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), a.k.a....

Webinar: The Emerging Future of Supply Chains

Many of the goods imported into the U.S. rely on intricate, finely-tuned, international supply chains. When the COVID-19 pandemic...

One of the Infrastructure Plan’s Biggest Winners Is the Pavement You Drive On

Last April, after Mr. Biden unveiled a jobs plan that prioritized rebuilding roads and bridges, transportation groups began...

Guest Op-Ed: Protecting Pedestrians, Our Most Vulnerable Road Users

Our roads are filled with all kinds of users. We see trucks and cars, of course. We also see motorcycles, bicycles, and increasing...

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